My Universe

[JCWeb]

Ring action from the second half of March 1931 includes a historic battle for the WBA HW title featuring two current Champions.

Mar. 20, 1931: More Friday night fights “Down Under” at the Melbourne Stadium in Australia. No titles at stake, but a couple of interesting matchups on the agenda. In the co-main event, OPBF HW Champ George Thompson faces Ad Warren, an up-and-coming young U. S. fighter. In round three, Warren sustains a cut over his right eye. The two mix it up as much leather is thrown in the fourth round, resulting in swelling around the left eye of Warren and the right eye of Thompson. In round five, the cut over Warren’s eye is reopened, and it continues to be an issue until the fight is stopped a round later. TKO 6 for Thompson on the cuts stoppage, lifting him to 24-6-2 (14) compared to 18-3 (15) post-fight for Warren. Then, it’s the main event, with NABF Flyweight Champ Midget Wolgast facing his GBU counterpart, Johnny Hill. Wolgast holds a prior TKO win, and Hill is now at Post-Prime. Wolgast gets off to a strong start, and by the end of round five Hill’s left eye is beginning to swell. Hill battles back to nail Wolgast with a sharp combination in the seventh, but the rest of the bout is all Wolgast, who takes a UD 10 (97-93, 99-91, 97-93). Post-fight, Wolgast moves to 24-4 (12) while Hill winds up at 18-9 (12).

Mar. 21, 1931: More fight action, this time at the venerable Harringay Arena in London. There are two preliminary bouts of interest leading up to the main event, which is a GBU title tilt. On one supporting bout, OPBF WW Champ Lope Tenorio has made the journey to London to take on fan favorite and reigning GBU WW king Jack Hood. Not much happens until round five, when Hood is cut over his right eye. The cut is reopened a couple of rounds later, but Hood mounts a strong comeback in the final round to secure a draw (95-95, 96-94 Hood, 94-96 Tenorio). Post-fight records: Tenorio, 24-9-6 (7); Hood, 21-5-5 (7). The main supporting bout has GBU LH king Gypsy Daniels matched with the higher ranked George Nichols, so it’s a good chance for Daniels to build his record and move toward top 20 status. Things don’t start well for Daniels, who sustains a cut over his left eye in the opening round, but the cut is quickly patched up. Daniels bides his time and launches a brutal attack in round six, dropping Nichols with a combination of blows that cause the American to cover up to last the round. A solid hook by Daniels leads to a second KD in round eight, enough to seal a solid UD 10 win (96-92, 95-94, 97-91) despite a second cut opening over the other eye in the final round. The win moves Daniels to 29-16-2 (18) compared to a 25-14-2 (9) post-fight record for Nichols. After this, it’s time for the main event, as unbeaten MW Jock McAvoy makes the first defense of his GBU MW crown won last year against veteran Ted Moore. Moore is the aggressor in the early rounds, but he takes a ton of punishment from a sharp-counterpunching McAvoy and soon his right eye is swelling up from the accumulated blows. Round seven is a big one for the Champ, who staggers Moore and rips open a cut over the left eye of the challenger. The cut is soon patched up but more damage occurs in round eight when a McAvoy hook near the end of the round leads to the bout’s first and only knockdown. McAvoy dominates all the way and takes a lopsided UD 12 (117-108, 118-107, 117-108) to remain unbeaten. Post-fight records: McAvoy, 18-0-4 (13); Moore, 32-15-6 (11).

Mar. 21, 1931: There’s excitement in the air for the next fight card at the Polo Grounds in New York City, as there is a WBA HW title on the line. First up, in one of the main support bouts, is popular WW prospect Barney Ross who looks to pad his unbeaten record against a fairly credible opponent, 11-2 Harry Baron. Ross puts Baron on the defensive right away, and by the end of round one Baron is sporting a cut and swollen left eye. Ross begins to target the eye but seems to coast a bit in the middle rounds. In round five, however, the cut is reopened, and Baron walks into a Ross hook that puts him down for a six-count. He bounces back up and continues, but a relentless Ross wears him down and takes a late cuts stoppage. The TKO 8 win for Ross moves Barney to 12-0 (7) while Baron, who slips to 11-3 (7), will be looking for easier opponents from now on.
Finally, it’s time for the main event – two World Champions collide as LH Champ Tommy Loughran steps up to HW to challenge the reigning Champ, Young Stribling. This is a huge mega-fight as Loughran, despite a draw in his last outing, has remained unbeaten since December of 1925. Stribling, who has not lost since June 1928, is making his sixth title defense. Our ringside observer will provide a complete round-by-round breakdown of this key matchup. Round one is the usual feeling-out process, not much action, a fairly even round. Round two, both set up shop on the outside, and another close round. In round three, Stribling moves inside to exchange a few blows, but some strong defense from Loughran holds him off. The fourth round sees Loughran trying his luck on the inside, again there is little to separate the two. Stribling is cut over the left eye, however, but his corner takes steps to patch things up quickly. Loughran targets the cut in round five, but Stribling responds with a strong round. Loughran is now showing signs of swelling under his left eye. At this point, a third of the way through the bout, our ringside observer has it even, 48 apiece.
On to the middle rounds. Both men work outside in round six, another close round. Then both move inside in the seventh, and this time the edge goes to Loughran. More outside exchanges in round eight, which seem to favor Stribling. In round nine, Loughran decides to force matters on the inside, and he does succeed in reopening the cut over the Champ’s eye. Stribling does his best to protest the cut in the tenth, whereas Stribling is content to stay on the outside. Near the end of the round, Stribling catches Loughran with a short, clean hook that puts the challenger down briefly. Aided by the knockdown, our ringside observer has it 96-94 for Stribling at this point.
The bout goes into the final five, Championship rounds. Both men are tiring, and they take a breather in the 11^th round, not much action. In round 12, Loughran – urged on by his corner – becomes more aggressive, taking the fight to Stribling. It’s another close round that could go either way. The 13^th round is more of the same, this time a slight edge to the Champ. Both men are exhausted by the 14^th round, in which neither can seem to find the range. The final round, like the entire bout, is also extremely close. It takes several minutes for the scorecards to be tallied, and the final result – a draw – seems justified. One judge had it 144-141 for Loughran, another had it 142-142 even, while the third had Stribling up by five, 145-140. Could have gone either way. Stribling retains the belt, and both men’s unbeaten streaks are intact. Post-fight records: Stribling, 37-5-2 (20); Loughran, 43-4-4 (17). Loughran is likely to return to the LH ranks, where he may face a challenge from Mickey Walker who is contemplating a move up from the MW division he has dominated for much of the last decade.

Mar. 27, 1931: Friday night fight action moves to the Caribbean at the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba. The main event features two top HWs, Jack Sharkey and Gene Tunney, but Sharkey’s USBA title is not at stake. With two top boxers, a defensive struggle emerges. Sharkey gradually wears down the aging Tunney, who is in the twilight of his career. In round nine, and overly aggressive Tunney is dropped by a Sharkey cross. Sharkey goes on to take a close but UD 10 (96-94, 96-94, 96-93) to re-establish his credentials as a top contender for the WBA HW crown. Post-fight records: Sharkey, 25-5 (15); Tunney, 46-15-3 (26).

Mar. 28, 1931: Another fight card in Europe, this time at the Sportpalast in Berlin, Germany. No titles are on the line, and the main event features two HWs, Elmer (“Kid Violent”) Ray against Portugese fighter Jose Santo. Santo appears overmatched right from the start, and the bout comes to a sudden conclusion when Santo is warned for repeated low blows and then DQ’d in the second round. The DQ 2 win moves Ray to 19-2 (13) overall. Post-fight, a disappointed Santo drops to 20-6 (16), and his management will likely be more selective in terms of his future opponents.

Mar. 28, 1931: The month wraps up with a solid card at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall, headlined by a USBA title bout. On the undercard is up-and-coming young HW Jersey Joe Walcott, who moves to 3-0 (2) with a TKO 2 win overall a TC whom he traps against the ropes until the ref calls a halt with just five seconds left in the round. Then it’s time for the main event. Unbeaten young LH Tiger Jack Fox challenges the hard-hitting Paul Berlenbach for Berlenbach’s USBA title belt. It promises to a be a slugfest, as neither of these guys is noted for subtle defensive tactics. Berlenbach goes down more from a push than a punch in round three, and the ref rules a slip and not a knockdown. Tiger Jack Fox responds with a huge round in the fourth, and already Berlenbach is showing signs of swelling around his right eye. Fox continues his excellent performance into the later rounds, and a frustrated “Astoria Assassin” is unable to mount a comeback. Late in the final round, Fox is finally able to break through and put Berlenbach on the deck with a strong combination for an eight-count. The scorecards show it wasn’t really that close, a UD 12 win for Tiger Jack Fox (115-112, 117-111, 117-110) who ends the Pre-Prime stage of his career at a perfect 20-0 (15) while Berlenbach, now at 25-8 (19), longs for better days.

[kenyan_cheena]

Great fight between Loughran and Stribling!

[JCWeb]

Yeah, KC, it was one of the most memorable title fights in this Uni in some time. There's another close title bout in the first half of April reports (see below).

Apr. 3, 1931: Friday night fight card at Denver to open the fistic festivities in April 1931. Featured bout is for the USBA WW crown, with the unbeaten Jackie Fields putting the belt on the line against veteran Willie Harmon. Harmon surprises the Champ in round three when he connects with a solid uppercut, but Fields recovers quickly and asserts his dominance throughout the remainder of the bout. Harmon tires in the later rounds, allowing Fields to coast to a UD 12 win (116-113, 117-112, 116-113). The win enables Fields to remain unbeaten, raising his record to 24-0-1 (13) while Harmon emerges with a post-fight mark of 29-12-5 (13).

Apr. 4, 1931: Next card is in Europe at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy, with two Brits (Johnny Cuthbert and GBU Champ Al Foreman) vying for Cuthbert’s EBU FW belt. The two have split two prior bouts, and Cuthbert’s Commonwealth FW crown is not up for grabs in this one. Foreman suffers a cut over his right eye in round three, and it continues to bother him and his corner throughout the remainder of the bout. In the final round, a frustrated Foreman, forced to go all-out for a knockout, leaves himself open to a short hook from Cuthbert which proves to be the only knockdown of the fight. The bout goes the distance, and Cuthbert takes a fairly comfortable UD 12 verdict (116-111, 116-111, 116-112). Post-fight records: Cuthbert, 28-16-1 (10); Foreman, 26-15-1 (21).

Apr. 4, 1931: A big fight card is on tap at the Windy City, Chicago’s Soldier Field. There’s a WBA LW title bout and, in one of the main supports, crowd fave Sammy Mandell (aka “the Rockford Shiek”) takes on USBA JLW Champ Tod Morgan in a 10-round, non-title affair. Mandell traps Morgan in the corner in round five, then tags Morgan with a big left, forcing the latter to cover up to survive the round. From then on, Mandell seizes control of the bout, and Morgan lacks the firepower to mount a rally. Mandell goes on to take a UD 10 (99-91, 97-93, 99-91) to run his record to 34-13 (9) overall; Morgan is now 32-8-1 (12). Then, in the main event, the “Fargo Express,” Billy Petrolle, makes his seventh defense of the BWA LW crown, facing a tough challenger – Tony Canzoneri, the “Roman Warrior.” After a pedestrian opening couple of rounds, Petrolle emerges as the aggressor, but Canzoneri seems to be landing the more effective blows to build an early points edge. Petrolle hits his stride and begins to find the range in the middle rounds, but the issue is very much in doubt heading into the final rounds. Canzoneri comes through with a strong showing in the 11^th, but Petrolle battles him all the way to the end. The bout appears to be an extremely close one, but most ringside observers feel the challenger has done enough to take the belt. It takes awhile for the scorecards to be tallied, and the final result is a draw (144-143 Petrolle, 143-143 even, 142-144 Canzoneri). Petrolle escapes with the title. Post-fight records: Petrolle, 35-3-3 (19); Canzoneri, 22-4-2 (12). Canzoneri right now is a hot property – his options include a possible rematch with Petrolle, a defense of his NABF LW crown, or perhaps a move back to JWW to seek the title in that division.

Apr. 10, 1931: More Friday night fight action at the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba. The co-main event is a rematch featuring two top young FW prospects, Freddie Miller and hometown crowd favorite Kid Chocolate, aka “the Cuban Bon Bon.” It’s a rematch of a May 1925 bout in Miami that was won by Chocolate for Miller’s first pro loss. This time around, Chocolate appears to be overconfident and off-form, as Miller’s strategy of boxing outside is effective. By round five, there are signs of swelling under the Kid’s left eye. Miller survives despite a late cut over his left eye that appeared in round eight. The bout goes to the judges, and Miller avenges his earlier loss by taking the UD 10 verdict (97-93, 96-94, 98-92) to move to 17-1 (9) while the loss leaves Kid Chocolate at 15-1-1 (13); both these FWs have their careers ahead of them. The main event has aging HW Jack Dempsey paired with up-and-comer Tommy Farr, the “Tonypandy Terror” who recently captured the British HW title. It’s a 10-round non-title bout, and Farr proves to be an elusive target for the first half of the bout. However, in round six, the “Manassa Mauler” connects with a hook to the head to put the Brit on the canvas. Dempsey – still looking for that 50^th KO win -- is unable to finish the job, so the bout goes the distance although Farr has to battle a rapidly swelling left eye in the later rounds. It’s a close decision, and it turns out to be a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 96-94 Dempsey). Post-fight records: Dempsey, 56-13-2 (49); Farr, 23-3-1 (12).

Apr. 11, 1931: It’s an abbreviated card at the Stadium in Liverpool. Headlining the card is a Commonwealth title bout, as Nipper Pat Daly puts his CBU BW belt on the line against EBU and GBU Champ Johnny King. Nipper Pat has hit Post-Prime career stage, however, and it shows as the younger man, King, establishes control of the bout from the early stages. In round eight, King catches Daly with a short, clean combination that puts the Nipper on the deck. Later in the round, King follows with a cross for a second KD that puts Daly down for the count. The KO 8 lifts King to 23-2 (14) overall and now means King holds three BW title belts (the European, Commonwealth and British titles) at once. Post-fight, Daly drops to 26-11-3 (12).

Apr. 11, 1931: Action moves north of the Border to Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. The main event sees British LH Len Harvey making a rare trip away from home to take on Canada’s Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney for Harvey’s Commonwealth crown. Harvey, who defeated Delaney in a prior meeting back in 1928, is in trouble right away when a gash opens up over his right eye midway through the very first round. The flow of blood is staunched by his corner, but the cut is in a bad location, and when it is re-opened a couple of rounds later, the referee sees no choice but to order a quick stoppage. Harvey’s corner protests, but to no avail. The TKO 3 win on the cuts stoppage catapults Delaney back into the CBU title, which he held briefly in the 1923-24 time frame. Delaney moves to 38-8-2 (24) with the win, while Harvey ends the bout at 35-7-21 (14).

[kenyan_cheena]

I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but if so, I'll say it again. You've done a great job with this uni, JC. Gonna be six years at the end of February. Along with Mike's LBA, it's the longest running one here in ItR. Outstanding work.

[Lee]

Second KC, I work from home now, but I remember many late nights at the office where this uni kept me entertained when I just couldn't think about work anymore 4 or so years back, LOL.

[JCWeb]

Thanks, guys. Glad to see someone still paying attention. Up to 1931 now, have Jersey Joe Walcott starting out, later in the year will see the notable debut of "Homicide Hank" Armstrong, still a few years away from the great Joe Louis and also a fighter I remember seeing when growing up, the "Old Mongoose," Archie Moore.

Here's the summary of action from the second half of April, 1931. A couple of WBA title bouts were fought, and one new Champ emerged.

Apr. 17, 1931: Friday night fight card Down Under at Sydney Stadium in Aussie-land. Featured bout is for the Commonwealth LW title belt, currently in possession of Aussie Billy Grime. His opponent is a familiar one, Brit Harry Mason. It’s the fifth meeting of the two, with Grime holding a 3-1 edge in those prior encounters. Grime suffers a cut over his right eye in the early rounds. Grime bounces back to put Mason down with a big left in round three, and the Brit also suffers a swollen right eye as a result of the impact of repeated blows. In round four, Grime connects with an uppercut to the head and puts Mason down for a second time. The cut over Grime’s eye is reopened in the sixth. Mason finally gets on track in round eight, landing a wild overhand right that puts Grime on the deck. Into the final rounds, it’s been a tough battle, and Grime shows signs of swelling around both eyes as Mason has started to connect. The bout goes the distance, and the decision goes the way of the Aussie who takes a UD 12 (114-110, 114-110, 115-109). Grime keeps the title and raises his record to 25-15-2 (14) compared to 29-15-2 (4) for Mason.

Apr. 18, 1931: Next card is at the Cow Palance in San Francisco. In one of the main supports, unbeaten HW prospect Max Baer takes on Hank Hankinson, who had been unbeaten until suffering a KO loss to a TC in his most recent outing. Baer toys with his opponent before trapping him in the corner, using his jab to set up a KO punch. With the KO 1 win, Baer is now a perfect 12-0 (11 by KO). Then it’s on to the main event, featuring NABF MW Champ Harry Ebbetts who faces the challenge of Jack McVey with the title on the line. Ebbetts takes a few rounds get settled, allowing McVey to have the upper hand in the first three to four rounds. In round five, McVey connects with a big hook that forces the Champ to cover up to last the round. As the bout hits the midway point, Ebbetts finally gets on track, and in round seven he stuns McVey with a huge left. This leaves an opening for Ebbetts to nail McVey with an uppercut that puts the challenger down and out. The KO 7 for Ebbetts enables him to retain the belt. Post-fight records: Ebbetts, 19-6-4 (11); McVey, 30-14-2 (16).

Apr. 24, 1931: Friday night fight card at Earls Court in London, UK. An interesting matchup on the undercard has former WBA Flyweight Champ Frankie Genaro facing GUB Champ, Jackie Brown. In round four, Brown is cut over the left eye. In round seven, Genaro suffers the same fate as he suffers a cut over his left eye as well. The bout ends in a draw (96-94 Genaro, 95-96 Brown, 96-96 even). This leaves Genaro with a post-bout record of 36-10-1 (17); Brown is now 19-4-2 (8). The main event features two of top boxers in the game – all-time great Benny Leonard and Jack Kid Berg, the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” current WBA JWW Champion. No title is on the line, but nevertheless the bout has attracted a large crowd. Leonard gradually builds a points lead, and midway through the bout, Berg’s left eye begins to swell. When the scorecards are tallied, Leonard takes a UD 10 (98-92, 97-94, 97-93). Post-fight records: Leonard, 79-4-2 (41); Berg, 27-2-2 (13).

Apr. 25, 1931: Next card is in France, at the Palais du Sport in Cannes. No titleson the line, but the main event has two top European HWs – Max Schmeling and Paulino Uzcudan -- paired together. Schmeling builds a slight advantage in the early rounds. However, things change quickly in round six when a hook from Uzcudan puts the German on the canvas. The “Black Uhlan” picks himself up off the deck, and he mounts a rally such that Uzcudan, who remains upright, is on the receiving end of some punishing blows that cause swelling under both eyes. The bout goes to decision, and it turns out to be a narrow SD 10 win for Schmeling (95-94, 94-95 95-94) to move the German to 24-3 (18) compared to 29-6-1 (12) post-fight for Uzcudan, the “Basque Woodchopper.”

Apr. 25, 1931: It’s another big card at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, with a WBA title fight on tap to headline the fistic festivities. On the undercard, up-and-coming young HW prospect Jersey Joe Walcott pummels a hapless TC to take at one-round TKO to lift his record to 4-0 (3). Then popular local fan favorite Jimmy Braddock steps into the ring against veteran Argentine HW Luis Firpo. Braddock goes straight at Firpo from the very outset, but in round five he gets in big trouble when he walks into a big Firpo hook and goes down for the first time. Firpo, aka as “the Wild Bull of the Pampas,” takes immediate advantage of the situation, following up and putting Braddock down a second time with a solid combination, and then the ref calls a halt. The TKO 5 pushes Firpo’s record to 32-19-2 (25) while Braddock slips to 19-5-2 (6). The co-feature has popular LH “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom – who battled to a draw with WBA Champ Tommy Loughran his last time out – winning via an early cuts stoppage (TKO 3) over Tiger Jack Payne; Rosenbloom is now 25-6-5 (11). The final bout of the evening is the main event, for the FW WBA title as Champion Chick Suggs makes his sixth defense, this time against challenger Babe Herman, the current NABF titleholder. The two split two prior decisions in non-title bouts, but this one is for all the marbles. In the opening round, Suggs is cut over the right eye and, as the bout progresses, Herman takes advantage to pile up an early points lead as Suggs’ corner struggles to keep the cut under control. The end comes midway through the eighth round when the cut is reopened, and the ref (after consulting with the ring physician) calls a halt. TKO 8 (cuts stoppage) for Herman, who displaces Suggs as the new WBA FW Champion. Herman is now 31-16-4 (11) with the win; Suggs drops to 39-11-4 (12) after the loss.

Apr. 25, 1931: The next fight venue is the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans. The main event is for the NABF HW title, with Joe Gross defending the title against his predecessor, Joe Sekyra. Gross had recorded two prior decision wins over Sekyra, but the title bout the prior year was a close one. In this bout, the first four rounds are relatively even. By the end of the fifth round, Sekyra’s right eye is beginning to puff up as a result of the accumulated blows. A round later, Gross’ right eye also shows signs of swelling. The high point from an action standpoint occurs in round seven, when a big cross from Sekyra causes Gross’ knees to buckle, but the Champ is able to cover up and last the round. Then, near the end of round nine, Gross delivers a powerful uppercut that leads to a brief knockdown – Sekyra is back up at the count of three, just before the bell. The bout goes the distance, and Sekyra takes a narrow UD 12 (114-113, 115-113, 115-113) to regain the title. Sekyra moves to 23-5 (17) with the win, while Gross ends the bout at 21-4 (12).

[JCWeb]

Two WBA title fights in the mix for this report.

May 1, 1931: Friday night card at Los Angeles. No titles at stake, and the main event matches highly-ranked LW Luis Vicentini with USBA Champ Al Gordon. Gordon starts strongly, landing repeatedly such that Vicentini’s left eye is showing signs of swelling after just three rounds. Gordon piles up an early points lead, but tires as the Chilean rallies in the later rounds to secure a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 97-93 Vicentini) as the bout goes the distance. Post-fight, Vicentini is 33-8-1 (13) compared to 28-9-6 (9) for Gordon.

May 2, 1931: Next card is at the Boston Garden, with the hometown favorite, Jack Sharkey, the “Boston Gob,” in the feature bout. He is defending the USBA belt won last year against the challenge of young Elmer “Kid Violent” Ray. In round three, Sharkey connects with a big cross that forces the challenger to cover up. Ray’s right eye begins to swell after the first four rounds. Then, in round five, Ray catches Sharkey with a big shot that puts Sharkey on the defensive. Midway through the bout, the unofficial scorecard kept by the ringside expert has Ray up by one (58-57). By round eight, Sharkey also shows signs of swelling under his right eye. However, in the 10^th round, Sharkey breaks through, landing a big shot that puts Ray down on the canvas. He can’t beat the count, and Sharkey takes a KO 10 to keep the title. It is his fourth win in a row to move his career total to 26-5 (16), while Ray drops to 19-3 (13).

May 8, 1931: Friday night fight card at Exhibition Gardens in Vancouver. Several Canadian fighters are on the undercard. In one interesting bout, FW Pete DeGrasse takes a DQ 3 to hand young prospect Chalky Wright his second loss. Post-fight records: DeGrasse, 20-3 (5); Wright, 16-2 (11). The main event is a 10-round non-title clash between two top ranked HW contenders, George Godfrey, the “Leiperville Shadow,” and the reigning Commonwealth Champion, Larry Gains. Godfrey, who won via a late KO in one earlier encounter, gets off to a good start when he nails Gains with a big combination in round two, forcing the Canadian to cover up. Gains’s right eye begins to puff up after being on the receiving end of the blows from Godfrey. Then, in the third round, Godfrey moves inside, punishing Gains with a wicked combination that puts the Canadian down and out. The KO 3 win is Godfrey’s 30^th career KO, lifting his career totals to 42-10-1 (30). The disappointing result for Gains and his fans means he drops to 29-7 (18).

May 9, 1931: Next card is at the Stadium in Liverpool. It’s a relatively light card, no titles, but an interesting matchup in the feature which pits USBA Flyweight Champ Izzy Schwartz against his British counterpart, Johnny Hill. The bout gets off to a rocky start when there is an accidental clash of heads in the opening stanza, with Hill coming out the worse as he sustains a big gash over his right eye. The bout goes on a couple of more rounds before the ref orders a stop early in round four. The bout goes as a technical draw. This leaves Schwartz at 25-11-2 (6) and Hill at 18-9-1 (12), and the fans go home disappointed at the abrupt conclusion

May 9, 1931: Next fight card is at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The undercard features hot WW prospect Barney Ross, who toys with TC opponent Paul Jeffords, who manages to last the distance with the “Jewel of the Ghetto,” who takes a lopsided UD 10 to move to 13-0 (7). The main event is for the WBA WW crown held by Young Corbett III, who faces the challenge of OPBF kingpin Lope Tenorio. It’s the first meeting of the two, and both men start out with a cautious approach to the bout. It turns out to be a boxing exhibition by Corbett, who gradually pulls ahead, dominating the middle rounds while building an insurmountable points lead. The UD 15 (147-138, 146-139, 148-137) goes to Corbett, who easily retains the title. Post-fight, Corbett is now 34-7-3 (12) with the win; Tenorio drops to 24-10-6 (7) after the loss.

May 15, 1931: The next Friday fight venue is the Rizal Arena in Manila. Filipino fans are excited about the first title defense for their unbeaten BW WBA Champion, Pablo Dano. Dano’s opponent for his first title defense is Archie Bell, a long-time contender who lost a NABF title bout tilt in his last outing. It is Bell’s second try for the WBA title, having lost a UD 15 back in 1928 to Panama Al Brown during the latter’s lengthy title reign. It is a quiet start for both men, and the action is slow to develop in the opening rounds. Bell is busy piling up a points lead until he suffers a cut lip in round seven. Then, in the middle and later rounds, Dano tries to mount a rally, moving inside and stepping up the pace. Instead of laying back, Bell steps forward and mixes it up with the Champ. In an action-packed round 13, Bell catches Dano with a three-punch combo and then follows up with a strong shot that causes the Champ to slump to the canvas for an eight-count. The bout goes the distance, but the big question is: Has Bell done enough to take the belt? The judges’ cards provide a resounding answer, with Bell taking a UD 15 (145-140, 145-140, 144-141) to capture the title, handing Dano his first career loss. Bell moves to 28-6-2 (7) with the win, compared to Dano who is now 20-1-2 (14).

[JCWeb]

More WBA title action in the second half of May, 1931. Here's the summary.

May 16, 1931: Next card at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. No titles at stake, but highly touted Italian HW Primo Carnera is on the undercard, in his first bout after suffering his initial career loss in February. He wastes no time in flooring his TC opponent, taking a KO 2 after connecting with a huge combination to put his opponent down and out; the “Ambling Alp” is now 12-1-1 (11). After a few more bouts, the main event takes place. Two top ranked MWs square off, as former EBU Champ Rene DeVos faces Jock Malone in a 10-rounder. DeVos suffers a cut over his left eye in the opening round, but he battles his way back to seize control of the fight, working mainly on the inside. DeVos maintains the pressure and sneaks through as a SD 10 winner (94-96, 96-93, 96-94) as the bout goes the distance. Post-fight, DeVos is now 46-12-2 (18) compared to 34-17-4 (13) for Malone.

May 16, 1931: More fight action back in the US, this time at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. One bout of note on the undercard has two top LW contenders, both former NABF Champions, matched together as Sammy Mandell faces aging veteran Jimmy Goodrich. Mandell, who is in prime condition, proves to be the more effective boxer of the two, repeatedly beating Goodrich to the punch. Midway through the bout, Goodrich begins to suffer from a rapidly swelling left eye. Mandell goes on to take a lopsided UD 10 (98-91, 99-90, 99-90) to run his career mark to 35-13 (9); Goodrich dips to 41-15-2 (10). The feature bout is for the WBA Flyweight title, as Newboy Brown defends against NABF Champ Midget Wolgast. The bout – the first meeting between these two – evolves into a defensive struggle, as both men elect to work outside for much of the early rounds. Wolgast gradually pulls ahead, but in round nine he is slowed by a cut over his left eye. However, good cornerwork and a cautious approach serve the challenger well, as Newsboy Brown lacks the firepower to erase the points deficit. The bout goes all 15 rounds, and Wolgast takes the belt with a UD 15 win by a comfortable margin (146-139, 145-141, 145-140). Post-fight records: Wolgast, 25-4 (12); Brown, 34-7-2 (10).

May 22, 1931: The next Friday night card is at the Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City. Not much of interest on the undercard, but the main event has Tod Morgan defending his USBA JLW belt against challenger, ex-WBA Champion Frankie Klick. Early in the bout, Morgan is cut over his right eye as a result of a glancing cross from Klick. Nonetheless, Morgan is able to build a nice points lead, while Klick’s corner urges him to target the cut. Midway through the bout, Klick’s left eye begins to swell. The bout goes the distance, and while Klick is able to narrow the gap, it goes as a MD 12 win for Morgan (115-113, 114-114, 115-113) to keep the belt. The win lifts Morgan’s career totals to 33-8-1 (12), while Klick drops to 21-8-2 (10).

May 23, 1931: Next card is at the Olympia in London. There’s a buzz here as long-time WBA MW Champ Mickey Walker is making the 21^st defense of the title over a six-year period. His opponent is OPBF MW Champ, Filipino Ceferino Garcia. In round four, to the surprise of many, Garcia turns aggressor, trapping Walker against the ropes, then dropping the Champ with a wild overhand right. The Champ bounces up right away, and Walker rallies near the end of the fifth round, catching Garcia with a nice uppercut just before the bell, staggering the challenger. Then, in round seven, and over-aggressive “Toy Bulldog” is warned for a shoulder charge. Early in round 10, Walker evens the score, dropping Garcia with a combination; at this point, Walker’s killer instinct kicks in, and he follows with a second KD and finally a third, all in the 10^th round, leading to a TKO stoppage. The TKO 10 win (Walker’s 24^th in a row) moves him to 47-1 (36). Garcia, who remains OPBF Champ, is now 27-7 (20).

May 29, 1931: Next Friday fight card is at the Olympic Stadium in Panama City. The feature bout is for the NABF title vacated by Babe Herman who moved up to win the WBA title. Local favorite Jose Lombardo is matched with Bobby Garcia for the vacant title. Lombardo is on a m mission tonight, as he seeks to reverse an earlier TKO loss to Garcia. In the early action, Lombardo suffers a nick under his left eye, while Garcia’s left eye begins to swell. In the middle rounds, Lombardo – urged on by the partisan crowd – begins to dominate the action. In round 10, Garcia walks into a combination and suffers a knockdown, as well as a cut over his right eye. In the 12^th and final round, Lombardo applies even more pressure, dropping Garcia for a second time. The cut is reopened, and the ref steps in to call a halt. The TKO 12 (cuts stoppage) means Lombardo is the new NABF FW Champion. Post-fight, Lombardo is 30-12-3 (19); Garcia slips to 25-13-3 (13) with the loss.

May 30, 1931: The final card of the month is at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The co-feature has two top MWs – ex-EBU Champ Hein Domgorgen and former NABF titleholder Vince Dundee – facing each other in a 10-round, non-title affair. In the opening round, Domgorgen stuns Dundee with a vicious right to the head that staggers the American, who covers up for the rest of the round. It’s a close bout, but neither man can break through. It goes to the judges’ scorecards, and Domgorgen takes a narrow but UD 10 (96-95, 96-95, 99-94) to move to 30-9-1 (15) overall; Dundee is now 27-6-1 (13). Then, it’s time for the main event – EBU HW kingpin Otto Von Porat is making his third title defense, facing Belgian Pierre Charles. Von Porat starts slowly, gradually piling up a points lead. In the middle rounds, Charles picks up the pace. Then, in round seven, Von Porat is cut over his left eye. Charles targets the cut, but the Norwegian’s corner does a good job of keeping the cut under control. In round 11, a tired Charles falls victim to a hook to the head from Von Porat, who floors the challenger for the bout’s first knockdown. In the 12^th and final round, Von Porat seals the win with a second KD but cannot finish his opponent, so the bout goes the distance. Von Porat successfully defends the belt with a solid UD 12 (115-110, 117-108, 116-110). He moves to 20-4-1 (11) with the win, compared to a 28-12-1 (20) post-fight mark for Charles.

[JCWeb]

More exciting fight action from the first half of June, 1931 ...

June 5, 1931: Friday night card at Philadelphia to open the month of June. On the undercard, young HW prospect Jersey Joe Walcott impresses against another TC opponent, flooring his opponent three times in the fifth round to take a TKO 5 to run his record to 5-0 (4). Then, in the main event, USBA FW Champion Dick Finnegan makes his second title defense against Andy Martin. Now at Post-Prime, Finnegan spears to be in trouble when he suffers a split lip in round five. Martin, energized, seizes the initiative in the middle rounds. Finnegan appears likely to be headed for defeat when he mounts a rally in round 11, decking the challenger with a hook to the head that sends Martin to the canvas for an eight-count. The bout goes the distance, but the knockdown has an impact as Finnegan manages to take a close MD 12 verdict (114-113, 115-115, 114-113). Post-fight, Finnegan is now 31-12 (9) compared to 28-8-1 (9) for Martin.

June 6, 1931: Next card is back in Europe, at the Amor Bahn in Munich. No titles at stake, but is Germany vs. America in the main event as ex-WBA Flyweight king Fidel LaBarba faces Harry Stein in the main event. First up on the undercard is unbeaten young WW prospect Gustav Eder, who dominates veteran Meyer Cohen in a one-sided UD 10 win to push Eder’s career totals to 16-0 (7). Then, in the main event, LaBarba – a former WBA, NABF and USBA Champ who is beltless in 1931 for the first time in four years – makes a strong showing, battering Stein about his right eye in round four, causing the eye to swell and a cut to appear just over the eyelid. As a result, Stein is not really a factor for the rest of the bout, and LaBarba breezes to a solid UD 10 win (99-91, 99-91, 98-93) to run his career mark to 25-4-1 (9); Stein slips to 23-8 (17).

June 6, 1931: Next up is a solid card at the Forum in Montreal, headlined by a NABF BW title bout featuring former WBA Champ Panama Al Brown, defending against Canada’s Bobby Leitham, the “Verdun Flash.” Panama Al mixes up an inside and outside attack in the early rounds, while Leitham appears to be comfortable working mainly from the outside, flicking a jab and uses an aggressive counterpunching approach. To the surprise of many observers, Leitham – buoyed by the support of a vocal hometown crowd – builds up a solid points lead over the ex-Champ. A frustrated Brown gets more aggressive, but his tactics include head-butting which result in being cautioned and finally DQ’ed by the ref. At the time of the stoppage, Leitham was well ahead on all three cards. Despite the protest from Brown’s corner, the DQ-7 result is upheld and means Leitham is the new NABF BW Champ. Post-fight career marks: 20-2-1 (8) for Leitham; 36-5 (15) for Brown, who has now lost two of his last three after winning 14 in a row during his reign as WBA Champion.

June 12, 1931: Next Friday night fight venue is at the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba. Co-main event has two top five LHs paired together, as ex-Champ Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney faces “Slapsie Maxie” Rosenbloom. It’s the third meeting between these two, with Rosenbloom holding the edge with a UD win in the most recent outing, while the first bout ended in a draw. Delaney tries to force his way inside in the early going. The slick boxing Rosenbloom proves to be the more effective puncher, landing repeatedly to the point that Delaney begins suffering the effects of a rapidly swelling left eye in addition to a cut under the right eye, suffered in round four. However, Delaney rallies in round five, nailing Maxie with a straight right that stuns his opponent. Then, in the later rounds, Rosenbloom’s left eye begins to swell. The bout goes the distance without either man being knocked down, and the judges call it a draw (96-96, 97-95 Delaney, 95-97 Rosenbloom) with Delaney taking the final round to secure the drawn result. Post-fight records: Delaney, 38-8-3 (24); Rosenbloom, 25-6-6 (11). The main event is also a LH encounter, and it’s a rematch of an earlier NABF title contest between Champ Lou Scozza and challenger Jimmy Slattery that ended in a controversial DQ win for Scozza. Tonight, Slattery seems determined to reverse the earlier result, nailing Scozza with a big cross that forces Scozza to cover up in the second round. Slattery dishes out more punishment in round three, and Scozza begins to show the effects with a rapidly swelling left eye. The end comes a round later, when Slattery backs up Scozza with a stinging jab and, after a clinch, delivers a crushing shot that puts Scozza down and out. The KO 5 win earns Slattery the belt, improving his overall record to 30-10-2 (12) while Scozza, who is now at Post-Prime career stage, is 28-3-1 (21).

June 13, 1931: Back to the UK for a bit of an abbreviated fight card at the Stadium in Liverpool. No titles at stake, but the main event matches two top FWs – Brit Dom Volante and American Mike Dundee. As early as round three, Volante begins to gain the upper hand as Dundee’s left eye shows signs of swelling as a result. More action in round six, as Dundee’s other eye begins to puff up and, near the end of the round, Volante puts him on the deck with a powerful cross. In round eight, Volante connects with another cross and another KD results. Then, the end comes in round 10 as Dundee is cut over the right eye, and Volante scores three more KDs before the ref steps in to save Dundee from further punishment. The TKO 10 win lifts Volante to 25-8-2 (16) overall; Dundee – who is now at Post-Prime -- slips to 40-16-3 (20) with the loss.

June 13, 1931: Next up is a packed card at St. Louis’ Kiel Auditorium. The card is headlined by not one, but two title bouts, featuring two of the hot young properties who are moving up the ranks to become top contenders and future WBA Champions. In the co-feature, top up-and-coming MW Freddie Steele, the “Tacoma Assassin,” challenges Young Terry for the latter’s USBA MW crown. It’s Steele’s first outing since his only career loss last year to Mickey Walker for the WBA title; this time he has set his sights a bit lower, going for the USBA title. Steele is the aggressor right from the start, and in round three he finds the range, nailing Terry with a devastating hook to the head. Terry slumps to the canvas and does not beat the count. The impressive KO 3 win gives Steele his first belt and a 22-1 (18) overall record; Terry is now 23-6-3 (10). Then, in the main event, the “Roman Warrior,” Tony Canzoneri, defends his NABF LW title belt after falling short in a hard-fought draw with WBA Champ Billy Petrolle in his last outing. His opponent is Billy Wallace, and it is a cautious start by both men until Canzoneri begins to pile up a points lead in the middle rounds. The solid effort by Canzoneri is rewarded with a UD 12 decision in his favor (115-113, 116-112, 116-114) although the scores are a bit closer than the punches landed stats indicated. Canzoneri moves to 23-4-2 (11) with the win, compared to a 34-17-3 (17) post-fight mark for Wallace.

[JCWeb]

Ring action from the second half of June 1931.

June 19, 1931: It’s another Friday night card “Down Under,” this time in Melbourne, Australia. A strong fight card is headlined by a Commonwealth title bout, with long-time titleholder Bermondsey Billy Wells facing the challenge of Jimmy “Baby Face” McLarnin, who is seeking to add the CBU title to his NABF title belt. It’s a close battle, with Wells putting in a strong effort against the younger McLarnin. Midway through the bout, McLarnin suffers a split lip, but as the bout progresses, the cut does not become a factor. McLarnin is the aggressor in the late rounds, and it enables him to take a very close SD 12 verdict (114-115 Wells, 115-114, 116-113) to annex to Commonwealth title. Post-fight, McLarnin is now 32-4 (20) compared to 48-15-3 (17) for Wells.

June 20, 1931: Next card is at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Unbeaten LH Tiger Jack Fox headlines the card, defending his USBA title against George Manley; it is Fox’s first bout at Prime career stage. A huge uppercut from Fox gets through Manley’s defenses in round three, forcing the challenger to cover up to last the round. Then, two rounds later, Fox catches Manley in a neutral corner and drops him with a strong shot. Manley can’t beat the count. The KO 5 moves Fox to an impressive 21-0 (16); Manley is now 26-13 (15).

June 20, 1931: The action moves to the West Coast with another solid fight card at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The co-feature has the undefeated HW prospect, Max Baer, facing his toughest opponent to date, veteran journeyman Tiny Herman. Despite the big build-up, the bout lasts about two and a half minutes as Baer makes short work of it, rocking Herman with a hook to the head before landing the coup-de-grace with a big cross that puts Herman down and out. Baer, who is now 13-0 (12) with the KO 1 win, will continue to be brought along carefully by his management. After this, it is time for the main event, which is for the USBA WW crown, held by Jackie Fields who – like Baer – is undefeated. Fields’ opponent in this – his fourth title defense – is Tommy Freeman, who put up a creditable effort in dropping a SD 12 to Fields in an earlier title clash in 1930. Not much action until round five, when Fields uncorks a combination that puts Freeman on the deck for a three-count. Freeman, sensing he is behind on the scorecards, goes for a late knockout but only leaves him open to a counter from Fields, who finishes him off with powerful uppercut in round 10. Freeman is down and out, and Fields runs his record to 25-0-1 (14) with the KO 10 result. Freeman drops to 27-12-1 (12) with the loss.

June 26, 1931: The next Friday night fight venue is Washington, D. C.’s Uiine Arena. The co-feature has hot WW Barney Ross matched with Frankie Britt. Ross takes advantage of an early cut suffered by Britt, under his right eye, and builds a solid points lead. Midway through the bout, the impact of Ross’ punches causes Britt’s left eye to swell. Ross then goes on to post a UD 10 win (99-91, 99-91, 98-92) despite suffering a late cut over his left eye. The win lifts Ross to 14-0 (7); Britt is now 10-2-1 (5) after the defeat. The main event has a USBA title belt on offer, with Eddie “Cannonball” Martin defending against the higher-ranked Bushy Graham. It’s a risky move by Martin, who has lost his last two heading into the bout. Early in the bout, in round two, Graham suffers a cut lip. Martin, as it turns out, is on his best form tonight, ripping a solid uppercut that forces the challenger to cover up to survive round four. Graham battles on, while late in the fight it is Martin who must deal with a rapidly swelling left eye. Martin nails Graham with a straight right in round 11, but the challenger remains on his feet to last the distance. The UD 12 goes Martin’s way (116-113, 116-113, 117-112). Martin improves to 31-12-3 (15) with the win, while Graham ends the bout at 29-13 (10).

June 27, 1931: Back to Europe for a nice card at the Palais des Sports in Cannes, France. In one of the main support bouts leading up to a WBA title clash, once-beaten Belgian LH Gustave Roth hammers out another win with a last-round stoppage of Hambone Kelly; Roth moves to 23-1-1 (11) with the TKO 10 win. Then, in the main event, JWW WBA Champ Jack Kid Berg defends the title against USBA Champ Mickey Cohen. Berg, who is coming off his first loss in three years (to all-time great Benny Leonard), quietly builds a points lead in the early and middle rounds. By the end of round seven, Cohen is showing signs of swelling under both eyes from the repeated blows landed by the “Whitechapel Whirlwind.” Cohen battles on, and he manages to last the distance as Berg eases up a bit in some of the later rounds. The UD 15 (146-140, 147-139, 149-137) goes, as expected, to Berg, his seventh successful title defense. Post-bout, Berg moves to 28-2-2 (13) overall; Cohen slips to 16-11-1 (19) with the loss.

June 27, 1931: Last card of the month is at the Olympia in London. The co-main event matches two top Flyweights, as ex-WBA Champ Frankie Genaro takes on Kid Socks. It’s the second meeting of the two, with Genaro winning an earlier bout via a UD 10 in 1928. In the rematch, Socks appears overmatched from the outset, and by the end of round two, he shows signs of swelling under his left eye. Genaro goes on to hammer out another UD 10 win (97-93 on all three cards). His career totals are now 37-10-1 (17) compared to 25-13-2 (8) for Kid Socks. In the main event, unbeaten MW Jock McAvoy seeks to add the Commonwealth title belt to his GBU title, as he challenges Billy Bird. It’s been just over a year since Bird won the title, and this is his first defense. The action starts in round three when McAvoy finds the range and puts Bird on the canvas with a big shot, following up with a second KD that puts Bird down for a nine-count. A combination leads to a third KD and an immediate stoppage. The TKO 3 moves McAvoy to 19-0-4 (14), compared to a 31-11-4 (14) post-fight mark for Bird.

[JCWeb]

Had a big "Nothing But Boxing" day yesterday, enabling me to complete 57 (!) bouts in a single day. Seven more today, and so here's the report from the first half of July, 1931. (Hoping to move things along more quickly as a result.)

July 3, 1931: Friday night card at Chicago’s Soldier Field. In the feature bout, Izzy Schwartz meets Black Bill for the NABF Flyweight title vacated by new WBC Champ Midget Wolgast. Schwartz gets off to a rough start, and his left eye begins to swell up after just one round. Black Bill uses this to build an early points lead, but Schwartz goes on the offensive and, at the end of the sixth round, there is noticeable swelling under both of Black Bill’s eyes. In round nine, Schwartz is slowed by a cut over his right eye. No knockdowns, and the bout goes the distance. To the surprise of many, the UD 12 nod goes to Black Bill (115-113, 117-111, 116-112) who once again reigns as NABF Flyweight Champion. Post-fight records: Black Bill, 26-12-5 (9); Schwartz, 25-12-2 (6).

July 4, 1931: Big Fourth of July card in Philadelphia. No titles, but #1 ranked LW Ray Miller is featured in the headline bout, facing veteran Sid Terris who is soldiering on despite hitting Post-Prime career stage. Miller builds an early points lead. Terris, pressing the attack in round seven, gets careless and is decked for a seven-count by Miller. The rest of the bout proceeds without incident, and it’s a routine UD 10 win for Miller (98-93, 99-93, 98-92) who solidifies his position as the top LW contender. Miller moves to 31-7 (14) with the win, while Terris is now 25-11-3 (7).

July 10, 1931: The action moves to Phillippines for an abbreviated Friday night card at Manila’s Rizal Arena. Featured is a OPBF title bout, with Johnny Hill defending against fellow FW Elino Flores; Hill is seeking to reverse a TKO loss suffered at the hands of Flores back in 1925. Flores starts well, and by the end of the opening stanza, Hill’s right eye is showing signs of swelling. Flores continues to build a solid points lead, with Hill’s efforts proving ineffective and futile until a cut is opened under Flores’ right eye late in the bout. The cut proves to be no factor, however, as Flores takes the title with a UD 12 win (118-110, 117-111, 117-112). The Filipino moves to 28-13-4 (11) with the win, while Hill – who is now at Post-Prime -- drops to 26-10-2 (6) with the loss.

July 11, 1931: The scene shifts to Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens for the next fight card. No titles, but the fans are in store for a top-flight matchup as LH Champ Tommy Loughran continues to campaign as a HW, taking on perennial top contender George Godfrey in a 10-round, not-title affair. The bout evolves into a tough defensive struggle, and Loughran proves to be an elusive target for the heavier-hitting Godfrey. However, at the outset of the sixth round Godfrey nails Loughran with a nice uppercut, forcing the LH Champ to cover up. Then, a couple of rounds later, a Godfrey hook connects, sending Loughran tumbling to the canvas. There are no more incidents for the rest of the bout. It’s a long wait for the decision, and the SD 12 for Loughran (94-95, 96-94, 96-94) surprises many. The win extends Loughran’s unbeaten streak to 23, improving his overall career totals to 44-4-4 (17). Godfrey is now 42-11-1 (30).

July 11, 1931: The next card is back in the States at Denver’s Mammoth Gardens. The main support bout has JWW Battling Shaw, now at Prime career stage, facing aging vet and former Champion Pinkey Mitchell in a non-title bout. Shaw is the aggressor, but he takes a number of punches while working inside, and by the midway point of the 10-rounder there is swelling under his right eye as a result. However, near the end of round seven, he catches Mitchell with a picture perfect hook to the head that puts Mitchell down and out. The KO 7 result moves Shaw to 19-1-1 (11) overall. It turns out to be the final bout of Mitchell’s long career, and the former WBA JWW and WW Champ winds up at 34-19-4 (14). Then, in the main event, the fans are treated to a matchup of two top LW contenders, as Sammy Mandell faces Stanislaus Loayza. Loayza is the more active, while Mandell is content to set up shop on the outside. Mandell’s defense and counterpunching proves to be decisive, and a frustrated Loayza falls behind on points and is unable to deliver a decisive blow. The UD 10 for Mandell (96-94, 96-94, 97-93) is a fair result, moving the "Rockford Sheik" (now the #1 LW contender) to 36-13 (9) while Loayza slips to 24-11-3 (10) with the loss.

July 17, 1931: Friday night action moves to the Gran Stadium in Havana. The fans are excited as the main event has newly-crowned WBA FW Champion Babe Herman is back in the ring in less than two months’ time, making his first defense againist a Cuban challenger, Filio Julian Echevarria. It’s the first meeting of the two. Not much action in the opening rounds, but Echevarria battles a rapidly swelling left eye from the very first round. Herman gradually pulls ahead on points in the middle rounds. At the end of round 10, Echevarria suffers a cut over his right eye. Herman then staggers the Cuban in the penultimate 14^th round, working the body then heading upstairs with a solid hook to the head. Echevarria recovers to last the distance, but he is on the short end of a UD 15 verdict (143-142, 144-141, 145-140) that enables Herman to retain the title despite facing a hostile crowd and a determined challenger. The win moves Herman to 32-16-4 (14), compared to a 17-4-1 (11) post-fight record for Echevarria.

[JCWeb]

For the second part of July 1931, there were a total of 65 total bouts. Here are the highlights …

July 18, 1931: Another card at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The main event is for the EBU HW belt, held by Norwegian Otto Von Porat. It is Von Porat’s fourth title defense, his second in two months, and his opponent is Irishman Jack Doyle, who holds a prior KO win over Von Porat back in 1928. By the end of the opening stanza, Doyle is able to penetrate Von Porat’s defenses, working the body and then head, flooring Von Porat with a nice combination. In round four, a big uppercut from Doyle forces Von Porat to cover up, and a nasty cut appears over Von Porat’s right eye. In the middle rounds, the bruising nature of the bout becomes apparent as both fighters’ right eyes begin to swell up. The end comes in round eight when the cut over Von Porat’s eye leads to an early stoppage. Doyle, who is a former CBU HW Champ, becomes the new EBU Champion via the TKO 8. Post-fight records: Doyle, 26-11-2 (19); Von Porat, 20-5-1 (11).

July 18, 1931: The next card is at Miami. The headline bout on the agenda is for the WBA JLW crown, as Benny Bass faces the top challenger, USBA JLW Champ Tod Morgan. It’s a rematch of an earlier bout that resulted in a UD 12 win for Morgan, so Bass is out to avenge the earlier loss. The challenger starts well, and by the end of the second round there is noticeable swelling under Bass’ right eye as a result of the impact of repeated punches from Morgan. Late in the bout, Bass suffers a cut over his right eye, but the cut does not become an issue as the bout goes the distance. A solid effort by Morgan brings him the WBA title via a UD 15 (145-140, 145-140, 146-139). Morgan moves to 34-8-1 (12) with the win, while Bass drops to 37-11-3 (14).

July 24, 1931: More Friday night fight action “Down Under” in Sydney, Australia. The headline bout features two Aussie HWs, George Thompson and George Cook, battling for Thompson’s OPBF HW crown. Cook has a SD win over Thompson, and the two battled to a technical draw during Thompson’s last title defense, over a year ago. However, Cook’s best days are behind him, and tonight it’s a workmanlike effort that allows Thompson to pile up a commanding points lead. No knockdowns or cuts, not much in the way of action, and Thompson takes a routine UD 12 win (117-111, 118-110, 117-111) to retain the title. Thompson improves to 25-6-2 (14) with the win, while Cook falls to 37-21-3 (17) with the loss.

July 25, 1931: The scene shifts to London’s Harringay Arena for the next series of bouts. No titles at stake, but a good crowd is on hand for the main event which features two top 10 Heavyweights. The matchup pits Tuffy Griffith against the “Basque Woodchopper,” Paulino Uzcudan. The two decide to mix it up a bit in the opening stanza, and Uzcudan comes out looking the worse, with some puffiness developing just under his left eye. Griffith pulls out to a narrow points lead in the middle rounds. The bout goes the distance, and it’s a close MD 10 win for the American (99-91, 95-95, 98-92) and, although the ringside observer had Griffith winning, it was much closer than the two judges who called him the winner. The win improves Griffith’s career totals to 23-4-1 (14). Uzcudan is now 29-7-1 (12).

July 25, 1931: The next card is back in the States at the Polo Grounds in New York City. The undercard features popular young HW Jersey Joe Walcott, who runs his record to 6-0 (5) with a TKO 1 win over a hapless TC. Then, despite the lack of any title bouts on the agenda, a large crowd has gathering to watch the former HW Champ, the “Manassa Mauler,” Jack Dempsey, who remains a huge draw despite reaching the end of his long career. Dempsey’s opponent is Jim Maloney, another strong puncher, and tonight Jack is trying for that elusive 50^th KO win despite having only one or two bouts left before retirement. The bout starts off badly for Dempsey, as Maloney lands repeatedly in the first two rounds, with noticeable swelling already developing under Dempsey’s left eye as a result. Maloney seems content to launch his punches from the outside, while Dempsey struggles with his timing for much of the bout. Finally, in round four, the crowd roars to life as Dempsey puts together some punches for a strong round, but Maloney’s defenses hold up. In round six, Maloney battles back and begins to put together his punches, eventually causing some swelling under Dempsey’s other eye. Then, right near the end of the round, a big left staggers the ex-Champ. Dempsey continues to press the action, looking for the 50^th knockout. Maloney is able to stay out of range, carefully picking his countershots. In round nine, he catches Dempsey with a cross that puts the Manassa Mauler down and out. The KO 9 win for Maloney closes the final curtain on Dempsey’s career, as the all-time great has decided to call it quits after this loss. Post-fight, Maloney is now 23-7-1 (21), and Dempsey’s final career totals are 56-14-2 (49).

July 31, 1931: Final card of the month, more Friday night action, this time at the Sportpalast in Berlin, Germany. The card is headlined with a EBU title clash, but there are a couple of interesting bouts on the undercard. One such matchup features EBU Flyweight Champ Johnny “the Midget Organ Grinder” Vacca taking on fellow top 10 Flyweight Emil Paluso in a non-title affair. Vacca starts well, and by the end of the second round, Paluso suffers a cut over his right eye. It turns out to be a close, competitive bout, as Vacca tries to target the cut, but Paluso adopts a defense posture to avoid further damage to the eye. Vacca lacks the firepower to score a knockout or even a knockdown, but he rallies strongly to take the last two rounds and secure at majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 95-96 Paluso). Post-bout records: Vacca, 24-4-1 (11); Paluso, 26-13-2 (7). The co-feature, or main support bout, has HW Primo Carnera matched with Don McCorkindale. It’s a stiff test for the Italian, who has been fed a steady diet of TCs to this point. In round one, the clumsy Carnera gets careless and walks into a McCorkindale jab, toppling to the canvas where he takes a seven-count. In round four, Carnera gets on track, peneatrating McCorkindale’s defenses with an overhand right to put the South African on the deck for an eight-count. McCorkindale covers up, and Carnera is unable to finish him. By the end of round five, there is noticeable swelling under Carnera’s right eye as McCorkindale has regained the upper hand. Carnera remains the aggressor for the rest of the bout, but in round nine he once again is careless and goes down a second time, this time victim to a McCorkindale hook. The bout goes the distance, and the UD 10 goes to McCorkindale (96-92, 95-93, 96-91). Post-fight marks are 13-3-1 (9) for McCorkindale and 12-2-1 (11) for Carnera. Then, in the main event, Brit Len Johnson makes the fifth defense of the EBU MW title won back in 1928, facing crowd favorite Walter Funke. Not much action until round four, when Funke drops to the canvas after a delayed reaction to a cross from Johnson. Funke rebounds with a strong fifth round, and Johnson’s right eye begins to puff up as a result. The German’s right eye also begins to swell, as the two mix it up without much regard for defense. In round six, a Johnson hook results in a second knockdown. The action subsides as both men tire in the later rounds, but Johnson has done enough to take a MD 12 verdict (115-111, 113-113, 115-111) and retain the EBU belt. The win moves Johnson to 28-11-2 (16), compared to 27-12 (15) for Funke.

[JCWeb]

Action from the first half of August 1931, from a total of 58 total bouts, has been completed. Here are the highlights …

Aug. 1, 1931: Action at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. No titles at stake, but all-time great Benny Leonard continues his quest at WW, taking on EBU WW titleholder Cleto Locatelli. Leonard starts well, and Locatelli becomes more and more aggressive as the bout wears on. Leonard’s slick defense and strong counterpunching are too much for the hapless Swiss, who begins suffering from a badly swollen left eye in the last two rounds of the scheduled 10-rounder. The UD 10 goes to Leonard (97-94, 98-92, 97-93) in what turns out to be Leonard’s last bout at Prime career stage. Post-fight records: Leonard, 81-4-2 (42); Locatelli, 22-5-1 (8). With 87 bouts in the books, the durable Leonard has a good shot at breaking the record for most bouts set by LW Jack Blackburn.

Aug. 1, 1931: The next card is at the Boston Garden. The main event has NABF MW Champion Harry Ebbetts defending against veteran Johnny Gill, who at age 36, has finally been rewarded with his first title shot. The two battled to a draw in an earlier encounter, in 1929. Ebbetts, who is making his second title defense, gains the upper hand in the early rounds. Gill, however, manages to keep the bout close through the middle rounds. It turns out to be a bruising battle as Ebbetts’ right eye begins swelling, while Gill’s left eye begins to swell. In round nine, an accidental clash of heads opens a gash over Ebbett’s left eye. In round 11, bleeding from the cut becomes too severe for the bout to continue – and it goes to the scorecards at the end of the 10^th round. The result is a UTD 11 win for Ebbetts by a narrow margin (96-94 on all three cards). Ebbetts moves to 20-6-4 (11) with the win, while Gill – who still hopes for another title shot -- drops to 36-18-11 (15).

Aug. 7, 1931: More Friday night fight action, this time north of the border in Edmonton, Canada. The headliner tonight has popular LH Maxie Rosenbloom facing Candian hopeful Charley Belanger in a 10-round, non-title tilt. It’s the first meeting of the two, and Rosenbloom starts well as Belanger is bothered by a rapidly swelling left eye from the third round onwards. In round four, a sharp exchange of blows from Rosenbloom draws blood from the lower lip of Belanger. Rosenbloom appears to be coasting toward an easy win when, all of a sudden, he is called for a series of flagrant low blows in round eight, and Belanger is declared the winner via a DQ (foul). Despite protests from Rosenbloom’s corner, the result stands. Belanger moves to 26-8 (12) with the DQ-8 win, while Rosenbloom slips to 25-7-6 (11) with the loss.

Aug. 8, 1931: The scene shifts to the Stadium in Liverpool for the next fight action. It’s an excellent card, with two British titles on the line plus some attractive supporting bouts. Fighting on the undercard is unbeaten BW Benny Sharkey, who runs his career record to 16-0 (15) with a TKO 6 stoppage win over the hapless veteran American journeyman, Happy Atherton. Then it’s another England vs US confrontation in a rematch of a top 10 FW bout from earlier this year as Dom Volante faces Louis Kaplan. Volante, who took a UD in the prior bout, breaks through with a huge uppercut that lands on the button in the sixth round that puts Kaplan down for the count. Post-fight, Volante advances to 26-8-2 (17) while Kaplan emerges at 37-11-1 (10) despite the loss. Then, it’s on to the co-main events. First up is the GBU MW title contest, with unbeaten Jock McAvoy defending against veteran Roland Todd. It’s McAvoy’s second defense of this belt, and his Commonwealth title won earlier this year is not at stake. The action picks up in round five, when McAvoy suffers a cut over his left eye. The cut over Todd’s eye is reopened in round eight, then two rounds later it is McAvoy who is troubled by a re-opened cut. Then, in round 11, a devastating cross from McAvoy brings the bout to an end when he find the range with a devastating cross that puts a game Todd down and out. The KO 10 improves McAvoy’s career mark to 20-0-4 (15) to keep his GBU title belt and his unbeaten record intact; the well-traveled Todd, who put in a strong performance in tonight’s title fight, is 30-17-8 (8). Final bout of the evening has Tommy Farr defending his GBU belt against the same fighter he won it from – Don Shortland. Shortland, who is at Post-Prime now, offers little resistance and begins to fade in the middle rounds. His left eye starts to swell midway through the bout, and two rounds later the other eye begins to swell as well. A cut emerges over his right eye, and Farr is able to retain a huge points lead without challenge in the final rounds. The UD 12 (119-110, 119-109, 119-110) enables Farr to keep the belt, and his career record is an excellent 24-3-1 (12) after the win. Shortland is now 19-7 (5).

Aug. 8, 1931: Action moves back to the States at Atlantic City Convention Hall. Unbeaten LH Tiger Jack Fox is back in action, defending his USBA LH title belt in the main event. His challenger, Joe Knight, aka the “Cairo Calamity,” has lost just once in his first 20 bouts – a UD 10 defeat to Fox back in 1928 when both were at Pre-Prime. Fox seizes the initiative in the early going, but in round four Knight catches him with a short, clean hook that lands flush. Fox topples to the canvas for the first time in his career, arising at a count of four. He battles back, however, gradually pulling ahead on points in the middle rounds. In round 10, Fox unloads with a big uppercut to the head that puts Knight down for a brief count. The bout goes the distance, with Fox able to duplicate his earlier result and take a UD 12 win (117-110, 116-111, 115-112) to keep the belt. The win moves Fox to a perfect 22-0 (16), and he is being considered as a future challenger for Tommy Loughran’s WBA title. Knight’s post-fight marks stands at an excellent 18-2-1 (10).

Aug. 14, 1931: Next up is another Friday night card “Down Under,” at Melbourne, Australia, with a WBA title tilt topping the agenda. On the undercard is an exciting BW contest, matching former WBA Champ Pablo Dano with ex-Commonwealth titleholder Nipper Pat Daly. Not much in the way of action in the early rounds, and Daly (who is now at Post-Prime career stage) seems a bit sluggish and a relatively easy target for Dano to land repeatedly. The Filipino goes on to take a fairly close but UD 10 (96-95, 97-94, 96-95). Post-bout records: Dano, 21-1-2 (14); Daly, 26-12-3 (12). The main event has Billy Petrolle, WBA LW Champ, making the eighth defense of the title won in 1929. He faces Aussie veteran Billy Grime, the long-time Commonwealth LW Champ; it’s the first meeting of the two. It is Grime’s second opportunity for a WBA title, having lost previously to Benny Leonard. Grime appears to be overmatched, as Petrolle is able to land at will in the early rounds to take a substantial points lead. Then, in round seven, Petrolle decks Grime with a big uppercut. By round eight, Grime’s right eye is beginning to swell from the accumulated blows. Petrolle follows up with a second KD in round 10, this time connecting with a big cross. The “Fargo Express” keeps up the pressure, scoring a third KD a round later, then finishing his opponent with a short, clean cross that puts the challenger down and out. The impressive KO 11 runs Petrolle’s record to 36-3-3 (20), compared to a 25-16-2 (14) post-fight mark for Grime.

[JCWeb]

Action from the second half of August 1931, 63 total bouts. Here are the highlights …

Aug. 15, 1931: Another strong card at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The co-feature has unbeaten young HW Max Baer, “the Livermore Larruper,” facing veteran Spark Plug Boyd. A big right lands flush for Baer in the opening round, forcing Boyd to cover up. In round four, Baer connects with a big hook; Boyd, who reels from the blow, remains upright. Then, in round six, Baer finishes Boyd with an impressive combination. KO 6 for Baer, lifting him to 14-0 (13 by KO), and at this point he’s one of the hot properties in the HW division right now. Then, in the main event, two former WBA Flyweight Champs do battle, as Frankie Genaro faces Newsboy Brown. Brown, who has won two of three prior meetings, seems uncomfortable and defensive in this bout, and Genaro pulls ahead to a slight lead as the bout heads into the middle rounds. Brown battles back but lacks the firepower to trouble Genaro. The scorecards show one judge favoring Brown (surprisingly), but the SD 10 goes Genaro’s way (94-96, 96-95, 98-93). Post-fight records: Genaro, 38-10-1 (7); Brown, 34-8-2 (10).

Aug. 21, 1931: Friday night bouts in Cannes, France. No titles at stake, kind of a light card, but the main event has former WBA Champ Kid Francis matched with current USBA Champ Eddie “Cannonball” Martin in an intriguing contest. Francis has won both prior meetings, most recent being a TKO win in a WBA title clash in 1930. Francis is content to stay on the outside for most of the bout, while Martin presses the action on the inside. By round nine, both Francis’ eyes are showing signs of swelling as Martin’s punches are beginning to have an effect. Martin goes on to take a MD 10 (95-94, 95-95, 97-92) to reverse the effects of the prior two losses. Martin improves to 32-12-3 (15) with the win, while Francis drops to 23-9-2 (16).

Aug. 22, 1931: Next up is a big card at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Young HW prospect Jersey Joe Walcott is on the undercard, facing a winless TC in an eight-rounder. Walcott takes a TKO 3 to run his record to 7-0 (6). The main event is a much-awaited HW title encounter, as WBA Champion Young Stribling makes his seventh title defense against #1 contender, USBA Champ Jack Sharkey. It’s billed as the mega-fight of the year, and it’s the first meeting of these two. In round one, Stribling connects with a combination that drops Sharkey for a count of six. It takes a few rounds for the “Boston Gob” to get his bearings, but he starts landing some shots and, by the end of the fifth round, there is noticeable swelling under the right eye of Stribling. Sharkey continues on the offensive in the middle rounds of the bout. Then, in the middle of round 10, Stribling uncorks a roundhouse right that decks Sharkey for the second time in the bout. Stribling’s defense remains solid for the rest of the bout, and he takes a UD 15 (145-138, 142-140, 142-140) to keep the WBA crown, with the judges no doubt heavily influenced by the two knockdowns. Stribling now sports a 38-5-2 (21) career mark, compared to 26-6 (16) for Sharkey.

Aug. 22, 1931: Meanwhile, fight fans have gathered for a strong card at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. NABF HW Champ Joe Sekyra, who is angling for a shot at Stribling’s world title, is defending against veteran Johnny Risko. For Risko, aka “the Cleveland Rubber Man,” it is his first title shot after bouncing around the lower echelons of the division for the past several years, but – having fashioned a four-bout winning streak – it’s a well-deserved reward for a guy who has “paid his dues” after being dismissed as a journeyman and not a highly-rated contender. Risko starts well, giving a good account of himself in the first half of the bout and, according to some observers, building a slight lead by the midway point. Sekyra runs into trouble in round five, when he suffers a bad cut on his nose as well as sporting a rapidly swelling right eye. The cut is reopened a couple of times, and finally it leads to a late stoppage. Risko is the new NABF HW Champion via a TKO 11 (cuts stoppage). Risko’s career record post-fight is 27-8-2 (6) while Sekyra is now 23-6 (17).

Aug. 28, 1931: The next Friday night fight action is set for the Olympia Stadium in Panama City, Panama. The main support bout matches two impressive young FWs, Kid Chocolate and Chalky Wright, both of whom are hoping to move up the rankings list. Kid Chocolate, the “Cuban Bon Bon,” has to battle a rapidly swelling right eye, while Wright suffers a split lip midway through the bout. The end result – a majority draw (96-96, 95-95, 96-94 Wright) – seems justified. Post-fight records for the two: Chocolate, 16-1-2 (14); Wright, 16-2-1 (11). Then, on to the main event, which has Canada’s Bobby Leitham making the first defense of his NABF BW title against veteran Bud “the Blonde Terror of Terre Haute” Taylor. Taylor, despite being at Prime, is still the top-ranked BW contender. Leitham starts well, and, as early as round three, there is noticeable swelling under Taylor’s left eye. Leitham is able to build and maintain a solid points lead, but in round nine he suffers a cut under his left eye. Fortunately for the Canadian, the cut is not an issue, and the bout goes the distance, with Leitham taking a rather lopsided UD 12 (116-112, 117-112, 117-112) to keep the belt. The win moves Leitham to 21-2-1 (8), and he is has risen up the BW ranks with five successive wins to jump from #25 at year-end to a top five ranking. Taylor slips to 33-13 (10) with the loss.

Aug. 29, 1931: Final fight card of the month is at the Earls Court in London. The feature bout has Johnny Hill defending his GBU Flyweight belt against ex-Champ Kid Socks. The two have met before, splitting two prior bouts. Even though Hill is at Post-Prime, he gains the upper hand in the early going, repeatedly landing until Socks begins sporting a swollen right eye. Kid Socks develops some momentum his way in the second half of the bout, but then in round 10, Hill rocks the challenger with a powerful right hand, forcing Socks to cover up. The bout goes the distance, and the scorecards favor Hill, who takes a UD 12 (117-112, 116-112, 116-112). The successful title defense improves Hill’s record to 19-9-1 (12), compared to 25-14-2 (8) post-fight for Socks.

[JCWeb]

Highlights of action from the first half of September 1931 (65 total bouts).

Sep. 4, 1931: It’s a Friday night card at Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba, to kick off the month of September. No titles at stake, but an attractive matchup in the main event as Commonwealth and EBU LH Champion Len Harvey takes on Roleaux Saguero. It’s a rematch of their 1929 encounter that ended in a draw, except this time the bout takes place in Saguero’s backyard (whereas the earlier contest was on Harvey’s home turf, in London). Not much action until round five when Harvey breaks through, dominating the Cuban, setting up an array of power-punching with his jab. This leads to a stoppage with just one second left in the round, and the TKO 5 goes the way of Harvey. A mild protest from Saguero’s corner but, at End career stage now, the Cuban’s skills have deteriorated to the extent that he offered little in the way of resistance. Post-fight records: Harvey, 36-7-2 (15); Saguero, 29-15-2 (27).

Sep. 5, 1931: Next card is at the Stadium in Liverpool, England. Kind of a light card, but the featured bout has an intriguing matchup of the old versus the new, as FW Young Johnny Brown faces Nel Tarleton. Tarleton is looking to establish his credentials as a contender and potential Champion in the division. It’s a close bout, with a slight edge to Tarleton, but little in the way of action. The bout goes the distance, and the end result is a draw (96-94 Brown, 94-96 Tarleton, 95-95). Brown’s career totals are now 29-13-3 (15) compared to 18-5-3 (9) for Tarleton.

Sep. 5, 1931: Next up is a solid card at Chicago’s Comiskey Stadium. On the undercard is a notable debut, as young Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong faces a TC opponent. Armstrong impresses with two KDs in the opening stanza, leading to an early stoppage. The ease of the TKO 1 win suggest Armstrong, starting out in the FW division, has the makings of a future star. After the rest of the preliminaries, the main event is an attractive WBA title fight as Young Corbett III puts his WW title on the line, in his third title defense, against the formidable ex-Champion, Jimmy “Baby Face” McLarnin, who has worked his way back into contention by taking the Commonwealth and NABF titles. In round four, McLarnin suffers a cut over his right eye that is quickly patched up by his corner. A second cut appears a round later, this one is under the left eye, in a less dangerous location. Despite the cuts, McLarnin battles back and dominates the action through the middle rounds. In round 10, there is noticeable swelling under McLarnin’s left eye. The bout goes the distance, and while the UD 15 verdict for McLarnin (147-138, 147-138, 146-140) is no surprise, the size of the margin is. McLarnin has compiled an impressive 33-4 (20) career mark, compared to a 34-8-3 (12) post-fight record for Corbett.

Sep. 11, 1931: The fistic action returns to Europe, for a nice Friday night fight card at the Amor Bahn in Munich, Germany. No titles at stake, and the main event features the EBU MW Champion, Rene DeVos, “the Little Fox” in a rematch against Young Terry, aka “the Trenton Terror.” Terry holds a prior win over DeVos, back in 1928, but tonight DeVos seems to be on his game. Then, in the middle of round nine, Terry is called for flagrant kidney punching and DQ’ed by ref Waldemar Schmidt. The DQ-9 win moves DeVos to 47-12-2 (18) while Terry is now 23-7-3 (10). The win solidifies DeVos’ position as the #1 ranked contender and possible challenger for Mickey Walker’s WBA crown.

Sep. 12, 1931: More fight action back in the States, at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. The headline bout on the card has aging veteran Johnny Dundee matched with Eddie Wagner for the USBA JLW title belt vacated by Tod Morgan, who recently won the WBA title. Despite having won all three of their prior meetings, the fact that he is now at End career stage gives Wagner some hope. It’s a fairly boring, pedestrian effort by Dundee, who battles a swollen right eye throughout much of the bout, but Wagner shows little to justify his being rewarded with the title belt. The bout goes the distance and it’s a close but UD 12 for Dundee (115-114, 116-114, 116-113) to capture the belt. The win moves Dundee, who might have just one more bout left in him, to 55-23-4 (15), while Wagner slips to 39-25-1 (18) with the loss.

Sep. 12, 1931: Fight action moves north of the border to Vancouver’s Exhibition Gardens. No titles, but the main event has the reigning WBA JLW Champion, Tod Morgan, moving up to LW to take on top 10 LW contender Stanislaus Loayza, aka “El Gato.” The two have battled twice before and stand at one win apiece, so this is the rubber match. card of the month is at the Earls Court in London. The feature bout has Johnny Hill defending his A solid combination by Loayza surprises Morgan, putting him on the deck for an eight-count in the opening round. As the bout progresses, Morgan gradually gets on track and winds up outscoring Loayza in many exchanges. Then, in round four, an accidental clash of heads opens up a gash over Loayza’s right eye. Midway through the bout, the Chilean is bothered not only by the cut but also by a rapidly swelling left eye. The cut continues to bleed and is ripped open again in round eight, leading to an immediate stoppage. Because it was an accidental butt, the bout goes to the scorecards, and the result is a UTD 8 for Morgan (66-65 on all three cards). The result improves Morgan’s career record to 35-8-1 (12), compared to 24-12-3 (10) post-fight for Loayza.

[JCWeb]

Highlights of action from the second half of September 1931 (57 total bouts).

Sep. 18, 1931: It’s time for the Friday night fights “Down Under,” this time in Melbourne, Australia. In the co-main event, OPBF HW Champion and local fan favorite George Thompson takes on a top 10 contender, Tuffy Griffith. A big hook from Thompson stuns Griffith in round three. In round five, the ref issues a warning to Thompson but does not take a point away. The bout is a close one and goes the distance, with Griffith taking a MD 10 (96-94, 95-95, 97-93) to move to 24-4-1 (14) overall; Thompson is now 25-7-2 (14). Then, in the main event and final bout of the evening, two former WBA WW Champions go at it. Irineo Flores takes on Young Jack Thompson in a rematch of a 1929 encounter in Manila that resulted in a SD 10 win for the Filipino. This time, however, the bout takes place on neutral ground. Thompson starts well, staggering Flores with a three-punch combination in round two. The American has a slight points lead at the midway point. However, Flores is able to mount a rally, sending Thompson into the ropes with a straight right in round seven. Another straight right a round later has Thompson in even more trouble. Then, the tables turn once again in the ninth round, when a hook to the head from Thompson stuns Flores. Flores’ right eye starts to swell at this point. The bout goes the distance with both men claiming victory. The cards are read, and once again, it’s a SD 10 for Flores by the narrowest of margins (94-96 Thompson, 98-93 and 96-95 for Flores). Post-fight records: Flores, 34-12-2 (18); Thompson, 29-8-4 (17). Not a good night for guys named Thompson, obviously.


Sep. 19, 1931: It’s an abbreviated but solid fight card at London’s Harringay Arena. On the undercard are two unbeaten BW prospects, and Brit Benny Sharkey takes on American Henry Moreno. Not much happens until round four, when Sharkey connects with a big hook, putting Moreno on the deck for the first time in his career. Sharkey continues to be the aggressor through most of the bout, and in round eight he nails Moreno with an uppercut for a second KD, following up later in the round with a combination that sends Moreno to the canvas for a third time. Late in the fight, in the final minutes, Moreno manages to put Sharkey down with a barrage of blows but it is a case of too little, too late. Sharkey takes a UD 10 (94-92 on all cards) to advance his unbeaten mark to 17-0 (15) while the first loss leaves Moreno at 10-1 (4). In the main event, Johnny Cuthbert faces Al Foreman in a matchup of two top FWs, each with backing from the fans here tonight. Cuthbert’s Commonwealth belt is on the line, as is Foreman’s British title. Cuthbert dominates the action in the early rounds, piling up a points lead. A big hook from Foreman stuns Cuthbert in round seven. Foreman again serves notice, nailing Cuthbert with a sharp combination in round nine. However, once the cards are read, it is apparent that Foreman’s late rally fell short as the UD 12 goes the way of Cuthbert (114-113, 115-112, 115-112). Cuthbert’s career totals are now 29-16-1 (10) as he now holds three title belts (the European, British and Commonwealth FW titles) at once. Foreman drops to 26-17-1 (21) with the loss.

Sep. 19, 1931: Next card is at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix. The main event has Jose Lombardo putting his NABF title on the line, facing challenger and current USBA FW Champ Dick “Honeyboy” Finnegan. Finnegan holds a prior TKO win over Lombardo, who is looking to avenge that loss, particularly since Finnegan is now at Post-Prime career stage. Lombardo puts Finnegan down in the opening round, and by round five, “Honeyboy” is suffering from a rapidly swelling right eye. In round seven, a big left from Lombardo puts Finnegan on the deck for a second time. Finnegan battles back in round eight, as he manages to open a cut over Lombardo’s right eye. The cut turns out not to be an issue, as Lombardo is back in control by round 10, when he decks Finnegan for a third time with a big hook. The bout goes to decision, and it’s a lopsided UD 12 for Lombardo (117-108, 118-108, 116-109) retain the belt and avenge the prior loss. Post-fight records: Lombardo, 31-12-3 (19); Finnegan, 31-13 (19).

Sep. 25, 1931: Friday night fistic action moves to Seattle’s Sicks Stadium. On the undercard is the highly unbeaten WW prospect Barney Ross, who is gunning for his 15^th straight win. His opponent is veteran WW journeyman Pat Corbett. Ross dominates the bout from the first round, showing signs of future greatness. He takes a UD 10 (99-90, 99-90, 99-91) and his 15-0 (7) career record and Perf Point total is enough to place him just outside the top 20 in his initial appearance on the ratings list. Then, the main event matches two HWs who are familiar with each other. George Godfrey faces Gene Tunney for the fifth time, with Tunney going 4-0 in their prior encounters. This time, however, Tunney is at the tail end of his long career while Godfrey is still at Prime. In round one, Godfrey serves notice when he floors Tunney with a solid uppercut. Tunney walks into a Godfrey combination in round two for knockdown #2. Godfrey wastes no time in round three, dominating the action and, after a crippling hook to the head leaves Tunney defenseless against the ropes, the ref wisely steps in to call a halt. The TKO 3 win moves Godfrey to 43-11-1 (31) overall. It’s Tunney’s final bout of his long career, which ends up with a 46-17-3 (26) for the former WBA HW and LH Champion. Godfrey, on the other hand, will move to Post-Prime with his next outing.

Sep. 26, 1931: Gothenburg, Sweden is the scene for the next fight card. It’s a light card in terms of number of bouts, but the headliner is for the WBA BW crown, as Archie Bell makes his first defense of the title he won earlier in the year against Speedy Dado, the reigning OPBF Champ. The Filipino challenger gets off to a good start in the early rounds, while Bell struggles to find his timing. While Dado is content to fire away from long range for most of the bout, in round 10 he steps in to land a huge uppercut that stuns the Champ. By round 13, Bell is forced to deal with a swollen and cut left eye. The bout goes the distance, and the belt goes to Dado in an impressive UD 15 win (147-137, 147-137, 146-138), a result that stunned most observers of the fistic scene. Dado moves to 19-7 (11) with the win, while Bell slips to 28-7-2 (7) with the loss.

Sep. 26, 1931: Final fight card of the month takes place at New York’s Madison Square Garden. It’s a packed fight card, with an impressive undercard leading to a WBA title bout. The “Harlem Thunderbolt,” MW Harry Smith, is on the card, taking on Jackie Aldare. Smith serves notice, connecting with a big right hand in the opening stanza, then following up with a big shot to put Aldare down in round two. There is a sharp exchange of blows in round seven, but no further knockdowns as many feel Aldare is lucky to last the distance. The UD 10 goes to Smith (96-93, 97-92, 97-92) although the scores do not seem to reflect his dominance of Aldare. Post-fight records: Smith, 18-2 (13); Aldare, 15-6-1 (7). Another preliminary bout matches two unbeaten FW prospects: Frankie Covelli and Petey Hayes. Covelli bounces back from a swollen right eye to stagger Hayes with a hard cross in round nine. The end result – a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 94-96 Hayes) seems justified, and both men remain unbeaten (Covelli, 13-0-1, 7 Kos; Hayes, 10-0-1, 4 Kos). Wrapping up an exciting evening is the main event, as Tommy Loughran makes the 19^th defense of his WBA LH crown after having dabbled in the HW ranks in his two most recent outings. His opponent, NABF LH Champ Jimmy Slattery, is the last man to defeat Loughran (in a SD 12 back in 1925) but Loughran avenged the loss, taking a UD 15 from Slattery in an earlier title defense back in 1928. Still, a big crowd is on hand to see if Slattery can repeat the earlier upset of the highly-regarded Loughran. Slattery is able to keep the bout close in the early rounds, but as the bout wears on, Loughran’s superior defensive ability seems to sufficient to build a points lead. Then, near the end of round nine, a cut is ripped open over Slattery’s left eye. Quick cornerwork patches the cut, and in round 10 a determined Slattery puts Loughran down for a six-count with a sharp cross. Despite covering up, Loughran is floored for a second time later in the round and barely survives. In round 11, Loughran battles back and manages to reopen the cut over Slattery’s eye. The cut is still bleeding in round 12, and when some more blows from Loughran’s gloves make matters worse, the ref stops in to call a halt, over protests from Slattery’s corner. The TKO 12 (cuts stoppage) for Loughran is his 19^th successive successful defense of the WBA title he won back in 1926 from Harry Greb. Loughran moves to 45-4-4 (18) overall, while Slattery is now 30-11-2 (12). A great title fight to wrap up the action from the month of September 1931!

[JCWeb]

Highlights of fistic action from the first half of October 1931 (58 total bouts).

Oct. 2, 1931: Friday night card in Panama City, Panama. No title bouts, but two co-feature bouts as dual main events. First up it’s two top FW prospects, Kid Chocolate and Chalky Wright, in a rematch of their August encounter that ended in a draw. Once again, it’s a fairly even battle, with Wright mounting a late rally to secure another draw (95-95 on all three cards). Post-fight, Kid Chocolate is now 16-1-3 (13) while Wright moves to 16-2-2 (11). The final bout of the evening, the second co-main event, features reigning USBA BW Champ Eddie “Cannonball” Martin matched against crowd favorite and former WBA kingpin Panama Al Brown. It’s a rematch of their 1929 title encounter, which resulted in a TKO win for Brown, who is on the comeback trail after having dropped two of his last three bouts. A solid uppercut from Brown puts Martin on the deck in round two. By round four, Martin is bothered by swelling under both eyes and, from then on, it’s a relatively routine UD 10 win for Brown (100-89 on all three cards). Post-fight records: Brown, 37-5 (15); Martin, 32-13-3 (15).

Oct. 3, 1931: Next action is at Chicago’s Soldier Field. On the undercard is highly touted FW prospect Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong, who takes apart his TC opponent with a KO 3 to move to a perfect 2-0 (2). In the main event, USBA Flyweight Champ Izzy Schwartz defends the title he won earlier this year against a familiar foe, Emil Paluso. Paluso has won two of three prior bouts against Schwartz. It’s a close bout, and Schwartz is forced to deal with a swollen left eye that appears midway through the bout. It goes to the scorecards with no KDs, and Schwartz is able to eek out a narrow MD 12 win (114-113, 114-114, 114-113). Schwartz’s career totals move to 26-12-2 (6) compared to 26-14-2 (7) for Paluso.

Oct. 9, 1931: Friday night card at the Forum in Montreal. It’s a good card, with a title bout supported by a strong undercard. The main support matches two top 10 HWs, Jack “Bright Eyes” Delaney and Paul Berlenbach. In round four, Berlenbach seizes the initiative when he stuns Delaney with a quick hook to the head. By round six, Delaney is battling a rapidly swelling left eye. However, Delaney turns the tables a round later when he catches an overly-aggressive Berlenbach with a short, clean hook that causes “the Astoria Assassin” to take a nine-count. A second KD follows as Delaney follows up with a big shot. A groggy Berlenbach arises and is leaning up against the ropes when the ref calls a halt. Over the protest of Berlenbach’s corner, Delaney is declared the winner via a TKO 7. Post-fight, Delaney is now 39-8-3 (25); Berlenbach slips to 26-9 (20). Then, on the main event as Commonwealth HW Champ Larry Gains defends the belt for the fourth time, this time on his home turf as he faces Tommy Farr, the new British HW Champion. Early in the bout, Farr is cut over the left eye. In round five, Gains puts Farr down with a big shot. Farr, however, battles back and skillfully outboxes his opponent, piling up a nice points edge. It comes down to the final rounds, and the scorecards show a narrow MD 12 edge for Farr (116-112, 114-114, 115-113) who captures the belt with a strong effort in the final round. Post-fight records: Farr, 29-8 (18); Gains, 29-8 (18).

Oct. 10, 1931: Back to Europe for an abbreviated card at the Sports Palace in Rome, Italy. On the undercard is the “Ambling Alp,” Primo Carnera, trying to reinvigorate his stalled career by taking on a “name” HW, German Franz Diener. He takes a UD 10 (99-90, 99-90, 99-91) and his 15-0 (7) career record and Perf Point total is enough to place him just outside the top 20 in his initial appearance on the ratings list. Then, the main event has BW Johnny King making the first defense of his EBU title in over 16 months, facing ex-WBA Champ Kid Francis. The bout starts as a defensive struggle, with King moving ahead by virtue of a big round five. By the end of round six, there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Francis. Nonetheless, urged on by the Italian fans, Francis decks King near the end of the 10^th round. A round later, King turns the tables on Francis, putting the latter down for a nine-count. The bout goes to the judges, and the cards show a MD 12 win for King (scores of 114-111, 113-113, 114-111). The win moves King, who still holds the Commonwealth and GBU BW titles, to 24-2 (14). Francis falls to 23-10-2 (16).

Oct. 10, 1931: Next card is at Miami, Florida. The main event is for the NABF WW crown vacated by Jimmy McLarnin who stepped up to win the WBA title. The challengers are veterans Benny Leonard and Joe Dundee. Leonard won their one prior encounter, taking a UD 15 back in 1929 when he briefly held the WBA WW belt. However, Leonard is now at Post-Prime, so the issue is in doubt for the rematch despite the fact that Leonard has gone unbeaten (8 wins, 1 draw) in his last nine outings. In round three, a quick combination by Dundee drops Leonard to the canvas briefly. Dundee continues to build a points advantage, and midway through the bout Leonard suffers a cut over his left eye. Leonard seems a shell of his former self as the bout goes the distance, and Dundee takes the NABF title with a fairly comfortable UD 12 win (117-113, 118-113, 117-113), and the post-fight records of the two are 35-11-6 (12) for Dundee, and 81-5-2 (42) for Leonard who is now in his 21^st year as a pro boxer.

Oct. 16, 1931: It’s Friday night fight action at the Stadium in Liverpool. No titles at stake, but the co-feature bouts match some top British talent against visiting American fighters. First up, USBA MW Champion Freddie Steele takes on Len Johnson, the reigning EBU MW Champ. Not much happens until round three, when Steele is able to break down Johnson’s defenses with an effective jab, following up with a series of devastating blows that causes the ref to step in to save Johnson from further punishment. The TKO 3 win moves Steele to 23-1 (19) – his only loss coming to long-time WBA Champ Mickey Walker – while Johnson slips to 28-12-2 (16). Then, in the curtain-raiser, it’s the “Whitechapel Whirlwind,” WBA JWW Champ Jack Kid Berg, facing unbeaten WW Jackie Fields, the current USBA WW king. It’s a close bout, with a slight edge to Fields through the early rounds. In the second half of the bout, Berg becomes more aggressive, despite suffering a cut over his right eye in round seven. The bout goes the distance, and Berg is fortunate to escape with a majority draw (95-95, 95-95, 98-92 Fields) while Fields maintains his unbeaten status. Post-fight records: Berg, 28-2-3 (13); Fields, 25-0-2 (14).

[bear]

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but if so, I'll say it again. You've done a great job with this uni, JC. Gonna be six years at the end of February. Along with Mike's LBA, it's the longest running one here in ItR. Outstanding work.

Ditto

[JCWeb]

Thanks, guys. On to the highlights of action from the second half of October 1931 (60 total bouts).

Oct. 17, 1931: Another good crowd for a strong fight card at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The main attraction is a WBA LW title bout, as Billy Petrolle, aka “the Fargo Express,” makes his ninth title defense, taking on #1 ranked challenger Ray Miller. The two are 2-2 in all prior bouts, although the most recent encounter (in early 1931) went to Petrolle. In the opening round, Miller delivers a shocking knockdown of the Champ as Petrolle drops to the canvas and takes a nine-count. Petrolle gradually works his way back into the bout, which becomes a close battle on points. Petrolle is the aggressor in the middle rounds, pressing Miller on the inside. In an action-packed round nine, both men get their best shots in and remain standing, although Miller comes away from the round with a swollen left eye. The “Fargo Express” gradually pulls ahead and coasts to a UD 15 win (144-139 on all three cards). Post-fight records: Petrolle, 37-3-3 (20); Miller, 31-8 (14).

Oct. 23, 1931: More Friday night action “Down Under” in Sydney, Australia. Kind of a light card, with no title action. The feature matches the current OPBF WW Champion, Lope Tenorio, with the reigning USBA JWW Champ, Mickey Cohen. Neither is in a position to defend their respective belts due to a dearth of eligible challengers, so they are fighting each other. In round three, Tenorio decks Cohen with a well-timed cross. No more KDs as the bout goes the distance, with the Filipino coming out on top in a UD 10 verdict (96-93, 96-93, 98-92). After the fight, Tenorio’s career totals move to 25-10-6 (7) compared to 16-12-1 (9) for Cohen.

Oct. 24, 1931: An abbreviated Saturday fight card at the Sportpalast in Berlin featuring the highly regarded German HW Max Schmeling in the feature bout. This time, Max faces visiting American Jim Maloney while biding his time for a shot at a European or World title belt. The action heats up in the second round when Schmeling rips open a severe gash over Maloney’s left eye. He then launches a relentless assault to which his opponent has no response. The ref waves the bout off as Maloney is unable to fend for himself, and it goes as a TKO 2 for Schmeling. Max moves to 25-3 (19) overall and is angling for a shot at the EBU title before the end of the year. Maloney ends the bout with a 23-8-1 (21) career mark.

Oct. 24, 1931: Another big card at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Jersey Joe Walcott is back in action, making his eighth career start on the undercard. This time it takes him a couple of rounds to get going, but in round three he lands a big hook to flatten his TC opponent. Jersey Joe is now 8-0 (7). “Two Ton” Tony Galento also impresses with a second round KO of journeyman HW Brad Simmons to push his record to 14-2 (12). Then, after all the preliminaries are over, the main event is for the WBA Flyweight crown as Midget Wolgast defends against ex-Champ Fidel LaBarba. Wolgast gets off to a strong start, and LaBarba is forced to take a more aggressive posture as the bout wears on into the middle rounds. In round 13, there appears to be a turning point as an overconfident Wolgast walks into a LaBarba hook and goes down for an eight-count. LaBarba goes all-out for the knockout in the next round, but he is unable to finish the job. This enables Wolgast to escape with a narrow MD 15 win (144-140, 143-143, 143-142) to retain the title. Post-fight, Wolgast improves to 26-4 (12). LaBarba is now 25-5-1 (9).

Oct. 30, 1931: Next card is at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. No real attractions except for the main event, which has Sid Terris challenging Al Gordon for the latter’s USBA LW crown. It’s a close bout but without a lot of heavy blows landed. Gordon appears to be ahead early but then Terris mounts a late rally. It takes a strong showing in the 12^th and final round to enable Gordon to escape with a majority draw (114-114, 114-114, 113-115 Terris) to keep the belt despite not receiving the nod from a single judge. The post-fight records of the two are 28-9-7 (9) for Gordon, and 26-11-4 (7) for Terris.

Oct. 31, 1931: It’s a Halloween and a fight night card in London’s Harringay Arena to wrap up the October 1931 action. There are two headline bouts and one interesting matchup on the undercard. Unbeaten LW Justo Suarez, now at Prime, takes on Harry Mason, the current GBU LW king. Nothing of note until round five when Suarez lands a lightning quick hook that puts Mason down on the canvas. The Brit regains his footing, but by the end of the round he is suffering the effects of a rapidly swelling left eye. Suarez is unable to put Mason away, and in round seven he is surprised as the Brit battles back, connecting with a hook that forces Suarez to cover up. The Argentinian plays it cautiously the rest of the way and takes the UD 10 by a wide margin (99-91, 98-92, 97-92) to keep his unbeaten record intact at 21-0 (14); Mason is now 29-17-2 (4). Then, in the co-main event, veteran Danish FW Knud Larsen is matched with Dom Volante for the EBU title belt recently vacated by Johnny Cuthbert (who had been burdened by holding three title belts simultaneously). The two have split two prior bouts, and it turns out to be Larsen’s last bout at Prime. In round four, Volante (a former EBU FW Champ) nails Larsen with a big left that gets the Dane’s attention. However, midway through the bout it is Volante who begins to show some noticeable swelling under his right eye. In an action-packed round eight, Larsen is cut over the left eye, but he battles on and puts Volante down for the fight’s first knockdown. In round nine, Larsen connects with a big hook that forces Volante to cover up. The Brit’s comeback effort is foiled when, a round later, Larsen tags him with a big uppercut to score the bout’s second KD. Volante is now also bothered by a cut under his left eye, and a round later the ref calls a halt when he is unable to fend for himself against repeated, punishing blows landed by Larsen. The TKO 11 win moves Larsen to 31-9-3 (14) as he finally captures a title belt just before coming into the twilight years of his career (his only previous title shot had come over six years earlier). Volante is 26-9-2 (17). Then, in the final bout on the card, it’s a rematch as Jackie Brown faces Kid Socks for the Commonwealth Flyweight title belt. Brown took a UD 12 from Socks in a 1929 bout that had both the Commonwealth and British titles up for grabs. This time, Kid Socks is the aggressor in a close bout that sees no cuts or knockdowns. The decision – reversing the earlier result – goes for Socks, via a SD 12 (113-115, 116-112, 116-112) that rewarded him for his more aggressive approach. Post-fight records are 26-14-2 (8) for Socks, and 19-5-2 (8) for Brown.

[Ric915]

As always JC Great write ups love this uni.