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[JCWeb]

1927 FLY Title Bouts

WBA

Frankie Genaro CH (22-7) vs Pancho Villa #4 (28-6-3)

It's a battle matching the aging ex-Champ with the new Champion, Genaro, who scored a UD 15 win over Villa to take the title for the first time back in 1925.

Genaro looks sharp early, repeatedly beating Villa to the punch in round one. Better round for the Filipino in round two, with both men staying on the outside, still a slight edge for the Champ, Genaro. Villa moves inside in round three and takes the round. Genaro then takes charge, moving inside to take round four. The two stand toe-to-toe in round five, essentially an even round. The unofficial scorer likes Villa at this point (48-47) although it could easily be scored the other way. Genaro dominates the action in round six, pressing forward on the inside. Both men take a breather and round seven sees a much slower pace, a toss-up scoring-wise. Villa tries to press the Champ in round eight, again another even round. Slight edge for the Champ as the two trade blows from the outside in round nine. Both men move in close in round 10, and it's a good action round, with Villa sustaining a cut over his left eye. The unofficial card now favors Genaro by one (96-95). Genaro targets the cut in round 11, but Villa hangs on. Another close round in the 12th as Villa seems noticeably tired at this point. Villa is the aggressor in round 13, again another round that seems too close to call. A game but weary Villa presses forward in round 14, scoring well enough to take the round. Genaro battles back with a strong effort in the final round, withstanding a late surge from Villa. The cut did not seem to be much of a factor, and the close rounds seemed to go to Genaro in the final scoring as he keeps the title via a close but UD 15 (144-142, 144-143, 146-141).

Frankie Genaro CH (23-7) vs Elky Clark #2 (25-5-1)

The two split two prior bouts, both for the WBA title. Clark recovered with a UD 10 win over Lew Perfetti to set up this "rubber match."

A close opening round sees Clark's left eye starting to swell some. Both men work outside in the second, a strong round for the Champ. Clark presses forward in round three, another round with not much to choose between the two. Round four sees Genaro move inside, taking the round by a narrow margin. The two battle on the inside in round five, and Genaro pulls ahead (49-46 according to the unofficial ringside observer although the bout seems a bit closer than that). Clark presses forward on the inside in round six, nailing the Champ with a straight right that forces Genaro to cover up. Clark follows up with a strong round seven, but he is unable to put Genaro on the canvas or in serious difficulty despite a huge effort. There are some sharp exchanges in round eight, and Genaro takes advantage and puts Clark on the defensive. Genaro follows with a strong round nine, pressing the action. Clark is the aggressor in round 10, but Genaro continues to dominate the action. Nice lead for Genaro (97-93 on the unofficial card) heading into the final rounds. Clark continues to press forward, but Genaro has matters well in hand as he maintains his points advantage right through until the final bell. It's no surprise that the judges see the bout the same way, a UD 15 win for Genaro (146-138, 146-138, 147-137).

Frankie Genaro CH (24-7) vs Lew Perfetti #8 (19-5-1)

No prior meetings, Genaro has now won his last three while Perfetti earned his first title shot with a UD 10 over Alex Burlie.

The usual feeling out process in round one sees the Champ break out in front. A listless round two as both men stay outside and throw little leather. Perfetti's inside pressure is neutralized by a very effective jab from Genaro. The Champ moves inside and takes control of the bout with a strong round four. Perfetti comes out slightly ahead in the inside battle in round five. The unofficial scorer has Genaro well ahead (50-46) at this point. Perfetti starts pressing the action on the inside in round six, but Genaro is still winning the round. More of the same in the middle rounds, as Genaro continues to land the more effective blows, widening his lead. By round 10, Perfetti -- who has been the aggressor -- is already starting to run out of gas. Genaro maintains a comfortable lead on the unofficial card (98-94) after the first 10. Perfetti has a good round while continuing to press the attack in round 11. The Champ steps it up to take round 12, then retreats into a defensive shell the rest of the way. No knockdowns, and it goes into the books as a routine UD 15 win for Genaro (146-141, 146-140, 145-141).

Frankie Genaro CH (25-7) vs Jimmy Wilde #6 (51-11-4)

Genaro takes on the ex-Champ Wilde, who is nearing the end of his career. The two have not met before, and the bout is billed as a final hurrah for the former Champ who last held the title in 1921.

Genaro gets off to a strong start, taking round one but Wilde holds his own as the two trade long-range blows in round two. Wilde tries to move inside in round three, but he takes a beating as his right eye starts to puff up as a result of the Champ's repeated countershots. Genaro presses the attack on the inside in round four, another strong round for the Champ. Both men trade blows on the inside in round five, and Wilde nails Genaro with a big uppercut that staggers the Champ to take the round, but Genaro has a slight lead (49-47 on the unofficial card) at this point. Wilde becomes the aggressor in round six, big round for the Champ. More of the same as Wilde presses forward in round seven, which turns out to be a relatively even round. The eighth round sees the action slow, as both men stay outside. Wilde is starting to tire already. Round nine, edge to the Champ who is taking a more defensive-minded posture now. Wilde continues to battle in round 10, but once again the Champ has the best of the action and carries a large lead (98-93 on the unofficial card) into the final five rounds. Wilde continues to give it his best, but Genaro keeps him at bay in rounds 11, 12 and 13. The Champ appears to be well on his way to a lopsided victory when, in round 14, he is called for a series of low blows -- and the ref, Cavanaugh, disqualifies Genaro and awards the DQ win and the title to Wilde.

Jimmy Wilde CH (52-11-4) vs Emil Paluso #15 (17-7-1)

First meeting of the two, as Wilde travels to New Orleans to take on Paluso.

Slow start by Wilde in the opening round, but he comes on strongly in round two, dominating the action from the outside. Wilde moves inside in the third round, but Paluso defends well, taking the round. Edge to the challenger who takes the fight to Wilde in round four. Toe-to-toe action in round five favors the Champ, but the unofficial ringside observer has Paluso in front (49-46) at this point. Wilde steps up the pressure in round six, staggering Paluso with a big hook and, all of a sudden, the challenger is in big trouble. Wilde continues to pour it on, piling on pressure relentlessly until the ref calls a halt. Wilde by TKO 6.

NABF: Willie LaMorte started 1927 with this belt, and he defends against Pinky Silverberg. LaMorte has a cut sliced open on his forehead, and the fight appears to be very close headed into the final rounds, when the cut becomes unmanageable. Silverberg then takes the belt via a TKO 12 (late cuts stoppage). He travels to Havana to defend versus the talented Cuban, Black Bill, and finds himself in trouble, with a swollen eye to show for his efforts, after the first five rounds. Black Bill goes on to a UD 12 win to take the title.

USBA: Three USBA title bouts took place during the year. Newboy Brown defends versus veteran Johnny McCoy, and McCoy falls behind early and finds it difficult to battle back -- strong UD 12 win for Newsboy Brown. Next up is a strong challenge from the youthful Fidel LaBarba, who recovers from some early difficulty with a strong finish to notch a UD 12 win to take the belt. LaBarba then takes on Young Zulu Kid, overcoming an early cut to post another UD 12 win to keep the USBA title heading into 1928.

CBU: One defense during the year by Jimmy Wilde, who takes on Kid Socks, putting his opponent on the canvas in round seven en route to a UD 12. Later in the year, the belt becomes vacant after Wilde captures the WBA title.

GBU: No bouts for this title in 1927, as Kid Socks keeps the title for another year.

EBU: Wilde did not defend the title in 1927, vacating it along with the CBU title after winning the WBA title. Late in the year, Kid Socks was matched with Italian Johnny Vacca for the vacant belt. A wild overhand right from Socks puts Vacca down in early in the bout, but the Italian "Midget Organ Grinder" battles back late in the bout, with Socks taking a narrow but UD 12 win.

OPBF: Last but not least, aging former Champ Pancho Villa hung onto the OPBF belt for another year, defending it against countryman Young Dencio, whom he put down in the opening round, coasting to a UD 12 win after a game effort by Dencio.

[JCWeb]

Jan. 1928 FLY Division Profile

Total: 61 RL: 35 TC: 26

RL by Career Stage:
End - 2
Post - 7
Prime - 12
Pre - 11
Beginning - 3 (2 New)

Rated: 26
800+: 3
500+: 13
200+ : 22

Jan 1928 Rankings (Perf Points and Changes from Jan. 1927 in Parens):

Champ: Jimmy Wilde 53-11-4 (45) (885) (+9)
1. Frankie Genaro 25-8 (14) (844) (-1)
2. Newsboy Brown 26-3-1 (10) (835) (-1)
3. Elky Clark 25-7-1 (15) (788) (-1)
4. Fidel LaBarba 17-1-1 (8) (777) (+18) (USBA Champ)
5. Pancho Villa 31-7-3 (14) (752) (-1) (OPBF Champ)
6. Black Bill 19-7-4 (9) (676) (+5) (NABF Champ)
7. Izzy Schwartz 19-7-1 (5) (604) (-4)
8. Kid Socks 21-6-1 (8) (604) (NC) (EBU, GBU Champ)
9. Johnny Buff 24-12-2 (8) (565) (+4)
10. Johnny McCoy 28-19-2 (16) (538) (+2)

Top Ten: Generally, an aging group with Wilde at End and Clark, Villa and Buff at Post; LaBarba has one more bout at Pre-Prime, everyone else listed at Prime. Four dropouts and four newcomers to the top 10 compared to a year ago. A rejuvenated Wilde is once again on top, winning three title contests while being held to a draw by Pinky Silverberg in his remaining 1927 bout. Genaro had won four in a row, three during the year, before the unfortunate DQ loss to Wilde. Newsboy Brown lost the USBA title but bounced back with impressive UD 10 wins over Clark and Perfetti. Clark started well, with a UD over Perfetti before losing last two, for the WBA title and then the UD to Brown. LaBarba made huge strides, winning all four of his bouts during the year, taking the USBA title and also impressing with wins over Johnny Vacca (MD) and Kid Socks (SD). Aging ex-Champ Villa still turned in some strong performances, downing Silverberg (UD 10) and Young Zulu Kid (SD 10) in addition to defending his OPBF title after falling short in the WBA title contest early in the year. Cuba's Black Bill had a pair of wins over Izzy Schwartz (one via TKO) leading up to his NABF title triumph, his only 1927 setback coming in a UD 10 loss to Kid Socks. Schwartz was lucky to maintain a top 10 ranking, after laboring to a MD 10 over Ruby Bradley after suffering the pair of defeats to the Cuban contender. Socks' EBU title win and the win over Black Bill were the high points in a year that included losses to LaBarba and the CBU title defeat at the hands of Wilde. Johnny Buff returned to the top 10, knocking off the younger Willie LaMorte (UD 10) then battling to a draw with Young Zulu Kid. McCoy also moved up to the #10 spot, by virtue of a TKO win over LaMorte after being held to a draw by Jimmy Russo.

Other Notables: Pinky Silverberg dropped out of the top group, down four spots to #11, after going winless in his last three (a UD loss to Villa and a draw with Wilde proving he cannot cope with the top level of the division). Young Zulu Kid dropped from #6 down to #12, after dropping a SD to Villa and going winless in 1927 (his best result being a draw with Buff). Lew Perfetti had his opportunities during the year but managed only one win in five bouts, sliding all the way from #5 to #13. Three wins and one draw versus lesser competition was enough to move Jimmy Russo up to the #14 spot, with a 19-7-2 (9) career mark -- identical to Perfetti -- thus far. Emil Paluso had won three in a row before dropping the title tilt to Wilde, and he ended the year one spot lower. Top newcomer to the ratings list this year is Italian Johnny Vacca, the "Midget Organ Grinder," who won four of six bouts, including an impressive SD win over Georgie Rivers while suffering his initial losses to LaBarba and Socks; his career start of 15-2 (10) places him in 16th overall. Willie LaMorte was headed in the opposite direction, dropping from #10 to #17 after losing all three of his bouts during the 1927 campaign. Second highest rated newcomer is German Harry Stein, who scored a MD over Ruby Bradley but suffered a TKO loss to Midget Wolgast, another hot prospect; he stands at 15-2 (13), good for #18 spot. Albert "Frenchy" Belanger checks in at 13-2-1 (9), after going four for four although all but one (a UD over aging vet Joe Symonds) came at the expense of TCs. Last year's top newcomer, Ruby Bradley, slid all the way down to #23, his only 1927 win in four outings coming versus a lowly TC after suffering a pair of MD defeats with a draw against Perfetti being his best result of the year.

Prospects: Midget Wolgast is the best of the Flyweight prospects, having been carefully managed, breezing through a dozen TCs before ending up with a TKO over Harry Stein to end the year at 13-0 (10). Brit Johnny Hill did almost as well, taking the measure of all his TC opponents but falling short in a MD loss to Vacca; his career mark stands at 12-1 (10). Phil Tobias remains unbeaten, piling up more wins over TCs and ending up 1927 at 11-0-1 (5). Jackie Brown suffered a UD 8 loss to French prospect Emile Pladner but did well in his most recent outing to post a UD 10 over Pladner's countryman, Eugene Huat. Brown now stands at 11-1 (7) while Huat is 11-1 (4). Frankie Anselm and Emile Pladner have struggled, suffering multiple defeats thus far; Anselm ends the year at 8-3 (4) while Pladner is 6-3-1 (4). On the other hand, Valentin Angelmann had no such problems, getting off to a perfect 4-0 start, ending all four bouts (albeit versus TCs) inside the distance.

Retirements: There were two retirements in the Flyweight ranks from 1927.

Earl Puryear (USA) 1912-27 26-31-3 (6) WBA Champ 1917 Highest Rank: 2
George Mendies (AUS) 1917-27 25-16 (21) CBU, OPBF Champ Highest Rank: 4

Looking Ahead: Hard to see Wilde remaining as WBA Champ much longer -- expect a few more bouts before his retirement, likewise for Pancho Villa. Wilde and Villa have been the dominant figures in the formative years (the first 20 or so) of this fledgling division; expect the torch to be passed to younger fighters like Genaro, LaBarba, Black Bill, Schwartz and eventually Midget Wolgast. The CBU title bout vacated by Wilde opens up opportunities for Clark and Socks as well as younger fighters like Burlie, Belanger and Johnny Hill. The two newcomers to the division in 1928 (Mickey McGuire and Young Perez) are not expected to contend for top honors.

[JCWeb]

Now, to the ever-popular pound-for-pound rankings based on the year-end PP totals. A new name tops the list this year (changes from last year's PFP list noted in parenthesis):

1. Gene Tunney, HW (WBA Champ) 1873 (+1)
2. Mickey Walker, MW (WBA Champ) 1722 (+2)
3. George Godfrey, HW (NABF Champ) 1601 (+3)
4. Tommy Loughran, LH (WBA Champ) 1471 (+5)
5. Benny Valgar, LW (WBA Champ) 1469 (new)
6. Benny Leonard, LW (no title) 1468 (-5)
7. Memphis Pal Moore, BW (no title) 1380 (new)
8. Larry Gains, HW (no title) 1348 (new)
9. Young Stribling, HW (no title) 1342 (new)
10. Harry Wills, HW (no title) 1341 (-7)

Comments: Tunney tops the list for the first time. His year-end PP total is an all-time high, although I suspect that mid-season Leonard had a higher PP rating before his title loss via DQ to Valgar. Wills and Leonard are the senior members of the PFP list, each having been on it 11 times now. Tunney, Walker, and Godfrey have all been on the list for five consecutive years now. For Wills, who is at Post-Prime career stage, this is likely to be his final appearance.

Half of the top 10 PFP fighters are HWs, indicating the depth and strength of that division. Dropping off the list from last year were Brian Downey, MW (was #5); Bermondsey Billy Wells, WW (was #7); Jack Dempsey, HW (was #8); and Bartley Madden, HW (was #10). Downey, Dempsey and Madden were at Post-Prime, and thus their failure to maintain that lofty status was not unexpected.

[JCWeb]

Final wrap-up and comments, here's the roll-call of champions heading into 1928 action (month and year won title and number of successful defenses in parens):

HW

WBA: Gene Tunney (July 1927) (1)
NABF: George Godfrey (July 1927) (2)
USBA: Martin Burke (Aug. 1927) (0)
CBU: George Thompson (Aug. 1927) (1)
GBU: Tom Cowler (Jun. 1927) (1)
EBU: Bartley Madden (Apr. 1926) (2)
OPBF: Cyril Whitaker (Sep. 1927) (0)

LH

WBA: Tommy Loughran (Aug. 1926) (5)
NABF: Ad Stone (Nov. 1926) (2)
USBA: Lou Bogash (Jan. 1927) (1)
CBU: Len Harvey (Apr. 1924) (4)
GBU: Gypsy Daniels (Dec. 1927) (0)
EBU: Len Harvey (Oct. 1925) (1)

MW

WBA: Mickey Walker (Apr. 1925) (9)
NABF: Billy Angelo (Jul. 1927) (1)
USBA: Jack McVey (Nov. 1926) (1)
CBU: Alf Stewart (Apr. 1926) (2)
GBU: Tommy Milligan (Feb. 1927) (1)
EBU: Rene DeVos (May 1925) (5)
OPBF: Ceferino Garcia (Jul. 1927) (1)

WW

WBA: Young Corbett III (Dec. 1927) (0)
NABF: Vacant
USBA: Pete Latzo (Nov. 1927) (0)
CBU: Bermondsey Billy Wells (Mar. 1924) (6)
GBU: Hamilton Johnny Brown (Aug. 1923) (3)
EBU: Bermondsey Billy Wells (Jan. 1925) (4)
OPBF: Lope Tenorio (Dec. 1926) (3)

JWW

WBA: Pinkey Mitchell (Jul. 1923) (5)
USBA: Johnny Jadick (Apr. 1927) (0)

LW

WBA: Benny Valgar (Nov. 1927) (0)
NABF: Jimmy Goodrich (Aug. 1927) (1)
USBA: Tommy O'Brien (Feb. 1927) (1)
CBU: Billy Grime (Dec. 1924) (3)
GBU: Ernie Rice (Jul. 1922) (3)
EBU: Vacant

JLW

WBA: Tod Morgan (Aug. 1927) (1)
USBA: Eddie Wagner (Oct. 1927) (0)

FW

WBA: Andre Routis (Dec. 1927) (0)
NABF: Benny Bass (Apr. 1926) (3)
USBA: Steve Smith (Jul. 1927) (1)
CBU: Leo Roy (Nov. 1927) (0)
GBU: Dom Volante (Jul. 1926) (1)
EBU: Vacant
OPBF: Young Nationalista (Jan. 1927) (3)

BW

WBA: Panama Al Brown (Feb. 1927) (3)
NABF: Howard Mayberry (Mar. 1927) (2)
USBA: Bushy Graham (Oct. 1927) (0)
CBU: Vic Foley (Sep. 1927) (0)
GBU: Johnny Brown (Jul. 1927) (1)
EBU: Charles Ledoux (Sep. 1926) (1)
OPBF: Pete Sarmiento (Dec. 1923) (0)

FLY

WBA: Jimmy Wilde (Sep. 1927) (1)
NABF: Black Bill (Oct. 1927) (0)
USBA: Fidel LaBarba (May 1927) (1)
CBU: Vacant
GBU: Kid Socks (Mar. 1926) (0)
EBU: Kid Socks (Dec. 1927) (0)
OPBF: Pancho Villa (Sep. 1926) (2)

Comments: Lots of turnover, as well over half (32 of 54) of the title belts changed hands in 1927. Only three World Champs retained their belts during the year, with Pinkey Mitchell having the longest tenure while Mickey Walker has made the most successful defenses. Longest reigning in the lesser belts are Rice (1922) and Sarmiento (1923) who haven't defended all that often.

Starting with 1928 action, I may try to move things along more, which may mean less detailed fight reports and more fast-forwarding and sims of lesser bouts to keep things from bogging down. We'll see how it works, starting with the initial Jan. 1928 fights starting today.

[Ric915]

As always Love these year in reviews. Great Stuff

[JCWeb]

Thanks, Ric. As part of the plan to move things along a bit, I am going to focus more on the featured bouts on each fight card and filing periodic reports (one or two per month). The year-end reports will still be there but expect them to become more of a summary but less round-by-round action. Pleased to report I am already halfway through Jan. 1928 at the moment, so here's the first of this new feature:

Jan. 6, 1928: Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo NY: First of the "Friday night feature" program sees two top 10 LHs matched together -- boxer Maxie Rosenbloom "Slapsie Maxie") versus Paul Berlenbach (the "Astoria Assassin"). It's a classic boxer versus slugger matchup, and it's at a key point in both men's careers as one or both may soon step up and challenge for a major title. Action gets serious in round three as Berlenbach rips a hook to left hook to the body. Maxie is also battling a swollen left eye. More excitement in round four, as Berlenbach lands a straight right on the button that staggers Maxie, causing Rosenbloom to cover up. Nonetheless, Rosenbloom is the far more effective puncher, impressing the judges and piling up points while Berlenbach, always the aggressor, seems to be flailing away at times. Rosenbloom has to battle a cut over the swollen eye that is re-opened late in the bout. Despite constant pressure from Berlenbach, there are no knockdowns and the bout goes the distance. Rosenbloom takes an impressive UD 10 (98-92 on all three cards) to remain undefeated, running his career record to 20-0-4 (10) while Berlenbach slips to 19-3 (15).

Jan. 7, 1928: Action tonight in the Cow Palace in San Francisco concludes with a 12-round bout for the USBA Middleweight title. Jack McVey is defending the belt versus highly regarded contender Dave Shade, who has tried unsuccessfully for the WBA and NABF title belts in the past year, and now he sets his sights on McVey's USBA belt. Not much action in the early rounds, as Shade takes awhile to get going, falling behind in the early rounds. Then, in round six, he catches McVey with a solid shot, and continues to apply strong pressure for the rest of the bout. At the start of round eight, he rocks McVey with a sharp combination, forcing the Champ to cover up. No knockdowns, but Shade -- the aggressor -- dictates the pace for the rest of the fight. Scorecards show Shade taking the title (in his fourth try for a MW belt) via a UD 12 (115-113, 116-112, 117-111). Shade is now 27-11-4 (9) while the loss drops McVey to 26-8 (16).

Jan. 7, 1928: Fans gather at the Stadium in Liverpool, UK for the featured bout, a 12-rounder with the British MW title at stake, matching the current champ (Tommy Milligan) with the former champion (Len Johnson). Johnson has impressed with a recent win over Billy Angelo to lift him into the top 10 in the world rankings, and now he is looking to regain his spot as the British MW king. Johnson works his jab effectively, building an early points lead. Milligan suffers a cut eye in round three, and then the other eye starts to swell up midway through the bout. The cut worsens, reopening twice in the later rounds, finally leading to a late stoppage although it seemed like Johnson was well on his way to victory anyway. The TKO 12 win lifts Johnson (the new GBU champ) to 21-8 (13) while Milligan slips to 20-9 (15).

Jan. 13, 1928: Second edition of "Friday night feature" series of bouts goes to Miami, and this time it's a 12-rounder for vacant NABF WW title, matching USBA Champion Pete Latzo versus Willie Harmon, both of whom are among the current top 10 WW contenders. Not much excitement in the early rounds, as Latzo worked effectively from the outside primarily, building a huge points lead through a very workmanlike performance. Then, in round nine, Harmon staged a comeback, putting Latzo down and regaining even more lost ground when Latzo loses a point for repeatedly hitting below the belt a round later. Despite these setbacks, Latzo hangs on to take a MD 12 (114-112, 113-113, 114-112) to take the belt and move to 28-9-1 (11) while Harmon drops to 23-7-2 (11).

Jan. 14, 1928: Action tonight at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy, pitting France's Eugene Criqui against Hamilton Johnny Brown for the EBU FW crown that was vacated by Routis after he won the WBA title. No fireworks in the early rounds, and Criqui appears to be gaining the upper hand. The bout turns around quickly in the eighth round, when Criqui is forced to break after clutching and grabbing Brown, then Brown lets go with a shot that puts Criqui down for an eight-count. Brown then seizes control the rest of the way, as Criqui shows the effect of aging and tires quickly. A second KD late in the final round seals a UD 12 win for Young Johnny Brown (116-113, 118-110, 118-112), who moves to 25-7-1 (13) while Criqui, his career now in decline, slips to 48-15-6 (21).

Jan. 20, 1928: Friday night fight action moves to Australia and Melbourne arena. Topping an abbreviated fight card tonight is a 10-rounder featuring Australia's new Commonwealth titleholder, George Thompson, who takes on #1 rated contender, NABF Champion George Godfrey. The bout turns out to be an entertaining one, with lots of momentum swings. After a couple of uneventful opening rounds, Godfrey unleashes a powerful hook to put the Australian down for an eight-count in round three. Thompson rallies back to connect with a hard cross to the head of Godfrey, who crumbles to the canvas, arising at the count of eight in round six. Godfrey bounces back a round later, decking Thompson for a second time with a vicious combination. Thompson is back on his feet at the count of seven. Thompson stages a rally in the later rounds, making the final decision a close one. The judges' cards are read, and the final result is a draw -- the bout was so close that Godfrey had to win the final round from two of the three judges to avert defeat. Final scores are 95-92 Godfrey, 94-all, 94-93 Thompson. Godfrey is now 34-7-1 (24) while Thompson moves to 20-1-1 (12).

[PWillisTheMan]

Nice, I was just about to start doing this on a uni I started while copying a great deal of your original format. No offense, but I keep bogging myself down writing on every damn fight until it turns into a novel for every uni month.

Just speaking for myself, I prefer the write ups on these bigger fights over a great fighter against TC's. To be honest, I usually skim those.

[JCWeb]

Jan. 21, 1928: Big fight card at Madison Square Garden in New York City tonight. Main support to the two featured bouts has popular young HW hopeful Jimmy Braddock in his sternest test to date, matched against another top young HW, Jack Gross, who has lost only once in his first 10 outings. Braddock finds Gross a tough nut to crack, and Jimmy has trouble getting on track in the early rounds while Gross is the more consistent and accurate puncher. In round seven, Gross lands a huge cross and follows up with a wild overhand right that sends Braddock to the canvas for the first time in his career. Braddock is up at the count of six, but the damage has been done. Despite a game effort, he runs out of gas, taking a second tumble to the deck in the final round that was ultimately ruled a slip and not a knockdown. The bout goes the distance, and the narrow but UD 10 goes Gross' way (96-93, 96-93, 95-94) to lift his career record to 10-1 (7). Braddock's first defeat drops him to 11-1 (5) overall, with 431 PP, and his handlers will need to some time to re-evaluate, thus there will be a bit of a hiatus before Jimmy's next bout.

Co-main event sees a NY fan favorite, the Ghetto Wizard, Benny Leonard, step up in weight class, taking on a rated WW contender, Jimmy Jones, aka "The Fighting Welshman." The extra weight seems to have little detrimental effect on Leonard's abilities, as Benny fights equally well inside or outside, and his repeated blows cause Jones' right eye to show signs of swelling by the end of the fourth round. Leonard suffers a cut over the left eye late in the bout, but he is able to limit the damage done, protecting the eye with some excellent help from his corner. As a result, Leonard's move up in weight class is a success, thus he takes a UD 10 win over Jones (96-94, 97-92, 97-93) to now become a factor in the WW division after dominating the LW Division for over a decade. Leonard's career record now stands at 68-3-1 (40) while Jones dips to 21-11-4 (9).

The final bout of the evening sees WBA MW king Mickey Walker, the "Toy Bulldog," put his belt on the line in a defense versus the NABF Champ, Billy Angelo. Angelo had a nice seven-bout win streak going until suffering a UD loss to UK's Len Johnson in his most recent bout. Walker gets off to an excellent start, putting the challenger on the defensive right away. Angelo struggles with his timing, not landing any punches of significance until the fourth round. In round five, the two battle on the inside, and Walker's quickness and hard punching dominates his opponent, who is literally out on his feet. The ref, Art Donovan, finally steps in with around 30 seconds left in the round to save Angelo from further punishment. Thus, Walker's 10th successive defense of his WBA title goes down as a TKO 5 win. Walker's career mark now stands at 36-1 (27) while Angelo is now 21-6-1 (10). There is already some talk of Walker considering a move to LHW as he has dominated the MW division for the past three years now.

[JCWeb]

Pleased to report that the Jan. 1928 bouts have been completed, using the new, streamlined system. More featured bouts results follow.

Jan. 21, 1928: Rizal Arena, Manila, Philippines: Featured event here is a 10-round MW bout, featuring the "Georgia Deacon," Tiger Flowers who takes on Ceferino Garcia, the new Filipino OPBF MW titleholder. Garcia is slowed by a cut under the eye suffered early in the bout, and Flowers proves to be the more accurate puncher. Garcia steps up the pace in the later rounds, and he opens a cut under the eye of Flowers in round seven. Garcia, however, begins to telegraph his punches, and Flowers takes advantage, finishing strongly with a big final round in the 10th. The UD 10 goes to Flowers (97-93 on all three cards) to move his career record to 33-12-1 (17) while Garcia is now 19-3 (14).

Jan. 27, 1928: "Friday Night Fights" series journeys to Gran Stadium, Havana, Cuba. After a lenghty series of preliminary bouts, it is time for tonight's main event, a 10-rounder, involving perennial HW contender and former Champ Harry Wills, who is matched with the German, Hans Breitenstrater. Both men have just recently past their peak and are at Post-Prime for this bout. Breitenstrater is the aggressor in the early rounds, but quick hands and counterpunching enable Wills to pile up an early points advantage. In round four, a hard cross from the German gets through, forcing Wills to cover up. Wills turns the bout around quickly, decking Breitenstrater with a huge shot a round later. Things get worse for Breitenstrater as his left eye starts to puff up in round six, but Wills also sustains a cut over his eye in a dangerous location. Wills puts Breitenstrater down for a second time in the seventh, then administers the coup-de-grace with a sharp combination that puts his opponent down and out. The KO 7 triumph moves Wills to 57-8-1 (46), while Breitenstrater falls to 23-8-3 (19). Wills' KO count is now only one behind the pace set by Jack Dempsey for stoppages among all active fighters in the Uni.

Jan. 28, 1928: Action moves to London's Harringay Arena, this time the featured bout is for the WBA JWW crown, and it pits the only man to hold the crown, Pinkey Mitchell, up against Jack Kid Berg, the hometown favorite and #1 rated JWW contender. After a close battle in the early rounds, Mitchell gradually begins to wear down as Berg forces the action in the middle rounds. Mitchell's right eye starts to puff up from the impact of the repeated blows. Berg continues to press forward, and a rapidly tiring Mitchell lacks the stamina to mount a comeback. Berg slices open a cut over Mitchell's left eye, and Mitchell's five-year reign as WBA JWW Champ comes to an end when the bout is stopped in round 10 after the cut and swollen eye become too severe to allow the bout to continue. The title win lifts Berg to 19-0-1 (9) while Mitchell drops to 31-11-3 (13).

Jan. 28, 1928: Final fight card of the month sees the LH title on the line as WBA Champ Tommy Loughran takes on #2 ranked LHW Jack "Bright Eyes" Delaney, the bout takes place as the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans. Rematch of Oct. 1926 title clash won by Loughran (UD 15). Delaney starts off well, but falls behind in middle rounds as Loughran gets on track. Both fighters are troubled by swelling around their left eyes. Delaney lands a big cross right before the bell in round five, but after that Loughran's defense proves too difficult for the Canadian challenger to penetrate. Delaney tires badly in the later rounds, and Loughran outboxes him for a solid UD 15 win (146-139, 145-141, 144-141). The win, Loughran's six title defense, lifts his career totals to 32-4-2 (12) while Delaney falls to 32-4-1 (20).

[JCWeb]

On to the February 1928 action.

Feb. 3, 1928: Back to Miami Stadium for the "Friday Night Fights" series; topping tonight's card is a 12-round USBA LW title clash between Tommy O'Brien and up-and-comer Ray Miller, who briefly held the NABF belt in 1927. Miller gets off to a solid start, taking the opening round and proving to be a difficult target for the offensive-minded O'Brien for most of the bout. After an close opening four or five rounds, Miller gradually pulls ahead in the middle rounds, boxing effectively from the outside. O'Brien plods forward, pressing his opponent but he is unable to land the big punch. Miller succeeds in taking the belt, winning a UD 12 (117-111, 115-113, 117-111), and he moves to an excellent 23-2 (13) overall record compared to 33-12-4 (16) for O'Brien.

Feb. 4, 1928: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto: Featured fight has the Commonwealth FW title up for grabs, as Leo Roy is challenged by former GBU titleholder Johnny Cuthbert in a scheduled 12-rounder. Cuthbert has two prior wins over Roy. The two appear to be evenly matched, trading blows in the early rounds. Not much in the way of action until Roy's right eye starts to swell around the end of round seven. At this point, the bout swings in Cuthbert's favor as Roy tires badly in the late rounds. Cuthbert survives a late rally from the Champ to take the title with a SD 12 (115-113, 113-115, 115-113). The win moves Cuthbert to 20-12-1 (8) and a spot in the top 20 in the FW rankings, while Roy slides to 23-10-2 (7) and drops out of the top ten.

Feb. 4, 1928: The Stadium, Liverpool, UK: Billy Grime puts his Commonwealth LW crown on the line against hometown favorite Harry Mason. Grime, who took a UD 12 from Mason for the same title back in 1926, puts the challenger on the deck in round three and again in round five. Mason does not surrender, and he rallies to put Grime down with a big hook of his own in round eight. Grime battles back with a pair of KDs in the tenth, then coasts to a substantial UD 12 triumph (114-108, 113-109, 114-108). Grime is now 22-9-1 (14) while Mason is 23-10-1 (4).

Feb. 10, 1928: Friday night, and this time the action shifts to the Boston Garden. Two titles are at stake. First up is the USBA JWW belt, with Johnny Jadick defending versus Spug Myers. Myers defeated Jadick for the belt back in 1926. Jadick, the more consistent puncher, piles up a points lead in the early rounds. Turns out to be a boring but effective, workmanlike performance by Jadick. Myers connects with a hard shot to the top of the head, stunning Jadick in the final round, but it is too late to make up the points deficit. Jadick retains the belt via a UD 12 (115-113, 116-112, 116-112) to move to 18-7-1 (5) overall. The loss drops Myers to 21-16-4 (9).

The main event in Boston pits two veteran LWs, Jimmy Goodrich and Lew Tendler, for the NABF LW crown. It is Tendler's first bout at Post, and the effects of aging do not become prevalent until the middle rounds, as Goodrich gradually starts to wear the older man down. Tendler becomes more aggressive in the later rounds, but Goodrich proves to be an elusive target. The scorecards tell the story: UD 12 (116-113, 116-112, 117-111) for Goodrich. Jimmy moves to 37-8-1 (10) while Tendler ends up at 44-15-2 (14).

[JCWeb]

Feb. 11, 1928: Huge fight card attracts a capacity crowd at the Waldbuhne in Berlin. First up is the talented and unbeaten German HW Max Schmeling, who hopes the home crowd will propel him to a big win over veteran Bob Roper. Schmeling serves notice in the opening round when he puts Roper on the defensive right away, landing a big hook. He continues to pile on the pressure in the second, as a mouse appears under the left eye of Roper. In round five, Schmeling rips open a cut over the mouth of his opponent. However, the bout takes a surprise turn around later when Schmeling gets careless and -- for the first time in his career -- he goes down as a result of a right cross to the head from Roper. Max arises at the count of four, and he takes a much more cautious approach for the remainder of the bout. Roper cannot follow up, and by round nine he is vulnerable to a sharp combination from Schmeling and is dropped for a nine-count. Finally, Max pours it on in the final round and a defenseless Roper cannot respond to the repeated blows. The bout is halted four seconds short of the final bell, and Schmeling is awarded a win via a TKO 10. The win keeps Schmeling's unbeaten record intact, at 16-0 (14), and his PP total of 738 cements his position among the top 20 HWs. Roper slips to 28-11-3 (16).

The co-main event sees Frenchman Charles Ledoux, the "Little Apache," facing Italy's Tommy Milton, in a battle for the EBU BW crown. Indifferent start by Ledoux, and Milton scores well early in the bout. Ledoux's left eye starts to swell after just four rounds. Milton pulls ahead (58-56 on the unofficial card) at the halfway point, and Ledoux becomes the aggressor in the second half of the bout. The Frenchman is able to stagger Milton with a big right cross in round 11, but the defensive-minded Milton remains on his feet to finish the bout, taking a UD 12 (117-112, 117-112, 116-113) to capture the EBU title belt that Ledoux had held for a decade on two different occasions (1912-20 and again from 1926 into 1928). Milton improved to 19-7-2 (9) while Ledoux, who is on the downside of his career, is now 51-20-2 (35).

Final bout of the evening is for the WBA Flyweight crown, with aging vet Jimmy Wilde accepting the challenge of Newsboy Brown. Wilde's right eye starts puffing up as early as the opening round as Newsboy Brown piles up an early points lead. Clearly, the skills of Wilde, the "Mighty Atom," have diminished over time, and he finds it difficult to battle back as Brown retreats into a defensive shell for the second half of the bout. Then, in round nine, the entire complexion of the bout changes -- after Wilde lands a sharp combination, Brown attempts to fire back with a counter, and then he suffers a broken hand. Brown must abandon the bout, and Wilde keeps the WBA title via a TKO 9. The win moves Wilde to 54-11-4 (46) while Brown's record stands at 26-4-1 (10). All three scorecards had Brown well ahead on points at the time of the stoppage. Wilde agrees to a rematch later in the year, once Brown's broken hand is healed.

[Infinity]

Staying true to my Welsh (1/4th) and German (1/2) roots it was good to see Schmeling and Wilde win their respective fights....

[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).

[kenyan_cheena]

It's great that you're still going with this, JC. Coming up on four years now since you started it.

[JCWeb]

Thanks, KC. Getting a renewed bit of energy to push forward recently (maybe it's the cold weather these days, not much else to do). Time to report on some of the March 1928 action:

Mar. 2, 1928: "Friday Night Fights" series comes to the Forum (Molson Arena) in Montreal. Two bouts of note on tonight's card. In the co-main event, Canadian WW Jimmy McLarnin avenges one his two earlier defeats to Baby Joe Gans, taking a SD 10. The main feature bout is another rematch, for the NABF FW title, with Benny Bass defending versus ex-WBA Champ Chick Suggs, with whom we battled to a draw in a prior bout in Nov. 1927. This time, Suggs captures the belt with a UD 12. (Sorry, no details available, as I accidentally simmed this bout.) The win boosts Suggs to 29-9-4 (10) overall while Bass slips to 27-7-3 (10). Frustrated by his lack of progress in the FW ranks, Bass is contemplated a move to JLW.

Mar. 3, 1928: The action moves to Comiskey Park in Chicago. Feature bout is a USBA MW title fight between Dave Shade and Jimmy Darcy. Shade is defending the belt he won last year, while for Darcy it is his first title shot of any kind; Shade holds a MD 10 win over Darcy in a prior bout. This one turns out to be a very entertaining battle. Darcy connects with a couple of good shots, pinning a wobbly Shade against the ropes near the end of round three. Darcy cannot follow up, however, and a round later Shade rips open a cut under Darcy's right eye. The cut is not dangerous but it does cause the momentum of the bout to shift toward Shade. In round eight Shade, who is trailing in the bout, nails Darcy with a big combination that forces the challenger to cover up. By the end of the round Darcy's right eye is starting to swell and there is a second cut, this one above the left eye. Shade continues to apply pressure, flooring Darcy in the final round of the bout. It turns out that the 10-8 round with the knockdown is just enough to secure Shade a narrow UD 12 win (114-113, 114-113, 116-112). Shade moves to 28-11-4 (9) overall while Darcy is now 35-18-4 (14).

Mar. 3, 1928: Cannes, France is the scene of the next fight card, and the ferature bout sees Benny Valgar defending that LW WBA title he won via DQ over Benny Leonard; his opponent is 32-year-old Rocky Kansas, a long-time LW contender who has yet to succeed in his quest for the title. The "French Flash" starts well, using his boxing skills to pile up an early points lead. Kansas rallies in the middle rounds, after taking a more direct approach and picking up the pace as well. A key moment of the bout occurs in round seven, when Kansas survives a hard shot to the top of his head and then drops Valgar for an eight-count in a barrage of blows. A second KD in round 11 secures Kansas a comfortable UD 15 win (143-139, 143-139, 142-140) to capture the WBA title.

Mar. 9, 1928: The next Friday night fight series is back in Miami, and the feature contest pits USBA Flyweight champ Fidel LaBarba against veteran Johnny Buff. This is LaBarba's last fight at Pre, while Buff is at Post-Prime. It proves to be a tough fight for LaBarba, whose right eye starts puffing up as early as round four. Buff stays with LaBarba and is landing more punches throughout the middle rounds of the bout. Both men tire in the later rounds, and LaBarba is fortunate to escape with a SD 12 win (114-115, 115-114, 116-113) to keep the title and wrap up the Pre-Prime stage of his career with an excellent 18-1-1 (8) mark. Buff is now 24-14-2 (8).

Mar. 10, 1928: Action at the Stadium in Liverpool, UK, featuring a 12-round bout for the EBU FW belt, with Young Johnny Brown defending against his countryman, GBU titleholder Dom Volante. It turns out to be a bruising battle, with some great early action in the initial round as Volante puts Brown down, and Brown's left eye starts to show signs of swelling. Brown is cut over the other eye in round four. Midway through the bout, Volante's left eye starts swelling. A second cut, this one above the left eye, bothers Brown starting in round seven. This cut proves to be much more serious than the earlier one, and it leads to a late stoppage. Volante takes a TKO 11 to add the EBU belt to his GBU title. Volante improves to 18-5-2 (14) while Brown slips to 25-8-1 (13).

Mar. 16, 1928: "Friday Night Fights" card in San Francisco, at the Cow Palace. Feature bout is a 12-round USBA title bout, with Martin Burke putting the title on the line against up-and-comer Jim Maloney. Maloney is in his first title bout, and immediately he make an impression in the opening stanza by ripping open a gash over the right eye of Burke. The cut proves to be decisive as, after being reopened twice, it leads to a relatively early stoppage. Maloney takes the belt with a TKO 5, and he moves to 18-2-1 (16), emerging as a possible new title contender in the HW division. Burke, the one-time WBA HW Champ, continues his downslide and is now 31-9-1 (9).

Mar. 17, 1928: Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba is the scene of the next fight card, with a World title on the line in the feature bout, Panama Al Brown is defending his BW title against Bud "The Blonde Terror of Terre Haute" Taylor. Action is slow to develop in the first few rounds, then Brown steps up the pace and begins building a large points lead. In round seven, he catches a careless Taylor with a nice, short uppercut that sends the challenger to the canvas for a nine-count. In the later rounds, things get even worse as Taylor suffers a cut lip in round 12 and then his right eye starts to swell in round 13. Panama Al goes on to a one-sided UD 15 win for his fourth successful title defense. Brown by UD 15 (144-141, 145-140, 147-138) to move to an excellent 27-3 (13) overall record while Taylor is now 26-9 (9).

[Lee]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

It's great that you're still going with this, JC. Coming up on four years now since you started it.

+1, I have always loved your uni JC and am glad to see it still going strong!

[JCWeb]

Thanks, Lee. Just wrapped up Mar. 1928 action, here's summaries of the key bouts (from the second half of the month):

Mar. 23, 1928: Friday Night card goes down under, to Melbourne Arena in Australia, and this time the feature bout has Commonwealth HW Champ George Thompson defending the title against Jack "The Gorgeous Gael" Doyle. Doyle, a slugger, is the aggressor for most of the bout. Thompson, with slick counterpunching and defense, starts to pull ahead on points in the middle rounds. However, he is vulnerable to a couple of hooks from Doyle that result in two knockdowns in round 11. The second of these puts Thompson down and out for good. Doyle by KO 11 to take the belt in an upset on the Champ's home turf. The Irishman moves to 20-5-2 (15) while Thompson's second career loss puts him at 20-2-1 (12).

Mar. 24, 1928: London's Harringay Arena is the scene of the next fight card, and Hamilton Johnny Brown and Jack Hood square off in the feature bout for Brown's GBU WW title. Hood, who is still at Pre-Prime, may be in a bit over his head. The bout stays close in the early rounds, then Brown drives a hard cross to the chin of Hood, forcing him to cover up, near the end of round five. This seems to put Brown in the driver's seat, but he has to battle through a torn lip suffered in round eight. No knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance, with Brown retaining the belt by a very narrow margin, a majority draw (115-115, 116-114, 115-115) where he needed the final round on one judge's scorecard to avert defeat. Brown moves to 19-11-5 (9) overall while Hood checks in at 16-2-1 (9), with one more bout before hitting Prime career stage. Better luck next time for the young Hood.

Mar. 24, 1928: Polo Grounds in New York City is the scene of the next fight card and, while no title bouts are on offer, the feature bout is a rematch of two top-ranked HWs, former WBA Champions both, Young Stribling and an aging Jack Dempsey. It's a rematch of their 1926 WBA title contest, which saw Stribling take the belt via a late stoppage in the 13th. This time each man has his moments in the early rounds, then Stribling (the better boxer) piles up a points lead while evading and frustrating the heavy-handed but aging veteran, Dempsey. Stribling even shows some firepower of his own, stunning Dempsey with a big left in round seven. Dempsey finally gets in some strong shots of his own in the ninth, and Stribling's left eye starts to swell as a result. Nonetheless, it turns out to be a bit too late as Stribling hangs on for a MD 10 win (96-95, 95-95, 96-94). The victory moves Stribling to 26-4-1 (16) while the "Manassa Mauler" slips to 51-8-1 (47).

Mar. 30, 1928: Final Friday night fight card of the month sees the action shift to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, and the 10-round feature bout pits veteran LW Ever Hammer against Sid Terris in a key "crossroads" bout for both, as both are seeking to recover from recent losses with a top 10 contender spot for the winner in the offing. Action develops slowly, and the bout is fairly even for the first few rounds. Terris suffers a split lip in round four. Hammer delivers a big hook on the inside, forcing Terris to cover up. Hammer emerges victorious after doing better in the final two rounds, taking a UD 10 (96-94, 96-94, 97-93). Hammer moves to 39-15-5 (16) overall while Terris slips to 21-6-2 (7).

Mar. 31, 1928: Manila, Philippines sees former BW king Pete Sarmiento put his OPBF title on the line against OPBF and long-time WBA FLY king Pancho Villa, who is moving up in weight to challenge for the long-dormant BW belt. Villa is at Post-Prime but the bout promises to be an interesting test as he is an all-time great FLY but will the extra age and extra weight prevent him from taking the win versus Sarmiento? Unfortunately, the bout proves to be a real disappointment and provides no answers as it ends prematurely, Sarmiento being called for persistent head-butting and DQ'd early on. The DQ 2 win for Villa moves him to 32-8-3 (14) although he is now at End career stage. Sarmiento falls to 26-9-4 (19) but still has some good years left if he can avoid the flagrant foul calls.

Mar. 31, 1928: Final fight card of the month is at the Amor Bahn in Munich, Germany. Featured bout on the program has the "Little Fox," Rene DeVos, defending his EBU MW title for the sixth time against German Hein Domgorgen. Except for a few good moments early in the bout, Domgorgen appears to be outclassed by DeVos for most of the fight. However, when the scorecards are read, one judge (obviously favoring the home country's fighter) calls it a draw. Fortunately for DeVos, the other two judges have him as the winner so DeVos takes a MD 12 (117-111, 114-114, 117-111) to move to 37-8-2 (17). Domgorgen, who may have more chances in the future, stands at 22-7 (13) in spite of the defeat.

[JCWeb]

Apr. 6, 1928: "Friday Night Fights" series journeys to the War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse, New York. Featured bout is a 10-rounder between top LW contender "the Fargo Express," Billy Petrolle, and Tommy O'Brien, a former USBA LW Champion, and it turns out to be a good one. Petrolle lands a big hook in round three but O'Brien counters with a huge hook of his own, and Petrolle takes a seat on the canvas. A round later, Petrolle retaliates, putting O'Brien down with a barrage of blows after using a right cross to set up the knockdown. Petrolle has the edge heading into the later rounds as O'Brien's left eye begins to swell. O'Brien rebounds with a strong round seven, and this time Petrolle has his right eye start to puff up from the sting of the accumulated punches. Then, in round nine, Petrolle hammers away and nails O'Brien with a big shot for his second KD of the fight. The late knockdown seals a UD 10 win for Petrolle (96-90, 95-91, 95-91). The win boosts Petrolle to 24-2-2 (16) overall while O'Brien slips to 33-13-4 (16).

Apr. 7, 1928: The action moves to Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver, Canada. Jimmy Goodrich is defending his NABF LW crown against newly-crowned USBA king Ray Miller. Slight edge to Goodrich after the first three rounds. Miller, trailing, comes on strongly with a huge round eight, and Goodrich has a rapidly swollen left eye as a result. It's a good fight to the finish, no cuts or knockdowns. The scorecards reveal a wide divergence of opinion among the three judges, and Goodrich manages to escape with a SD 12 win (112-117, 118-111, 117-112). Goodrich moves to 38-8-1 (10) while Miller is now 23-3 (6).

Apr. 7, 1928: Next fight card is at the Stadium in Liverpool, UK. Headliner is a rematch of the GBU HW title bout between Tom Cowler and "Fainting" Phil Scott. Cowler won the belt via a foul and also defended with a similar result, so this is the third of the trilogy. As before, Scott outclasses the aging vet Cowler, who is fighting his last bout. Both of Cowler's eyes are swollen from the beating, and Scott (avoiding the fouls that plagued him in the past two title tilts) manages to end it early with a TKO in the 10th. Scott moves to 23-14-2 (6) and regains the GBU title. Cowler ends his career at 34-24-5 (16).

Apr. 13, 1928: Kiel Auditorium at St. Louis is the scene for the next Friday night fight card, and the feature contest pits USBA LH Champ Lou Bogash ("the blonde Italian") versus hard-hitting Paul Berlenbach ("the Astoria Assassin"). Berlenbach takes charge after a strong showing in round two, but the resilent Bogash battles back to make the bout a close one. By round six, Berlenbach's right eye is starting to swell. In round eight, Bogash nails Berlenbach with a straight right, and Berlenbach wisely covers up to avoid further damange. Berlenbach battles back, and Bogash's right eye also puffs up in the later rounds of the bout. No KDs, so this one goes to the scorecards. Berlenbach captures his first title by a narrow SD 12 (115-113, 113-115, 116-112). Berlenbach's career record is an excellent 20-3 (15) while Bogash is now 32-14-2 (7).

Apr. 14, 1928: Next fight card is at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. Feature bout has the WBA FW crown at stake, with Frenchman Andre Routis defending versus Panama's Jose Lombardo. Not much action as the bout starts slowly for the first three rounds. Then, in round four, Routis takes charge, repeatedly landing at will until Lombardo is literally out on his feet. Routis by TKO 4 to keep the title. Routis improves to 33-7-2 (16) while Lombardo slips to 23-8-3 (15).

Apr. 14, 1928: Boston Garden is the scene of the next action, and Mickey Walker is making his 11th defense of his WBA Middleweight crown, taking on long-time MW contender Frankie Schoell. It is Schoell's fourth try for a title after going 0-3 in prior attempts. The Champ is off the mark early, tagging Schoell with a big hook near the end of the opening stanza. He appears to have the better of the action in the early rounds, although a check of the unofficial scorer's card has it much closer (48-47) after the first five. The "Toy Bulldog" continues to apply the pressure in round six, and Schoell's left eye starts to puff up as a result. The free-swinging action continues in round eight, when Schoell is decked by a Walker uppercut and arises at the count of nine. Walker continues to pound Schoell mercilessly in the following rounds, and finally the ref calls a halt as Schoell's eye is much worse after being on the receiving end of the brunt of Walker's attack. Walker by TKO 10. Walker moves to 37-1 (28); Schoell is now 31-11-3 (11).

[JCWeb]

Apr. 20, 1928: Friday Night card goes down under, this time to Sydney Arena in Australia, and the feature bout matches up two top 10 HW contenders, veteran George Godfrey and New Zealand's "Hard Rock Down Under," Tom Heeney, in a 10-round non-title bout. Godfrey starts well, outhitting Heeney throughout the early rounds. By the end of round four, there is noticeable swelling around the right eye of Heeney. Heeney is looking to land one big shot, but Godfrey is consistently beating him to the punch. Godfrey lands a big uppercut that rocks the New Zealander near the end of round seven. Then, in round eight, he puts Heeney down for a seven-count and follows with another huge uppercut for the second KD. Heeney is unable to last the round as the bout is halted by the ref. Godfrey by TKO 8. He moves to 35-7-1 (25) while the loss moves Heeney's record to 27-9-1 (8).

Apr. 21, 1928: Atlantic City's Convention Hall is the scene of the next fight card. In a preliminary bout, popular HW Jimmy Braddock is back after his first career loss, quickly asserting control over veteran TC Scott Gleason, ending the bout early with a powerful hook for a KO 2 to move to 12-1 (6) overall. Co-feature sees a rematch, Tony Canzoneri and LW Joey Goodman, and this time Canzoneri adminsters a beating after escaping with a narrow SD in their prior bout. Goodman suffers a battered and swollen cut eye, and Canzoneri registers a UD 10 win (100-90, 98-92, 99-91) to run his record to 13-1 (10). Then, the main event sees a 12-round battle for the USBA FW crown, with Steve Smith defending versus Joey Sangor. It is a relatively close fight for the first half of the bout, as both men elect to stay outside most of the time, avoiding taking risks. Sangor starts to assert himself in the second half of the bout and, although there are no knockdowns, Sangor does enough to take a MD 12 verdict (116-112, 114-114, 115-113) and take the title away from Smith. Sangor moves to 24-5-1 (6) while Smith is now 20-7-5 (8). .

Apr. 21, 1928: Meanwhile, action moves to the Cow Palace in San Francisco, where Tod Morgan is defending his WBA JLW crown, with Mike Ballerino as the challenger. Morgan holds a UD 10 in one prior bout, but it was back in 1922 when both men were at Pre-Prime. Ballerino falls behind early and has trouble with a cut over his right eye that was opened in round three and re-opened several times. Ballerino tries to battle back, but he lacks the firepower to worry Morgan and eventually succumbs to a cuts stoppage. Morgan by TKO 10 to move to 26-5 (10) while Ballerino slips to 20-8-4 (5).

Apr. 27, 1928: Final Friday night fight card for April is at St. Nick's Arena in New York City, and the feature bout has "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom earning his first title shot, as he takes on Ad Stone for the NABF LH belt. Rosenbloom, with quick hands and quick feet, throws more leather in the opening rounds but Stone starts to apply more pressure in the middle rounds. No real fireworks until round 10, when Stone nails Rosenbloom with a big uppercut, only to have Maxie come back and stagger the Champ with a hook right before the bell. It comes down to the wire and most observers thought the bout was a close one, so it's a big surprise to see Stone declared the winner by a fairly substantial UD 12 (118-111, 118-111, 117-111). Stone moves to 27-2 (17) while Rosenbloom, after his first loss, is now 20-1-4 (10).

Apr. 28, 1928: Earls Court in London is the location of the final fight card for April 1928. The co-main feature sees Benny Leonard take on Britain's top WW contender, Bermondsey Billy Wells, in a 10-round non-championship bout. It is a close bout, and Leonard looks impressive in the early rounds. Wells proves to be a tough adversary, and the bout goes the distance with a MD 10 for Leonard (96-94, 95-95, 96-95) in his second outing at WW. The win lifts Leonard to 69-3-1 (40) while Wells drops to 43-10-1 (16).
The main event is for the Commonwealth LH title, with Len Harvey defending against Canadian Jack Delaney. After a solid start, the hard-hitting Delaney sees his power neutralized by the ring generalship and boxing skills of Harvey. Harvey nails Delaney with a big uppercut in round four, forcing the challenger to cover up, but that is as close as either fighter comes to scoring a knockdown. Harvey retains his title with a UD 12 (117-113, 117-113, 117-112) although the large margin of victory is a bit of a surprise. The win moves Harvey to 28-3-1 (12) and Delaney falls to 32-5-1 (20).

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Back to reporting on the action after an unexpected delay due to some computer problems ... and there is a big surprise in one of the feature bouts from May 1928.

May 4, 1928: "Friday Night Fights" moves to a first-time location, the Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. The featured bout is for the JLW USBA title bout, held by Eddie Wagner. He faces the challenge of Steve "Kid" Sullivan, who formerly held the title. Wagner suffers a split lip in round two, but for most of the early rounds he proves to be the more accurate puncher. Sullivan battles fatigue and a swollen right eye for the second half of the bout but at least manages to last the distance. Wagner retains the title with a comfortable UD 12 (116-112, 117-111, 116-112). The win boosts Wagner's career mark to 35-16-1 (12) while Sullivan slips to 35-24-7 (8).

May 5, 1928: Another fight card at the Stadium, in Liverpool, England. Headliner is for the Commonwealth FW title, currently held by Johnny Cuthbert who faces a strong challenge from the higher-rated Al Foreman who holds two prior wins over Cuthbert and is thus the favorite in this bout. Foreman is off to a slow start as Cuthbert is the more effective and accurate puncher for most of the early rounds. Foreman, the bigger puncher, starts to apply pressure in the middle and late rounds but is unable to catch Cuthbert with any big shots. Cuthbert manages to hang on for a SD 12 win (114-115, 115-114, 116-113). Cuthbert moves to 21-12-1 (18) while Foreman is now 22-10 (18).

May 5, 1928: Next fight card is at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. The featured bout is for the WBA LH title with Tommy Loughran defending versus long-time contender Jimmy Slattery. Slattery took a SD 12 from Loughran for the NABF title a few years earlier, so this is a revenge match from Loughran's perspective. Both men exchange blows from long-range for the first few rounds, and Loughran is sporting a swollen right eye after the first five rounds. Loughran gradually pulls ahead in the middle rounds, repeatedly landing while Slattery's left eye starts to puff up. Loughran pulls away for a solid UD 15 win (146-139, 144-141, 146-139) to avenge the earlier loss and keep the title belt. Loughran moves to 33-4-2 (12) overall. Slattery ends the bout at 24-7-1 (9).

May 11, 1928: Back at the Amor Bahn in Munich, and German HW hero Max Schmeling takes another step forward by taking on a ranked HW contender, Dutchman Jack DeMave, in the 10-round main event. Schmeling, to the dismay of his many fans in attendance, gets off to a horrible start. DeMave decks him with a good shot in round two, and Max arises at the count of nine and is shaky for the remainder of this and the following round. DeMave continues to press matters, and Schmeling seems lethargic and is vulnerable to a series of blows in round five as well. This time, the ref steps in to save Max from further punishment, but it goes down as the first loss in his career and a TKO 5 win for DeMave. DeMave moves to 20-3-2 (16) while Schmeling, at 16-1 (14) after the setback, appears to need more seasoning before tackling more top-level HW talent, thus he will take some time off to re-evaluate his options.

May 12, 1928: Next fight card is at Miami Arena in Florida. Feature bout has Panama Al Brown defending the WBA BW title against the #1 contender, the veteran Memphis Pal Moore. Moore won a SD 12 over Brown back in 1926 in a NABF title contest. After a long feeling out process in the early rounds, Brown begins to assert himself, seizing control in the middle rounds and gradually wearing down the older challenger in the later rounds. Brown by UD 15 (144-141, 145-141, 144-141) to keep the title. Brown improves to 28-3 (13) while Memphis Pal slips to 47-15-5 (14).

May 12, 1928: Mammoth Gardens at Denver is the scene of the next action, and featured is a 10-round FW battle among two top contenders, Benny Bass and Mike Dundee. The lure of a possible WBA title shot is enough to cause Bass to defer his plans to begin campaigning as a JLW. Bass dominates the action from the start, slicing open a cut over Dundee's right eye in round one. By the end of the second round, Dundee's left eye is starting to swell up and, for the rest of the round, Dundee battles the cut and swelling while Bass just builds a huge points advantage. Dundee manages to last the distance, but it goes down as a lopsided UD 10 win for Bass (100-89, 99-90, 100-89). Bass moves to 28-7-3 (10); Dundee is now 33-11-3 (18).