[JCWeb]

Just wrapped up action for Feb. 1928. Here's the remaining cards and feature bouts.

Feb. 17, 1928: Friday Night card goes down under, to Sydney, Australia, with the feature bout a rematch of the 1927 OPBF title bout between two Kiwis, Cyril Whittaker and Tom Heeney, with Whittaker holding the belt after a controversial DQ win over Heeney. After a close contest in the opening rounds, Heeney pulls ahead in the middle rounds and Whittaker (who is at End career stage) lacks the stamina to stay with Heeney. No knockdowns as Heeney coasts to a UD 12 (117-111, 116-112, 115-113) to regain the title. Heeney's career record moves to 27-8-1 (8) while Whittaker -- who decides to retire immediately after the bout -- wraps up his career with a very solid 18-6-1 (6) count.

Feb. 18, 1928: Another fight night in New York City at St. Nicholas Arena, leading up to the feature bout, a 12-rounder for the NABF LHW title with Ad Stone putting the belt on the line against veteran Jeff Smith. Up first is the co-feature, pitting LW prospect Tony Canzoneri against Joey Goodman, an unbeaten young LW prospect. Canzoneri takes control early in the bout, demonstrating greater hand speed and taking advantage by landing more telling blows, both from the inside and the outside. In a bout that sees no knockdowns, cuts or swelling, Goodman appears overmatched, yet he does well enough to secure the vote of one of the three judges. The other two go for Canzoneri, who takes a SD 10 (99-92, 95-96, 98-93) to hand Goodman his first loss. Canzoneri is now 12-1 (10), with just 323 PP (still penalized by that one TC loss), while Goodman is 11-1-1 (3).

Stone and Smith then take to the ring to contest the NABF LHW title. Stone is ahead early, using his jab to set up his power punches. Smith moves inside in round four and has his best round of the fight. However, a round later, his left eye starts to swell. Ad Stone goes on to pile up a large points lead in the middle rounds. Smith battles back to make the bout close, but Stone stages a strong finish in the final round to retain the title via a UD 12 (117-112, 118-111, 117-113) and moves to 26-2 (17) overall. Smith, who is at Post-Prime, is now 46-20-5 (18).

Feb. 18, 1928: Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles is the venue for an exciting fight card, topped by the 12-rounder for the vacant USBA WW title belt (recently vacated by Pete Latzo, who moved up to become NABF Champion) between Jack Sparr and hot young unbeaten prospect Jimmy Leto. How will Leto handle the pressure while stepping up to his first title matchup? Leto gets off to a good start, and Sparr's left eye is starting to puff up by the end of round three. Sparr lands a big hook flush late in round four, but the bell sounds before Leto gets in even more trouble. Sparr rallies in the middle rounds, and the bout appears to be a close one heading into the final rounds. Leto starts to tire, and his left eye also starts to swell up. The bout goes the distance, and the SD 12 goes to Sparr (116-115, 115-116, 116-114) after a creditable effort from Leto. Sparr moves to 29-11-1 (15) while Leto's first defeat drops him to 15-1-2 (10). Since Leto is still at Pre-Prime, it seems like this may be the first of many title opportunities for him.

Feb. 24, 1928: "Friday Night Fights" series moves to Convention Hall in Atlantic City. Featured tonight is a 12-round bout for the USBA BW title, with Bushy Graham defending the belt versus Davey Adelman. The challenger shows he has come to fight, doing well in the opening rounds while the Champ's left eye shows some early signs of swelling. Graham then seizes control in rounds three and four. However, he is slowed by a cut under the right eye that proves to be a challenge for his corner. Graham adopts a cautious approach, protecting the cut while making it difficult for Adelman to take advantage of the situation. A vicious uppercut from Graham puts Adelman down briefly in round nine. Adelman lacks the firepower to rally from behind, and Graham retains the title with a UD 12 to move his record to 23-8 (8) while Adelman slips to 18-6 (7). The title win puts Graham squarely among the top five BWs in the rankings, with perhaps a NABF or WBA title shot in the future.

Feb. 25, 1928: Earls Court, London, England, is the scene for the next card, featuring a WBA title bout in the WW division, as Young Corbett III takes on the English veteran, Ted Kid Lewis, who is looking to regain the belt. Action is slow to develop in the opening rounds, and the official card has it even (48-all) after five. Corbett gradually pulls ahead, outpointing the aging former Champ in the middle rounds. Corbett has a narrow lead after ten (96-95 on the unofficial card), and the final rounds see Lewis gradually worn down. The bout goes the distance, with no knockdowns, and the end result -- a UD 15 for Corbett -- is no surprise, although the margin of victory seems a bit generous (1146-141, 145-142, 146-139). Corbett moves to 27-5-2 (11) overall, while Kid Lewis is now 50-18-9 (22).

Feb. 25, 1928: Final fight card of the month moves to a new venue at the Mexico City Arena in Mexico, attracting a sellout crowd as it features several Hispanic fighters, with the headliner being FLY NABF titleholder Black Bill who puts the belt on the line against Jimmy Russo. Black Bill gets off to a strong start, and Russo (who just hit Post-Prime) lacks the weapons to worry the Cuban. Most of the bout is uneventful, except for Russo's swollen eye that worsens in the later rounds. A fairly pedestrian UD 12 win for Black Bill (118-111, 119-111, 119-110) who moves to 20-7-4 (9) overall while Russo is now 19-8-2 (9).