Boxing Hall of Fame - Pioneers

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

I just picked up a book some of you may have read "The Boxing Register" which gives a nice history of fighters from the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Being a somewhat new fan of Titlebout and boxing in general, I'm enjoying the book. It gave me a new idea for a boxing replay, which is why I'm mentioning it.

The first section is dedicated to "the Pioneers" - which includes the earliest boxers up to John L. Sullivan. I'll be looking at each fighter included with the game and recreate their most famous/important fights as indicated in their book entry. I'll use WBC rules and try to use the correct venues, rounds, etc.

The first fighter I'll look at is Arthur Chambers.

For those unaware of Chambers' career, he began at age 16 fighting Arthur Webber on Oct 1, 1864. An Englishman, most of his fights occured there, but he did have a number of bouts in Canada and Long Island. He won the American lightweight title in 1872 and retained it in 1873. Chambers was forced to retire in 1877 after his middle finger was amputated, but returned to the ring 2 years later to answer a challenge from Professor Johnny Clark. Chambers won a 136 round marathon fight to win the title (again) and then quit for good.

- Terry

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

Arthur Chambers vs. Dick Goodwin - Acton, Cheshire England (2/19/1867)

In real life, Chambers and Goodwin fought to a draw over 105 rounds. For this replay, I'll do a 15 round fight with both fighters listed at prime.

Round 1:
Chambers has his way with Goodwin. Scoring with a hard uppercut to the body and giving Goodwin a mouse under his left eye.

Round 2:
Chambers in command. Goodwin's eye continues to worsen. CHambers is warned about a low blow.

Round 3:
A right-cross drops Goodwin to the canvas. He staggers to his feet after a 3 count.
An uppercut drops Goodwin again but manages to regain his feet at 6.
The cross finishes Goodwin just seconds later.

Chambers wins in a seeming mismatch with a 3rd Round KO.

- Terry

[Tosti]

Welcome aboard.

Nice start, Chambers featured in my uni, in fact I think he was involved in the first fight against Billy Edwards. Good pic of Chambers, I've resized it for TB.

Have fun.

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

Thanks for the feedback and the info on Edwards. I believe I have that fight scheduled for this week. A rather controversial bout from what I understand.

- Terry

[mh2365]

Chambers has been a major player in my uni. He is currently 25-5-1. He held the WBA LW title for 6 defenses before losing it to Frank Erne.

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

Arthur Chambers vs. Tom Scattergood - Lancashire, England (9/29/1868)

The actual result of this fight was a KO win for Chambers in 40 rounds. The replay is set for 15 rounds.

Round 1:
Chambers establishes command, scoring a devastating combo to the ribs.

Round 3:
Chambers is really working Scattergood over. A right hook lands flush and Scattergood's left eye starts to swell.

Round 4:
After a sharp uppercut to the jaw, Scattergood looks to his corner as if to ask for the towel to be thrown in. They do not accomodate.

Round 5:
Chambers drops Scattergood to the canvas with an uppercut to the temple. Tommy regains his feet at an 8 count, but looks shaky.

At the 2:03 mark of round 5, Chambers lands a devastating combo. Out go the lights for Scattergood.

- Terry

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

Arthur Chambers vs. George Fletcher - Point of Ayr, Prestatyn, Wales(10/6/1870)

In real life, Chambers scores another KO win after 56 rounds.

Round 1:
Chambers shows why he's the favorite in this bout, scoring with a variety of hooks and uppercuts. He's headhunting early.

Round 2:
Chambers is able to capitalize on Fletcher's aggressiveness, connecting solidly to the jaw after a wild punch from George.

Round 3-7:
A lot of clinching and dancing. Both fighters have been hurt and look to recover.

Round 8:
Chambers starts working the body, landing a solid right to Fletcher's midsection. He follows with a hook to Fletcher's left eye. Swelling begins.

Round 9:
Fletcher is knocked down by a solid shot to the ribs. Chambers ends the round by cutting Fletcher's lip and chin.

Round 10:
Another solid hook from Chambers send Fletcher down again. George regains his feet after 9, but continued swelling in his eye forces the referee to end this fight at the 1:17 mark.

Chambers wins via a TKO.

- Terry

[Lee]

Good stuff BDSP, cool to see the comparisons between the uni and RL.

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

Arthur Chambers vs. Billy Edwards - Squirrel Island, Canada (9/4/1872)
North American Lightweight Title Fight

I found a summary of this fight to be very interesting reading. Here is a passage from "The Boxing Register" 3rd Edition:

"Each side put up $2000, the money and the championship going to the victor. The fight, held on Squirrel Island, Canada, north of Detroit on September 4, 1872, proved more difficult then Chambers anticipated. Chambers absorbed a solid beating for 25 rounds. After coming to scratch for the 26th, Chambers clinched with Edwards and immediately claimed that Edwards had bitten him.The referee examined Chambers, found tooth marks and awarded Chambers the victory on a foul. Rumors circulated that Chambers' second - not Edwards - had bitten him prior to the 26th round to dupe the referee."

Here's the result of my sim:

Round 1:
Chambers establishes himself early, landing a crushing cross and a solid right to Edwards' midsection. Edwards is sent reeling.

Round 2:
Edwards proves his mettle and starts using his jab effectively. A hook to the jaw sends Chambers a large dose of pain.

Round 3-5:
Edwards begins to take command, working the body and landing a number of solid uppercuts along the way.

Round 6:
Chambers awakens and lands a sharp combo that sends Edwards backwards.

Rounds 7-8:
Lots of clinching and dancing. Both fighters appear ready to take a breather.

Round 9:
Edwards lands a crippling right to Chambers' head and follows with a short hook to the midsection. Chambers is left gasping for air but hangs on.

Round 11:
Sensing he is losing the fight, Chambers goes on the attack. He throws a little bit of everything at Edwards, including an elbow that draws a warning from the referee.

Round 12:
Behind a barrage of jabs and uppercuts, Chambers inflicts a cut above Edwards right eye.

Round 13:
Edwards' cut reopens and continues to bleed. Chambers land a couple of wicked uppercuts to Edwards' chin that sends him backwards and staggering.

Round 14:
Another uppercut from Chambers turns Edwards' legs to jelly. Chambers almost gets Edwards to the canvas with a cross downstairs.

Round 15:
With the fight too close to call, Edwards summons the strength to battle through his injuries and win the final round. A flurry of hooks and jabs keeps Chambers at bay and scores points.

The judges score this one:
144 - 141
144 - 141
143 - 142

The winner by unanimous decision and still North American Lightweight Champion - Billy Edwards!!



- Terry

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

Arthur Chambers vs. George Seddons - Long Island, NY (8/3/1873)
North American Lightweight Title Fight

This will be my last fight related to Arthur Chambers' career.

In real life Chambers defeated Seddons in 39 Rounds to retain his title. He would retire in 1877 due to an amputated right middle finger, but was tempted back to the ring one last time to fight challenger Professor Johnny Clark in 1879. He would defend his title and win in the 136th round, after 2 hours and 20 minutes of fighting. Chambers would stay involved in the fight-game, serving as an advisor and backer of John L. Sullivan. In the great tradition of boxing greats, he also opened a bar in later life, in Philadelphia.

Chambers was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000.

Sim Result:

Round 1:
Chambers establishes himself early, landing combinations upstairs and downstairs. At certain points of this round Seddons' head snapped back violently and was momentarily stunned by a right hook.

Round 3:
Chambers takes the round off and Seddons scores with a blow to the midsection and strong uppercuts.

Round 4-5:
Chambers is working the inside effectively, landing a huge cross and sharp combos.

Round 6:
Chambers rocks Seddons with a right to the ribs and follows with a cross to the chin and an uppercut to the jaw.

Round 7-11:
A lot of clinching and grabbing. The rounds are fairly split.

Round 12:
The round is a draw, but full of action. Chambers continues to work downstairs and starts picking his spots to attack Seddons' head. He induces some swelling to the right eye. Seddons though, was also active, landing a hard combo that glazes Chambers' eyes over. He can't finish him off though.

Round 13:
Chambers goes hard after the swollen eye of Seddons. Seddons is a game fighter though, and forces Chambers to backpedal with a series of hooks.

Round 14:
Seddons continues to score with hooks to the body.

Round 15:
Chambers has Seddons' eye almost closed and goes to work. Seddons is able to connect with a big uppercut anyway before the final bell.

The judges score the bout:
144-122
144-122
144-122

A unanimous decision and Lightweight Title for Arthur Chambers!

- Terry

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

Up next is Paddy Duffy. I'll be simming only one of his bouts.
Duffy is generally acknolwledged as the 1st welterweight champion. His career began at 19 in 1884. Duffy won his 1st 4 fights and then had 3 consecutive draws against Paddy Sullivan. After losing to Jack C. Mcgee, he never lost again. Running his record to 25-1-12. Duffy died in 1890 at age 25 of tuberculosis.

Paddy Duffy vs. Charles Gleason - Philadelphia, PA (6/1/1886)

In real life Duffy won in 4 rounds. Today's sim will be a scheduled 8 round bout:

Round 1:
Duffy scores 1st with a big hook that lands flush, sending Gleason reeling. Gleason though would later score with a straight right that stops Duffy in his tracks.

Round 2:
At 2:21 Duffy lands a combo to Gleason's temple. Charles goes down, but regains his feet at the count of 5. Duffy scores often throughout the round, but is unable to finish.

Round 3:
Neither fighter seems interested in defense as both score at will. Duffy with a combo downstairs and Gleason with an uppercut that lands square on the chin.

Round 4:
A series of jabs and then a solid right gets Gleason in trouble.

Round 5:
Duffy is charged with an intentional headbutt and opens a cut to the right of Gleason's right eye. The blood does not interfere with Gleason's vision.

Round 6 and 7:
Duffy scores repeatedly with a series of hooks, jabs, and shots to the ribs. Gleason holds his ground but looks whipped.

Round 8:
Gleason shows a lot of heart by landing a crushing uppercut that hurts Duffy. The end though is inevitable...too little too late.

The decison:
79-73
78-73
78-73

Paddy Duffy wins by unanimous decision.

Paddy Duffy:



- Terry

[Tosti]

Nice work.

Here is another pic of Duffy.

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

John Heenan is our next Hall-of-Famer up for review.
Heenan was born in Troy, NY in 1835, but worked as an unskilled laborer (swinging a hammer) in California for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. Heenan stood at 6'2", weighed 200lbs and was known as being VERY muscular and VERY tough.

After moving to NYC in 1858 Heenan began to issue challenges to American heavyweight champion John Morrissey through the New York Sun. Surprisingly, Morrissey agreed to fight. We'll replay that fight here.

John Heenan vs. John Morrissey - 4/20/1858 - Long Pt. Island, Canada

In real life, the bout took place in Canada in large part to avoid police interference. Each side but up $5000. Heenan entered the fight with a large abscess in his leg. He started strong, but the veteran Morrissey began to dominate as the bout went on. Weakened by the abscess, Heenan collapsed in the 11th round. Morrissey never granted him a rematch.

Here's the result of my replay between these two Hall-of-Famers:

Round 1:
Too close to call as both fighters have their moments. Heenan scores with a hook to the jaw that sent Morrissey backwards. Morrissey, though, responded with solid work to the body and a couple of clean shots to the head.

Round 2:
Morrissey dominates with a series of solid hooks. A violent cross clearly does damage.

Round 3:
The first round awarded to Heenan. He lands a wicked uppercut and a straight right that glazes Morrisey's eyes over momentarily. It's clear from this fight that Heenan's strategy is to look for the homerun, while Morrissey is content to box, score points, and gradually wear his opponent down.

Round 5:
Morrissey continues to rack up the points. He lands hooks to the head and chest, mixing in a few effective crosses to keep Heenan at bay.

Round 6:
A nice uppercut from Morrissey stops Heenan in his tracks. A cut is opened on the outside of Heenan's right eyebrow.

Round 7:
Morrissey continues to land hard combos to Heenan's midsection. The damage and points are mounting.

Round 8:
Heenan finds his opening and lands a sharp combo that staggers Morrissey backwards. He follows with a hard cross to the head that immediately causes swelling in Morrissey's right eye. He finishes the round working the body. Morrissey is absolutely pummeled this round but withstands the storm.

Round 9:
With his right eye continuing to swell, Morrissey absorbs more blows to the body and the head. His legs turn to jelly and Heenan drops him at the 2:10 mark. After a long 8 count Morrissey regains his feet but meets the canvas again after Heenan unleashes a powerful uppercut. Morrissey continues to battle, but is dropped for a 3rd time at the 0:41 mark following a hook to the head. The referee stops the fight at 0:15 left in the round as it is clear that Morrissey can no longer protect himself.

John "The Benicia Boy" Heenan wins via TKO over John Morrissey for the American heavyweight title!

John Heenan



- Terry

[BigDaddyStovepipe]

John Heenan vs. Tom Sayers - 4/17/1860 Farnborough, England
(English Heavyweight Title Fight)

In real life this was an amazing bout between the American HW Champ (Heenan) and the English HW Champ (Sayers). Obviously it aroused large interest on both sides of the pond.

The fight was incredibly bloody. Heenan was considered the underdog for some reason, but outweighed Sayers by 46 lbs and was 6 inches taller. In the 6th round Sayers broke his right arm blocking a punch. In the 8th, Heenan broke his left hand. While Heenan dominated most of the fight, Sayers targeted Heenan's eyes to the point where Heenan was almost blinded by the end. In the 37th round, Heenan held Sayers helpless on the ropes. Some said he held Sayers' throat against the ropes. The ropes were cut and the crowd surged. Order was restored somewhat and the fight went 42 rounds before being declared a draw. Sayers retained his title, but retired immediately afterwards.

The replay:

Round 1:
Sayers scores first with a feint and then a hook that lands. He follows with an uppercut and another hook that rocks Heenan. Heenan retailiates with a solid combo to the body. Sayers lands a right flush on Heenan's chin that sends him backwards. Round clearly to Sayers.

Round 2:
Heenan scores with a solid hook. A nice regrouping round for the American.

Round 3:
Heenan dominates with an uppercut that makes Sayers rethink this bout. A 2nd uppercut lands, followed by a devasting shot to the body. Sayers is gasping for air. Sayers also now has a bruised right eye that will worsen throughout the fight.

Round 4:
Heenan lands a few combinations to the ribs and the head. The swelling in Sayers' right eye worsens. Sayers does keep Heenan off him with a solid uppercut to close the round.

Round 6:
A draw this round, but a great battle. Heenan cleverly drops his shoulder and fakes with the right; he lands a solid left hook. Sayers buys some time with an effective jab. He follows the jab with an effective few hooks to the head.

Round 7-8
Heenan is effectively working on the inside.

Round 9:
Heenan is really pouring it on. He lands 2 vicious uppercuts. Sayers' eye is practically closed. His defense is largely impaired.

Round 10:
Sayers shows some life with a monster-hook to the body. Heenan lands a right cross at the end of the round that shows he isn't about to lose control of this fight.

Round 11-13:
Heenan is now working upstairs more often as Sayers' right eye is a mess and his left is also swelling up. Heenan is using his jab and an effective hook. Aside from a few shots by Sayers, Heenan is handing out some punishment.

Round 14:
Needing a knockout, Sayers shows the spirit of a champion. He's clearly headhunting and is able to land a vicious cross that stuns Heenan. Sayers wins the round, but Heenan is still standing.

Round 15:
Both fighters are running on empty. Heenan works the jab. With his right eye shut, Sayers lands a crippling right. Heenan stays upright.

The judges score this one:
144-141
145-140
144-141

John Heenan retains his American HW belt and takes the English crown as well!

Up next: Jem Mace

- Terry

[CONN CHRIS]

These are well done and a pleasure to read Terry - thank you.