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Aug. 1928 Feature Bouts -- Part 1 of 2
On to the action from August 1928:
Aug. 3, 1928: Friday night fight card at the "Aud" in Buffalo, feature bout has George Godfrey defending his NABF title belt against new USBA titleholder Pat Lester. Godfrey holds a UD over Lester in a prior bout, and he is favored to repeat as Lester has just hit Post-Prime (1928 being his RL retirement year). Lester is put on the defensive right away, as Godfrey manages to open a gash over his right eye. The eye starts swelling a couple of rounds later. In the middle rounds, Godfrey eases up a bit, allowing Lester to battle back to keep the bout reasonably close. Then, in round seven, Godfrey nails Lester with a powerful combination for the fight's first knockdown. A second KD occurs a couple of rounds later, and then the cut is reopened leading to a stoppage. Godfrey, well on his way to victory, retains the belt with a TKO 9. His career totals are now 37-7-1 (26) while Lester drops to 23-5 (20).
Aug. 4, 1928: Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden is the venue for the next fight card, and co-main event features two some top HW talent. Rated HW Jack Dorval faces Belgian Jack Humbeeck, who was so impressive in his last outing when challenging for veteran Bartley Madden's EBU belt. After a cautious start by both men, the action heats up in round five when Dorval decks Humbeeck in a barrage of blows. Despite the setback, Humbeeck battles back to rally in the later rounds, winning the final three rounds from all three judges. Thus, it goes down as a UD 10 for Humbeeck (96-94, 97-93, 96-94) who moves to 19-8-2 (11) while Dorval drops to 18-8 (13). Then, in the headline main event, Spaniard Paolino Uzcudan, the "Basque Woodchopper," faces Australian George Cook in an important "crossroads" bout for both men, who are seeking to advance in the HW ranks -- the bout is a rematch of a recent draw on Cook's home turf in Australia two months previously. The Spaniard starts well, and then in round five he nails Cook with a big hook for the bout's first knockdown. Then he follows with a second KD a round later. Cook, who also must battle a cut under the right eye in the late rounds, is unable to mount a comeback; it goes down as a one-sided UD 10 for Uzcudan (98-88, 97-89, 98-88). The Spaniard moves to 22-3-1 (11) while Cook is now 34-15-2 (17).
Aug. 4, 1928: Action back in the USA at Chicago's Comiskey Park. Benny Bass, the highly rated FW contender, has moved to JLW to challenge for the USBA JLW title vacated by Eddie Wagner who is now the WBA JLW Champ. His opponent is veteran FW-LW George "KO" Chaney. Chaney, who is on the downside of his career, is the aggressor for most of the bout, and he puts up a tough challenge to the younger Bass. In round five, he rocks the "Little Fish" with a big cross and then is able to follow up with a crushing uppercut to put Bass on the deck a round later. Late in the bout, Chaney is battling a swollen left eye from the accumulated impact of Bass' blows. Despite the knockdown and a cut suffered in the final round, Bass grits out a SD 12 win (114-113, 113-114, 114-113), taking the final round on all three cards to cinch the win. Bass moves to 29-7-3 (10) as a result, and Chaney is now 42-31-3 (22) as his long career is winding down.
Aug. 10, 1928: Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba for the next Friday night card, and the feature bout pits Young Stribling against veteran Fred Fulton in a 10-round, non-title HW clash. Stribling, "the King of the Canebrakes," won a prior bout over Fulton (a UD 10) in 1925, but the aging veteran "Rochester Plasterer" appeared rejuvenated in his last outing when he flattened Charley Weinert in two. This time, however, he is no match for Stribling, who delivers a devastating hook to the head to put Fulton down and out. KO 2 for Stribling, who improves to 27-5-1 (17). Fulton, now at Post-Prime, is 40-17 (32).
Aug. 11, 1928: More fight action in the UK, where fight fans are packed to the rafters at the Stadium in Liverpool to see the new GBU Flyweight king Johnny Hill faces a stiff challenge from veteran Elky Clark, a former WBA Champ, in the main event. Hill falls behind early, as the veteran Clark finds the range repeatedly, with Hill's right eye starting to swell up as a result. Clark, the aggressor throughout most of the bout, nails Hill with a big hook that forces the younger man to cover up. The swollen eye worsens in the later rounds, and an increasingly desperate Hill takes more chances. He manages to land a few good blows to cause Clark's right eye to swell some, but in the end he falls short. Clark by UD 12 (116-112, 115-113, 117-111) to lift the belt; a three or four-point margin seemed appropriate. Clark moves to 27-7-1 (15) with the win while Hill is now 15-2 (11).
Aug. 11, 1928: More fight action, this time at Denver's Mammoth Gardens. The LW title, long held by Benny Leonard, is on the line as Rocky Kansas defends against long-time contender Ever Hammer. First up is a very entertaining 10-round bout featuring two top undefeated MW prospects, Freddie Steele and Pete Horton, both of whom have compiled 10-0 records with all wins by kayo. Steele staggers Horton in the opening round and remains in charge for most of the early going. In round five, he nails his opponent with an overhand right that causes Horton to slump to the canvas. It goes down as a KO 5 for Steele's 11th KO in as many pro bouts, while Horton is now 10-1 (10). Then, after a couple of preliminary bouts, it's on to the main event -- Kansas versus Hammer for the title belt. Kansas comes into the bout with two wins in three prior bouts, but Hammer won the last encounter via TKO in 1925. A cut on the forehead spells trouble for Kansas in the opening round. At first, it looks like the cut is under control, but Hammer pounds away, re-opening the cut twice. Finally, after a battle of sharp exchanges but no knockdowns, the cut leads to a stoppage. TKO 9 for Hammer, and the title changes hands for the third time in as many bouts. Hammer is now 41-15-5 (17) while Kansas, who has who will now be at Post-Prime, dips to 43-17-3 (20).
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