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JCWeb · 03-05-2010, 05:31 PM

July 20, 1928: Friday Night card goes down under once again, this time to Melbourne, Australia. Main event is a 10-round HW bout featuring with local favorite George Thompson paired against top 10 ranked Floyd Johnson. No titles at stake, but lots of prestige and a chance for Thompson to move up in the world rankings with a win. After a tense defensive struggle for the opening four rounds, the close bout comes a surprisingly early finish in round five when Thompson grimaces in pain. A badly injured hand forces his retirement, and the bout goes into the books as a TKO 6 for Johnson. Johnson moves up to 25-6-1 (21) overall, while Thompson, who is now 20-3-1 (12), must sit out for at least three months waiting for the injured hand to heal.

July 21, 1928: Back to the UK again, this time the venue is Harringay Arena in London. Double bill with co-main events, with a strong FW matchup (scheduled for 10) featuring Louis Kaplan who takes on British FW hopeful Al Foreman in a non-title bout. Foreman's right eye starts to puff up almost immediately as Kaplan gets off to a strong start in the opening round. The swelling gradually worsens, enabling Kaplan to pull ahead to a substantial points lead. Foreman is unable to break through Kaplan's defenses, and the bout goes the distance with Kaplan taking a comfortable UD 12 win (99-92, 99-92, 98-93). Kaplan's record now stands at 31-6-1 (10) with Foreman at 22-11 (18). The fight card wraps up with a GBU WW title clash, with Hamilton Jimmy Brown defending versus the ageless veteran, Ted Kid Lewis, who is seeking to avenge a SD loss to Brown for the same title a year ago. Brown gets off to a poor start, sustaining a cut over the left eye. The cut is reopened again in the fifth round, and the wily veteran Lewis takes advantage of the situation, proving he is still dangerous in spite of being at Post-Prime career stage. Brown stages a late rally but falls just short when the final scorecards are read. Lewis by UD 12 (116-112, 115-113, 116-112) to take the belt. Lewis moves to 52-17-4 (22) while Brown is now 19-12-5 (9).

July 21, 1928: Action moves to a new location, the Sicks Stadium in Seattle, and the featured bout showcases the talent of the new USBA LHW Champ Paul Berlenbach, the "Astoria Assassin," who is making his first defense versus George Courtney. After a couple of calm opening rounds, Berlenbach unleashes a powerful attack in round three, putting Courtney down on the canvas. Courtney elects to cover up, but Berlenbach's killer instinct kicks in and he is able to force a stoppage before the end of the round. TKO 3 for Berlenbach, who looks very impressive in his first title defense to move to 21-3 (16) overall, while Courtney slips to 16-6 (15).

June 27, 1928: Friday night fights next move to Rome, at the Sports Palace, and the feature bout is for the EBU BW title, with local favorite Tommy Milton defending the belt verus Nipper Pat Daly. Milton starts well, then hangs on for a narrow UD 12 win (115-114 on all three cards) as Daly stepped up the pace in the middle to late rounds. Milton moves to 20-8-2 (9) while Daly slips to 21-8-1 (11).

June 28, 1928: Tripleheader feature headlines the main event at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Before the co-main events get underway, one of the preliminary bouts sees a huge upset, as unbeaten Flyweight Midget Wolgast appeared well on his way to victory before being decked and KO'd in the final round by German Harry Stein, reversing a result from 1927 action. Then, first of the co-features has fan favorite Jimmy Braddock matched against another tough young HW prospect, Roy "Hoot" Burger. Burger starts well, but in the middle rounds Braddock seems to be gaining the upper hand. By round seven, Burger is starting to tire. No cuts or knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance. The judges can't agree, however, and it goes down as a draw (98-93 Braddock, 95-all, 94-96 Burger). I had Braddock the winner by a narrow margin. In any event, both men are now 12-1-1, Braddock with 6 KOs compared to 7 KOs for Burger. Following Braddock into the ring is another top young prospect, LW Tony Canzoneri, who is matched with veteran Frankie Farren who is at end career stage. Canzoneri, the popular "Roman Warrior," takes charge early in the bout, working inside and repeatedly landing shots to the head and body of Farren. A cut is opened over Farren's right eye in round six, and this leads to a late stoppage although the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Canzoneri by TKO 9 on the cuts stoppage to move to 14-1 (11) while Farren is now 24-23-6 (9) with one more bout left in his career. Final bout of the evening is for the WBA JLW crown, featuring the defending Champ, Tod Morgan, who faces the challenge of veteran Eddie Wagner, the #1 contender and reigning USBA JLW Champion. It's Wagner's fourth try at a WBA crown, and he has managed just one win in three prior meetings with the heavily favored Morgan. This time, fortune favors the challenger, as a sharp exchange causes blood to shoot from a gash over Morgan's right eye early in the second round. Unfortunately for Morgan, the cut worsens before the round can end, leading to an immediate stoppage. The WBA title belt thus goes to Wagner for the first time, via a TKO 2. He moves up to 36-16-1 (16) overall while Morgan, who is now 26-6 (10), still has a bright future.

July 28, 1928: Final fight card of the month is at Panama City's Olympia Stadium, with two top-notch bouts headlining the card for fight fans. The co-feature sees two veteran HWs, Gene Tunney and Harry Wills, matching wits in a 10-round non-title bout. Both former Champions are at Post-Prime, but it still proves to be an interesting matchup, with their one prior meeting (for the WBA HW crown back in 1924) having gone Tunney's way (UD 15). Tunney begins the bout by boxing effectively, while Wills seems uncomfortable. By the end of round four, Wills' left eye is starting to puff up. Tunney continues to pile up a points lead in the middle rounds, coasting to a UD 10 victory (96-94, 97-97-93, 97-93) although Wills did well to manage to keep the bout close. Tunney lifts his record to 42-8-3 (25) while the defeat leaves Wills at 58-9-1 (46). Finally, the hometown crowd here in Panama has turned out for the main event, with favorite Panama Al Brown defending the WBA BW title against former WBA Flyweight king, Pancho Villa, who has recently moved up to BW and captured the OPBF BW belt. Panama Al toys with the aging veteran, who is in the twilight of his career in addition to moving up in weight class. Brown nails Villa with a strong shot for the bout's first knockdown in round five, then he follows with a second KD a few rounds later in the seventh when an overhand right finds its target. A third KD follows shortly thereafter, and Villa is lucky to survive the round. Brown, holding a huge points lead, steps off the gas and retreats into a defensive shell in the late rounds. Panama Al Brown by a decisive UD 15 (149-133, 150-132, 150-132) as Villa offers little resistance. Brown moves to 29-3 (13) while Villa dips to 32-9-3 (14).

03-05-2010, 05:31 PM	#747 (permalink)
JCWeb All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,052 Thanks: 0 Thanked 15x in 14 posts	July 1928 Feature Bouts -- Part 2 of 2 July 20, 1928: Friday Night card goes down under once again, this time to Melbourne, Australia. Main event is a 10-round HW bout featuring with local favorite George Thompson paired against top 10 ranked Floyd Johnson. No titles at stake, but lots of prestige and a chance for Thompson to move up in the world rankings with a win. After a tense defensive struggle for the opening four rounds, the close bout comes a surprisingly early finish in round five when Thompson grimaces in pain. A badly injured hand forces his retirement, and the bout goes into the books as a TKO 6 for Johnson. Johnson moves up to 25-6-1 (21) overall, while Thompson, who is now 20-3-1 (12), must sit out for at least three months waiting for the injured hand to heal. July 21, 1928: Back to the UK again, this time the venue is Harringay Arena in London. Double bill with co-main events, with a strong FW matchup (scheduled for 10) featuring Louis Kaplan who takes on British FW hopeful Al Foreman in a non-title bout. Foreman's right eye starts to puff up almost immediately as Kaplan gets off to a strong start in the opening round. The swelling gradually worsens, enabling Kaplan to pull ahead to a substantial points lead. Foreman is unable to break through Kaplan's defenses, and the bout goes the distance with Kaplan taking a comfortable UD 12 win (99-92, 99-92, 98-93). Kaplan's record now stands at 31-6-1 (10) with Foreman at 22-11 (18). The fight card wraps up with a GBU WW title clash, with Hamilton Jimmy Brown defending versus the ageless veteran, Ted Kid Lewis, who is seeking to avenge a SD loss to Brown for the same title a year ago. Brown gets off to a poor start, sustaining a cut over the left eye. The cut is reopened again in the fifth round, and the wily veteran Lewis takes advantage of the situation, proving he is still dangerous in spite of being at Post-Prime career stage. Brown stages a late rally but falls just short when the final scorecards are read. Lewis by UD 12 (116-112, 115-113, 116-112) to take the belt. Lewis moves to 52-17-4 (22) while Brown is now 19-12-5 (9). July 21, 1928: Action moves to a new location, the Sicks Stadium in Seattle, and the featured bout showcases the talent of the new USBA LHW Champ Paul Berlenbach, the "Astoria Assassin," who is making his first defense versus George Courtney. After a couple of calm opening rounds, Berlenbach unleashes a powerful attack in round three, putting Courtney down on the canvas. Courtney elects to cover up, but Berlenbach's killer instinct kicks in and he is able to force a stoppage before the end of the round. TKO 3 for Berlenbach, who looks very impressive in his first title defense to move to 21-3 (16) overall, while Courtney slips to 16-6 (15). June 27, 1928: Friday night fights next move to Rome, at the Sports Palace, and the feature bout is for the EBU BW title, with local favorite Tommy Milton defending the belt verus Nipper Pat Daly. Milton starts well, then hangs on for a narrow UD 12 win (115-114 on all three cards) as Daly stepped up the pace in the middle to late rounds. Milton moves to 20-8-2 (9) while Daly slips to 21-8-1 (11). June 28, 1928: Tripleheader feature headlines the main event at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Before the co-main events get underway, one of the preliminary bouts sees a huge upset, as unbeaten Flyweight Midget Wolgast appeared well on his way to victory before being decked and KO'd in the final round by German Harry Stein, reversing a result from 1927 action. Then, first of the co-features has fan favorite Jimmy Braddock matched against another tough young HW prospect, Roy "Hoot" Burger. Burger starts well, but in the middle rounds Braddock seems to be gaining the upper hand. By round seven, Burger is starting to tire. No cuts or knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance. The judges can't agree, however, and it goes down as a draw (98-93 Braddock, 95-all, 94-96 Burger). I had Braddock the winner by a narrow margin. In any event, both men are now 12-1-1, Braddock with 6 KOs compared to 7 KOs for Burger. Following Braddock into the ring is another top young prospect, LW Tony Canzoneri, who is matched with veteran Frankie Farren who is at end career stage. Canzoneri, the popular "Roman Warrior," takes charge early in the bout, working inside and repeatedly landing shots to the head and body of Farren. A cut is opened over Farren's right eye in round six, and this leads to a late stoppage although the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Canzoneri by TKO 9 on the cuts stoppage to move to 14-1 (11) while Farren is now 24-23-6 (9) with one more bout left in his career. Final bout of the evening is for the WBA JLW crown, featuring the defending Champ, Tod Morgan, who faces the challenge of veteran Eddie Wagner, the #1 contender and reigning USBA JLW Champion. It's Wagner's fourth try at a WBA crown, and he has managed just one win in three prior meetings with the heavily favored Morgan. This time, fortune favors the challenger, as a sharp exchange causes blood to shoot from a gash over Morgan's right eye early in the second round. Unfortunately for Morgan, the cut worsens before the round can end, leading to an immediate stoppage. The WBA title belt thus goes to Wagner for the first time, via a TKO 2. He moves up to 36-16-1 (16) overall while Morgan, who is now 26-6 (10), still has a bright future. July 28, 1928: Final fight card of the month is at Panama City's Olympia Stadium, with two top-notch bouts headlining the card for fight fans. The co-feature sees two veteran HWs, Gene Tunney and Harry Wills, matching wits in a 10-round non-title bout. Both former Champions are at Post-Prime, but it still proves to be an interesting matchup, with their one prior meeting (for the WBA HW crown back in 1924) having gone Tunney's way (UD 15). Tunney begins the bout by boxing effectively, while Wills seems uncomfortable. By the end of round four, Wills' left eye is starting to puff up. Tunney continues to pile up a points lead in the middle rounds, coasting to a UD 10 victory (96-94, 97-97-93, 97-93) although Wills did well to manage to keep the bout close. Tunney lifts his record to 42-8-3 (25) while the defeat leaves Wills at 58-9-1 (46). Finally, the hometown crowd here in Panama has turned out for the main event, with favorite Panama Al Brown defending the WBA BW title against former WBA Flyweight king, Pancho Villa, who has recently moved up to BW and captured the OPBF BW belt. Panama Al toys with the aging veteran, who is in the twilight of his career in addition to moving up in weight class. Brown nails Villa with a strong shot for the bout's first knockdown in round five, then he follows with a second KD a few rounds later in the seventh when an overhand right finds its target. A third KD follows shortly thereafter, and Villa is lucky to survive the round. Brown, holding a huge points lead, steps off the gas and retreats into a defensive shell in the late rounds. Panama Al Brown by a decisive UD 15 (149-133, 150-132, 150-132) as Villa offers little resistance. Brown moves to 29-3 (13) while Villa dips to 32-9-3 (14).