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Nov. 1928 Feature Bouts -- Part 1 of 2
Nov. 2, 1928: Friday Night fights journeys to Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver, and two knockout artists from south of the border (i.e., the USA) are featured in two key bouts. First up is Freddie Steele, "the Tacoma Assassin," who puts his perfect record (11 KO wins in 11 pro bouts) on the line against another unbeaten young MW, Johnny Romero. Steele starts slowly, gradually increasing the pressure on his opponent as the bout develops. Midway through the fight, Romero's right eye starts swelling. He hangs on, however, forcing Steele to go the distance for the first time in his very young career. Steele takes a solid UD 10 (98-93, 96-94, 98-93) to move to 12-0 (11) while Romero, now at 11-1 (10), remains a promising prospect. Then, in the main event, Paul Berlenbach, the "Astoria Assassin," puts his USBA LH title on the line (somehow managing to get sanctioning for a USBA title bout outside the borders) against former NABF and USBA titleholder, Ad Stone. No fireworks in this bout between these two sluggers until round five, when Stone catches Berlenbach with a big hook, and following with a pair of uppercuts that has Berlenbach reeling. The Champ also suffers a split lip as well. Surprisingly, the end comes a round later, when Stone manages to use a piston-like jab to set up his power punches. He lures Berlenbach against the ropes, firing a barrage of unanswered blows. The ref steps in to call a halt late in the round. Stone by TKO 6 to recapture the belt. Stone's career total is now 29-3 (18) while Berlenbach slips to 21-4 (16).
Nov. 3, 1928: Fight action in Europe, once again at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. No titles on the line, but the main event is a 10-round HW clash featuring Belgian Pierre Charles matched with British HW Champ "Fainting Phil" Scott. Scott, who has been extremely unlucky thus far in his career, falls behind early but then discovers Charles is vulnerable to a right hand which he repeatedly drills him with in round three. Scott then shifts to the uppercut, gradually piling up a points lead. He still faces a late onslaught from the gritty Belgian late in the bout, whose repeated blows result in some swelling around the left eye of the British champion. Still, all in all, a good outing for "Phainting Phil" that goes down as a SD 10 win (96-94, 93-97, 96-94) as he did enough to impress two of the three Continental judges. Scott moves to 24-15-2 (6) while Charles is now 22-9 (14).
Nov. 3, 1928: An action-packed card in Atlantic City, headlined by a MW NABF title tilt between defending Champion Oakland Jimmy Duffy and challenger and new USBA titleholder Tiger Flowers. Flowers won an earlier bout (UD 10) but is now laboring under the handicap of being at Post-Prime career stage. Flowers, "the Georgia Deacon," sustains a cut over his right eye in round two -- the cut proves to be troublesome throughout the remainder of the contest. Flowers battles back, though, and his persistence is finally rewarded in round 11 when he decks Duffy with a nice combination. Duffy, whose left eye starts to swell, makes one last surge in the final round, backing up Flowers and nailing him with a hook to the midsection that forces Flowers to cover up. Tiger survives, and when the cards are read, it is a UD 12 for Flowers (116-112, 116-112, 117-111) who takes the belt. He moves to 36-12-1 (17) as a result, and Duffy is now 37-18-5 (8).
Nov. 9, 1928: Friday night fight action once again in Miami, with two bouts featuring some leading LW contenders, all of whom are in the Prime of the careers and have title aspirations given Benny Leonard's recent move up to WW. First up is a 10-round non-title affair, with #1 contender Luis Vicentini facing with #3 Ray Miller, the reigning USBA LW titleholder. Vicentini takes some good shots in the early going, causing his right eye to start puffing up by the end of round three. He recovers, pounding a big left to force Miller to cover up in round four. Close bout down to the wire, with neither taking big risks. Miller is cut over the right eye in round nine. Key moment occurs in round 10 as Miller breaks through with a big combination, putting the Chilean on the deck, and he follows up a few moments later with a nice cross for a second KD. Vicentini is able to recover and last the distance, but the pair of late KDs have a big effect on the outcome. Miller by MD 10 (95-93, 94-94, 95-93). Miller's excellent record of 26-3 (13) remains intact, while Vicentini, at 27-5 (12), will be looking for other opportunities. Final event of the evening is for Jimmy Goodrich's NABF LW belt, with former Champ Billy Petrolle (who lost the title in a split duke to Goodrich in 1927) in the role of challenger. "The Fargo Express" looks sharp early, nailing Goodrich with a sharp uppercut in the opening round, forcing the Champ to cover up. As a result, Goodrich's right eye is starting to swell before the end of the round. The swelling worsens as the bout wears on. A hook to head from Petrolle stuns Goodrich in round five, and in round eight a cross puts Goodrich down for the bout's only knockdown. Petrolle continues to press the attack, and the swelling continues to worsen until it becomes too severe to allow the bout the continue. The late stoppage means the belt goes to Petrolle, via a TKO 10. The win moves Petrolle to 26-3-2 (17). Goodrich drops to 38-11-1 (10).
Nov. 10, 1928: Another fight card at the Stadium in Liverpool. A series of preliminary bouts leads to feature contest, a 12-round MW affair between Roland Todd and Frank Moody for the Commonwealth title. Moody holds two prior wins over Todd, and he starts off well, boxing confidently to build an early points lead. A cut forehead in round six does little to slow the challenger down, and Moody hangs on for a narrow but UD 12 win (115-114, 115-114, 115-114). The title changes hands, and both men will be at Post-Prime starting with their next bouts in 1929. The win lifts Moody to 37-16-4 (13), while Todd goes to 29-12-5 (7) overall.
Nov. 10, 1928: More action at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, headlined by a pair of main events, one featuring a top young fighter and the second, a title NABF title clash. The "Roman Warrior," Tony Canzoneri, takes to the ring once again, taking on LW Joe Glick. Canzoneri starts off by working from the outside, gradually building a comfortable points lead. He is on the receiving end of a couple of strong shots from Glick, and by the end of round six, his right eye shows signs of swelling. He battles through the adversity, taking a fairly comfortable UD 10 win (99-94, 97-94, 96-95). Canzoneri is now 16-1 (11) while Glick dips to 21-8-4 (9). The main event sees George Godfrey defending his NABF HW title, taking on Lanky Ralph Smith, who has won his last seven a row to qualify for his first title shot of any kind. Bad luck for Godfrey, who sustains a cut over the left eye in the opening round. Some repairs seems to patch things up in the corner between rounds, but when the cut is reopened in round two, the ref calls in the ringside doctor who rules it too severe to allow Godfrey to continue. A bit of a controversial call, but it enables Smith to capture the NABF title via a TKO 2 on the cuts stoppage. Lanky Ralph moves to 19-6-1 (7) with the win while Godfrey slips to 37-8-1 (26).
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