Charlie Weinert (25) vs. Young Bob Fitzsimmons (40)
Charlie Weinert
Newark Adonis
70-21-4, 26 KO
Notable fights: D10, L10, L8, W15 Battling Levinsky; W12 Young Bob Fitzsimmons; TKOby2, L10 Jack Dillon; L10, W10, W12 Gunboat Smith; KOby2, LbyDQ2 Fred Fulton; L10 Billy Miske; WbyDQ4 Bob Roper; W12 Willie Meehan; W10 Bartley Madden; L15 Harry Greb; D15 Martin Burke; L12, KOby4 Gene Tunney; W12, WbyDQ4 Chuck Wiggins; TKOby2, W12 Luis Angel Firpo; W12, W10 Jack Sharkey; KOby2 Harry Wills; Quintin Romero Rojas W12.
Victim of bad timing, beating Sharkey, Firpo, Rojas and Burke at a time when Dempsey was playing keep-away with the world championship. Also lost close decisions to Tunney and Greb.
Young Bob Fitzsimmons
35-20-3, 16 KO
Notable fights: W12 Erminio Spalla; L15 Martin Burke; L12 Charlie Weinert; D10, L12 Bud Gorman; L10 Young Stribling; L10 Jimmy Delaney; KO3 Quintin Romero Rojas; L12 Jack Delaney; L10 Johnny Risko; L10 Tiger Flowers; L10 Jack Demave
Unlike most who adopted the “Young” preface before a famous fighter’s name, Young Bob was actually the son of the former heavyweight champion. Resemblance ended there, as Fitzsimmons lacked Dad’s knockout power, but fought many top contenders without ever being stopped.
Primo Carnera (18) vs. Lou Barba (47)
Primo Carnera
The Ambling Alp
89-14, 72 KO
Notable fights: WbyDQ4, LbyDQ7 Young Stribling; KO2 Sully Montgomery; KO2 Chuck Wiggins; WbyDQ5 George Godfrey; KO4 Bearcat Wright; KO4, TKO7 Jack Gross; L10 Jim Maloney; W10, W15 Paulino Uzcudun; KO2, W12 Victorio Campolo; L10 Larry Gains; KO1 Knute Hansen; KO2 Bud Gorman; KO13 Ernie Schaaf; KO6 Jack Sharkey; W15 Tommy Loughran; TKOby11 Max Baer; TKOby6 Joe Louis; TKO4 Big Boy Brackey.
Carnera wouldn’t win the world title until 1933, and most of his biggest fights took place in the ‘30s, but the buzz caused by his size and string of early successes in Europe – including a split of two DQ fights with Young Stribling -- had him ranked No. 9 by The Ring in 1929.
Lou Barba
31-8-4, 8 KO
Notable fights: L6, L4 Jim Braddock; L10 Tiger Jack Payne; W6 Charlie Wepner.
Max Schmeling’s former sparring partner who shunned the sport after retiring, according to boxrec.com, Barba’s inclusion in the database and, quite frankly, this tournament is somewhat mysterious, leading observers to wonder if Carnera’s nefarious connections may have lined him up a soft touch in the first round.
Paulino Uzcudun (10) vs. Knute Hansen (55)
Paulino Uzcudun
The Basque Woodchopper
50-17-3, 34 KO
Notable fights: W15 Erminio Spalla, W10 Knute Hansen; W10, D15 Tom Heeney; KO4 Harry Wills; LbyDQ7 Jack Delaney; L10 Johnny Risko; KO3 Quintin Romero Rojas; L10 George Godfrey; W10 Otto von Porat; W10 Bill Hartwell; L15, L12 Max Schmeling; L10 Tuffy Griffiths; W10 Otto von Porat; L10, L15 Primo Carnera; L15 Ernie Schaaf; KOby4 Joe Louis.
While there is no concrete evidence that Uzcudun ever chopped wood, he was a tough contender for a decade who was never stopped until facing Louis in the final fight of his career at age 36.
Knute Hansen
18-12-1, 10 KO
Notable fights: KO3 Quintin Romero Rojas; L10 Paulino Uzcudun; KO1 Phil Scott; KOby2 Babe Hunt; KOby1 Primo Carnera; W10 Monte Munn.
Dropped Scott seven times in less than a round, helping soil the reputation of British heavyweights for generations to come.
In 1933, United Press Staff Correspondent Henry M'Lemore wrote, according to boxrec.com: "Knute Hansen, once one of Boston's better trial horses, is now a Parisian painter, specializing in posies... He quit the ring, he says, when he felt himself getting goofy... Knute classes himself a 'neo-realist'... Maybe he didn't quit soon enough ..."
Jack Dempsey (1) vs. Sully Montgomery (64)
Jack Dempsey
The Manassa Mauler
66-6-11, 51 KO
Notable fights: D10 John Lester Johnson; KOby1 Fireman Jim Flynn; W4, L4, D4, D4 Willie Meehan; W4, KO2 Gunboat Smith; KO1 Fred Fulton; KO3 Battling Levinsky; KO1 Carl Morris; D10, KO3 Billy Miske; TKO3 Jess Willard; KO6, KO12 Bill Brennan; KO1 Arthur Pelkey; KO4 Georges Carpentier; W15 Tommy Gibbons; KO2 Luis Angel Firpo; W4 Jimmy Darcy; L10, L10 Gene Tunney; KO7 Jack Sharkey.
The tournament’s top seed figures to mow through the early rounds, with an at-peak showdown with Gene Tunney looming in the finals, if each can avoid an upset.
Sully Montgomery
38-33-1, 29 KO
Notable fights: L10 Fireman Jim Flynn; L10, L10 Martin Burke; WbyDQ2 Carl Morris; D6 Quintin Romero Rojas; L10 Jack Sharkey; W12 Johnny Risko; LbyDQ7 George Godfrey; KO1 Ed Keeley; TKOby7 Jack Renault; KOby1 Jack Delaney; KOby2 Primo Carnera; KOby1 Tuffy Griffiths.
A big puncher with a glass jaw, Montgomery – the No. 64 seed -- generally made things, well, interesting.
The Associated Press reported of his disqualification loss to Godfrey: "In defeat, Montgomery gave one of the worst exhibitions of mucker tactics ever seen in a California ring. The only thing he didn't do was bite ... Montgomery was guilty of at least a dozen fouls. Holborrow, referee, overlooked all of Montgomery's muckerism until Dr. Lloyd Mace examined Godfrey, between the seventh and eighth rounds. He declared the Negro had been badly fouled and Holborrow then awarded the bout to Godfrey."
Montgomery’s stint as sheriff of Terrant County, Texas in the 1940s and ‘50s was nearly as eventful. Rumored to be involved in various nefarious activities, he was eventually indicted for tax evasion, which led to being mentioned in a 1952 Time magazine:
“In Fort Worth, over the desk of Sheriff Sully Montgomery, recently indicted for income-tax evasion, hangs a carefully lettered motto: ‘Always tell the truth and you won't have to remember what you said.’”
The official version of Sheriff Montgomery’s tenure, from the Tarrant County Web site, is a bit different:
“James Ralph “Sully” Montgomery grew up on Fort Worth’s north side. Mr. Montgomery played football and boxed in the Golden Gloves. He also played college football and went on to be a professional player for three years. Sully next boxed professionally for twelve years. His career ended when he was defeated by Jack Dempsey. At 6’3” and 225 pounds, he was obviously a heavyweight.
Sully Montgomery first held office as the Constable of Precinct 1 in 1942. After two terms as Constable, Mr. Montgomery was elected Sheriff of Tarrant County. In the 1940’s, Fort Worth proper and even the downtown pretty much elected even County-wide elected officials. Sheriff Montgomery held office during some of Tarrant County’s more notorious days of gangsters and widespread gambling.
After leaving the Sheriff’s Office, Sully Montgomery bought a franchise for coffee, tea and chocolate vending machines. In 1956, Sully Montgomery was appointed Chief Deputy in a constable’s office. He held that position until he died on September 6, 1970 at the age of 69.”
Montgomery, of course, never fought Dempsey – who was long retired by the time Sully hung them up in 1930 -- in a recorded bout. But that does sound more glamorous than “His career ended when he was knocked out in short order by Primo Carnera and Tuffy Griffiths.” He did play football for Centre College, as pictured above, and briefly in the early days of the NFL.