[Jack Robby]

I'm starting an alternative history of the middleweight division during World War II, using the new Tight Bout Championship Boxing program (I refuse to call it a game).

THE REALITY: Tony Zale became the first undisputed middleweight champion since Mickey Walker with a 15-round decision victory over George Abrams on Nov. 28, 1941. The next year, after losing an over-the-weight bout to Billy Conn, he entered the U.S. Navy and the middleweight crown was placed in the deep freeze until the end of World War II. During this time, the division was dominated by a half-dozen outstanding black middleweights (most of them from California) and a bad-boy named Jake LaMotta. After the war was over, none of the black fighters ever got a title shot at the middleweight title, and it took LaMotta nearly four years to get his.

THE SCENARIO: With Joe Louis setting the standard for patriotism by defending his title twice in benefit bouts for military relief funds in 1942, Tony Zale is convinced to forego his match with Billy Conn and instead defend his title in Pittsburgh to show his support for the men and women working to support the war effort in the armaments industry. Unlike Louis, Zale was not willing to donate his purse to the effort, but he did agree to strike a blow for the brotherhood of man by defending his title against the country's hottest black middleweight, Charley Burley. The fight is held on May 25, 1942 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh (a hotbed of Negro League baseball as well as the Pirates in the major leagues).

Burley has won 20 straight fights since dropping a 10-round decision to Jimmy Bivins nearly two years earlier. In the alternate universe known as Reality, Burley's winning streak was snapped on this day when he lost a 10-round decision to Ezzard Charles, who had just recently moved into the light heavyweight class. In this universe, he is instead to receive the crack at the championship unfairly denied him in the other.

THE FIGHT: Both fighters are well-conditioned and seem ready for action. Still, Zale must have wondered why he ever agreed to such a match as Burley bombs the champion almost at will for the first three rounds, flooring him in the second with a wild overhand right. He takes a breather in the fourth, and Zale fights back hard. Burley comes back in the fifth, outfighting Zale on the inside but then is penalized a point by Referee Arthur Donovan for rabbit-punching near the end of the round.

Burley ioutboxes Zale at long range in the sixth, then is cut over the left eye by a sharp right-hand punch in the seventh as champion gains the upper hand in that round. Seemingly inspired by the blood, Zale launches an all-out assault in the eighth, scoring with hard punches repeatedly until near the end of the round, when Burley lands a hard right that takes some of the steam out of the champion's attack. Burley scores with several powerful punches at long range in the ninth. Zale's right eye begins swelling in the tenth, but he rallies to win the round.

In the eleventh a hard left hook to the chin drops Burley for a 9-count. The crowd, unfamiliar with the Zale versus Graziano wars four years into the future, is stunned by this sudden turn of events. Although Zale lands several more bombs, he can't put Burley away, however. Burley bounces back cautiously in the twelfth, outboxing the champion at long range. Burley starts out the same way in the thirteenth, but Zale comes on strong at the end of the round and hurts the challenger with several hard punches.

The momentum of the fight clearly seems to be shifting to Zale. Fans at ringside sense the battle was close but are unaware that the referee and one of the judges had the fight dead even, with the other judge giving Burley a two-point margin with two rounds still to go. They were also unaware that lightning was about to strike

Early in the fourteenth round, Burley clips Zale with a terrific uppercut to the chin. Zale is stunned momentarily, then pitches forward on his face in a delayed knockdown. He is up at the count of 6 but in serious trouble. Still respectful of the champion's fighting heart and recuperative powers, Burley cautiously pursues Zale until a hard right cross followed by a left to the body drops champion again, this time for an 8-count. With time running out, Burley lands a barrage of blows to the head until finally the referee steps in and stops the bout at 2:34 of the 14th round. Charley Burley is the new middleweight champion of the world!

THE AFTERMATH: After thanking the Lord for his victory, Burley also thanks Tony Zale for giving him this chance at the title. While wishing that a rematch were possible, he knew that Zale was about to go into the military and would probably be available to fight for an indefinite period. He promised, however, to be a fighting champion in the tradition of Tony Zale and specifically guaranteed to face the best middleweights in the world regardless of race. All he would ask is that whoever he fought promise to do the same if he should win the title. Soon after, he proved his point by signing to defend his title against Archie Moore on August 14 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.

(To be continued)

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO: Charley Burley won the world's middleweight championship by knocking out Tony Zale in the 14th round. He is defending it against Archie Moore on August 14, 1942 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. In reality, Moore and Burley didn't meet until 1944, at which time Burley dropped Moore four times en route to wining a lop-sided 10-round decision. More actually finished 1942 as the #1 middleweight contender according to Ring Magazine, but that was largely off his victoriies over Shorty Hogue and Jack Chase, plus a draw with Eddie Booker, all three fights occurring after the date of this bout. In this alternate universe, Moore is a substantial underdog.

FOR TBCB GAME PURPOSES: Moore is used with his light heavyweight rankings in his prime, but with the weight advantage deactivated. Burley is also in his prime.

THE FIGHT: Both fighters begin feeling each other out cautiously. Moore outjabs Burley in the first round, then they box evenly in round two. Moore continues to press the fight at the start of round three, staggering Burley with a left hook, then later rocking him with a combination of blows. Just when it looks like Moore is ready to move in for the kill, Burley floors him with a hard body punch. Moore gets up at 6 but is obviously hurt. Burley blasts him with both hands and almost floors him with another left hook but Moore survives the round. Both men are back to boxing tamely in round three, with an edge to Burley.

Burley drops Moore for a 5-count with a barrage of punches midway through the fifth round. He is all over Moore when he gets up and floors him with another combination, this time for a 9-count. Burley continues to batter Moore, but the bell comes in time to save him. Burley outfights Moore at close range in the sixth but can't put him down again.

Moore, sensing that his title chance is about to slip away, bulls his way inside in the seventh and ravages Burley at close range. He stuns Burley with a left hook, then floors him with a barrage of terrific punches. Burley barely pulls himself up at the count of nine. Moore is all over him. Burley is helpless against the ropes when the referee steps in and stops the fight at 2:47 of the 7th round.

THE AFTERMATH: With Moore's terrific comeback kayo over Yvonne Durelle nearly two decades in the future, everyone is stunned by the sudden reversal of fortunes in this bout. Reminding Moore of the promise Burley extracted to be a fighting champion and to give the top contender a shot at the title regardless of race, the deposed champion asks for a rematch. Moore agrees, but wants to put off that fight until the summer of 1943, when they can have an outdoors match at Forbes Field. In the meantime, he has agreed to an over-the-weight bout with light heavyweight Ezzard Charles in November and an interim title defense against Eddie Booker, the California middleweight champion, in February.

(To be continued)

[Cap]

Nice work, Jack. Really wonder how those bouts would've gone in real life.

Cap

[Jack Robby]

SCENARIO: After winning the middleweight title with a surprise 7th-round kayo over Charley Burley, Archie Moore looked to cash in on his new fame without placing his title immediately at risk. Already struggling to make the middleweight limit, Archie looked for a bout with a light heavyweight he could have a chance to beat, would gain considerable credit for beating and yet not be disgraced should be be defeated himself. The natural choice was Ezzard Charles, who just recently decided he had outgrown the middleweight division, where he had been a top-rated contender, and who had just recently defeated tough Joey Maxim to rank just below Jimmy Bivins and Anton Christoforidis as the number three challenger to Gus Lesnevich’s world title. The two men met in at the Gardens in Cincinnati on November 30.

FOR TBCB GAME PURPOSES: Both Moore and Charles are rated as pre-prime light heavyweights for this match.

THE FIGHT:

Moore outpunches Charles in the first round, landing several hard blows. Charles comes back and outfights Moore at close range in the second, opening a cut over Moore's left eye. In the third, it's Moore who comes roaring back, rocking Charles with a left hook, then flooring him later in the round with a hard body punch. Charles gets up at the count of 7 and backpedals the rest of the round. Charles again outfights Moore inside in the fourth, and while the cut overe Moore's left eye appears to have closed, the middleweight champion is obviously concerned about it.

Moore keeps trying to move in on Charles in the fifth, but Charles stays at long range and rocks Archie with good combinations. Both men seem to be taking a breather in the sixth, boxing tamely. They pick up the pace again in the seventh, with Archie outpunching Ezzard at close range but is warned by the referee for using his elbows. Near the end of the round, a hard left uppercut by Moore sends Charles staggering backward. At the bell, Charles has a gash under his right eye, which is also beginning to swell shut.

Apparently concerned that the referee might consider stopping the fight, Charles comes out like a tiger for the eighth round. A terrific right uppercut to the jaw stops Archie cold, then several seconds later a hard jab followed by another sharp uppercut snaps Moore's head back. Moore, however, manages to hold on and finishes the round still on his feet. Both men are trading hard blows in the ninth and the referee penalizes Moore a point for holding and hitting. Charles continues to land effectively until finally a stiff left drops Moore for a 4-count. Charles tries to finish him, but Moore is too clever and survives the round.

In the tenth and final round, Charles is trying to protect his right eye which is now nearly closed, with the cut beneath it bleeding badly. Moore senses the opportunity to put his opponent away and wades in with both hands. A hard combination of blows to the head and body send Charles reeling to the canvas. Charles lurches to his feet at the count of 8. Moore at first is suspicious that Charles is playing possum and doesn't rush in. When he does start punching again, Charles evades his blows and ties him up. At the end of the round and the fight, Charles is bloodied but unbowed.

There are tense moments awaiting the decision. Using the 5-point must system, Referee Johnny Jones scored the fight 44-43 for Charles, Referee Robert Smith scored it 44-42 for Moore and Referee Lee Adams scored it 43-43 a draw. The official decision, therefore, was a draw.

THE AFTERMATH: Moore wasted no time in declaring that he had proven once and for all his ability to compete as a light heavyweight as well as a middleweight. He stressed the fact that Charles on the verge of being knocked out when the fight ended, and that only the “unwarranted” one-point penalty for elbowing in the ninth round cost him the decision. Charles, more soft spoken, said little after the bout, but proceeded to lose his next two fights—to Jimmy Bivins and Lloyd Marshall—before being inducted into the Army in 1943.

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO: Before fighting his return bout with Charley Burley in June, Archie Moore agrees to defend his world middleweight title against California Middleweight Champion Eddie Booker on February 24, 1943, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Knowledgeable boxing fans in the Golden State are wondering what Archie was thinking, using a clever defensive fighter like Booker as a tune-up fight. But Moore appears confident he can beat Booker and set-up a bigger draw for his summer title defense against Burley. (In reality, Moore and Booker fought a draw on December 11, 1942 and Booker lost his California middleweight title to Jack Chase, another great black middleweight, on January 11, 1943. In this alternate universe, neither of those bouts takes place, having been supplanted by the title bout with Moore).

THE FIGHT: Moore starts out strong, hurting Booker with several punches in the opening round. Moore forces his way inside in the second, landing good body punches and trying to keep Booker on the ropes. Booker tries to keep the fighting at long range in the third, but Moore staggers him with a three-punch combination and later snaps his head back with a hard uppercut.

Moore continues to punish Booker with hard left and rights in the fourth. Booker does slightly better mixing it up in the fifth, but Moore opens a cut over the challenger’s right eye. Moore rocks Booker repeatedly in the sixth with right uppercuts and left hooks. Action slows in the seventh, Booker’s first chance for a breather. Booker begins to hold Moore off with his jab in the eighth, and it appears the cut over his eye has closed.

Moore tries to pick up the action in the ninth, but for the first Booker matches him punch for punch. In the tenth, however, Moore begins outscoring the challenger again with hard punches at long range as the challengers seems to be tiring. It is apparent now that Booker needs to do something to turn this fight around or face defeat. For the first time in the fight, both men slug it out toe-to-toe with each of them taken turns staggered their opponent and being staggered in turn.

In the twelfth, Moore tries to force his way inside while Booker attempts to keep the fighting at long range. The champion is somewhat more successful, but in return draws a warning from the referee for hitting on the break after one of their frequent clinches. Early in round thirteen, Moore lands a hard overhand right that drops Booker to one knee. He takes the opportunity to take an eight count and upon rising makes Moore miss several punches. Finally a barrage of blows to the head sends Booker down again. This time he rises at four, indicating that he had been hurt badly enough not to stay down for awhile and allow himself more time to recuperate. When Moore tries to finish him off, however, he is still able to defend himself and even begins to fight back near the end of the round.

Booker comes out swinging for the fourteenth, realizing he is far behind in points. However, Moore catches him with a terrific uppercut and drops him for a count of 4. Booker is wobbly as Moore rocks him repeatedly with shots to the head and body. Booker tries to hold on and Moore’s efforts to push himself free results in his being penalized a point for butting. Booker finishes the round in bad shape but still on his feet.

Booker gamely tries to fight back at the start of the fifteenth and final round, but Moore is equally eager to take the decision out of the hands of the judges. Perhaps too eager, as the referee once again takes a point away, this time for holding and hitting. Moore is undeterred, however, and midway through the round drops Booker again with a hard uppercut. Booker is up at four, but Moore maintains the attack, sending the challenger down again with a brutal body punch. Booker pulls himself up once more and braces himself for the onslaught. Booker is being battered from pillar to post as the bell sounds ending the fight.

Despite Moore losing a point in each of the last two rounds on fouls, the final decision wasn’t in doubt. Both judges scored the fight 71-59 for Moore, while Judge George Blake made it unanimous, scoring it 70-60.

THE AFTERMATH: Moore’s one-sided victory over Booker paves the way for a title defense in June, presumably a return match with Charley Burley. But Burley, not wanting to go stale from lack of action, has decided to take on the fast-rising young Puerto Rican middleweight Jose Basora. Meanwhile, Jake LaMotta, coming off three great bouts with welterweight phenom Sugar Ray Robinson (in which he lost the first, won the second, then dropped a close, highly-disputed decision in the third) agrees to take on Holman Williams, another top-ranked black middleweight from California. Fears that boxing would drop off the sports pages during the war due to induction of its headliners into the military seem more remote than ever.

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO: Two big nontitle fights help to further promote the middleweight division. Charley Burley goes to Miami Beach to take on local star Jose Basora on February 28, 1942, while Holman Williams travels across country to Madison Square Garden to fight Jake LaMotta on March 15. Burley is scheduled to meet Archie Moore for the title in June while Holman and LaMotta are each hoping a victory here will earn them a shot at the winner. Both nontitle bouts are scheduled for 10 rounds.

THE FIGHTS:

Burley v. Basora

Basora comes out swinging but his punches lack steam. Burley outboxes him and lands the harder punches. Basora tries to move more in the second, but Burley continues to outscore him at long range. The action slows down even more in the third, although Burley still has the edge. Basora tries to fight inside in the fourth, but once again Burley has too much speed and power and huts Jose with a hard right.

In the fifth, Burley hangs back and motions for Basora to come to him. Basora obliges him and lands a hard right to the jaw. Burley fights back, spinning Basora into the corner and landing several hard rights of his own. Basora makes his way back to ring center and tries to box Burley. Burley lands a hard uppercut, but instead of hurting Basora it seems to wake him up. He lands a crushing right to the Burley’s jaw, then follows up with a series of punches that has Burley holding on. For the first time in the fight, Burley is in trouble when the round ends.

Burley tries to keep Basora at a distance in the sixth, and while Basora succeeds in bulling the former-champion to the ropes repeatedly, it is Burley who scores with solid counterpunches. Burley stalks his tiring opponent to start the seventh round and scores with several solid punches, but Basora rallies late in the round, stunning Burley with a sharp job following by a hard uppercut to the jaw. Basora opens up in the eighth, realizing he is behind on points, but that simply leaves him vulnerable to Burley’s sharp counterpunches which rock Basora repeatedly.

Basora fights more cautiously in the ninth as Burley lands good punches early but Basora fights back with effective blows near the end. Burley boxes defensively in the tenth and final round and Basora seems content to let the fight come to a peaceful end.

The judge and one referee score it for Burley 48-42, while the other judge makes it unanimous for Burley, 47-43.

LaMotta v. Williams (elimination bout)

FOR TBCB GAME PURPOSES: LaMotta is pre-prime, Williams is in his prime.

Williams outboxes LaMotta in the first. Williams boxes defensively in the second and LaMotta is more effectively aggressive. Williams demonstrates brilliant defense in the third, lands just often enough to carry the round. Williams shows more offense in the fourth, outscoring LaMotta by a wide margin. Goldstein penalizes LaMotta for low blows, but it is Williams’ round in any event.

Williams outboxes LaMotta by a wide margin in round five as well. Williams even outfights LaMotta inside in the 6th. LaMotta really opens up in the seventh, but Williams is nonplussed and gives at least as good as he takes.

LaMotta keeps charging in the eighth, but Williams counters effectively. Williams takes a breather in the ninth, but still holds his own against LaMotta, who is vainly trying for a KO. Williams seems to think he has it won as he simply protects himself in the tenth, while LaMotta seems resigned and simply boxes evenly through the final bell.

The referee and both judges score the fight for Williams, 8 round to 2.

THE AFTERMATH: Both Burley and Holman demonstrate great ring mastery but neither bout is terribly exciting. Moore begins to worry that he will be at serious risk of losing his title to either man without drawing enough of a gate to generate the size of purse that would justify the risk. He talks about backing out of his fight with Burley in Pittsburgh and instead wants to face LaMotta, either in New York or Detroit. Burley screams foul and accuses Moore of backing out on his promise to face the top contender regardless of race. Moore says the only color he cares about is green and he thinks he can get more of it by facing LaMotta than either Burley or Williams.

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO: When Archie Moore threatened to back out of his agreement to fight Charley Burley and instead defend his title against Jake LaMotta, despite Jake’s 10-round loss to Holman Williams, it looked to many as if the middleweight division was about to slip back into business as usual. Moore claimed that LaMotta’s slugging style would make for a better fight because the Bronx Bull was more “colorful” than either Burley or Williams, but his fellow African-Americans suspected Archie was more interested in the color of LaMotta’s skin than his color in the ring. Moore, it seemed, had bought into the notion that a white vs. black bout would draw more fans than an all black title fight.

Just when the racial aspect of the controversy was about to boil over, into the breach stepped Gus Greenlee. Greenlee was Pittsburgh’s black sportsman extraordinaire, formerly a bigshot in Negro League baseball. He even managed to temporarily bring Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige, the biggest names in black baseball, together on the same team, the Pittsburgh Crawford. Greenlee was no stranger to boxing, having managed and promoted world light heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis, who in 1939 took on Joe Louis in the first ever all-black heavyweight championship fight.

Greenlee took over promotion of the Moore-Burley fight and played the race card against Moore, daring the champion to back out. It helped that Greenlee’s reputation as head of the Pittsburgh number’s racket and man with numerous gangland connects tabbed him as a dangerous man to cross. On June 24, 1943, Moore and Burley met in Pittsburgh for their long-awaited rematch.

THE FIGHT: It is a more confident Archie Moore who comes out to meet Burley than in their first bout, but the former champion is focused and determined. They both open up early, landing hard blows. Referee Billy Cavanaugh quickly tries to establish his authority, warning Moore for a low blow and then later deducting a point from him for rabbit punching. Moore’s rough-housing seems to have an effect on the normally judicious Burley, who is warned in the second round for butting. Later that round, Moore is again penalized a point for low blows. Two points taken away in the first two rounds suggest that Moore is more interested in trying to stop Burley by wearing him down than in trying to outpoint him over 15 rounds. The strategy seems to be paying off as Burley finishes the round with a nasty gash over his right eye.

Moore hurt Burley with a hard left hook in the third round, the champion’s best yet. They two men box somewhat more cautiously in the fourth, then Moore tries to pick up the pace in the fifth. Burley counters effectively, however, and lands several solid punches to the head and body, but this time it’s Burley who is penalized a point for a low blow. Moore stays on the attack in the sixth, flooring Burley for a 5-count with a hard body shot midway through the round. Burley covers up effectively for the rest of the round but finishes it with a look of new-found respect for the champion.

Burley hurts Moore with a hard right early in round seven but this just spurs the champion to be more aggressive. He drives Burley into the ropes with a hard left to the midsection, and when Burley bounces off, catches him with a terrific right uppercut to the chin. Burley tries to get back to the center of the ring but Moore keeps him against the ropes, pummeling him with hard punches inside. Burley’s left eye begins swelling just as the cut over his right eye has finally closed.

Moore drops Burley at the start of the eighth round with a combination of blows. Up at five, Burley already appears exhausted with ten more rounds to go. He is now bleeding from another cut under his left eye as Moore moves in for the kill. He lands two hard left hooks to the head and a crushing right to the jaw. Burley again is forced back to the ropes where a hard right to the body sends him down again. This time he can’t get up and is counted out at 1:55 of the 8th round. The winner and still middleweight champion of the world, Archie Moore!

THE AFTERMATH: Moore, leading on all three scorecards at the time of the knockout, erased the lingering suspicion that his first victory over Burley had been a fluke. Burley, truly battered and beaten up for the first time in his career (NOTE: In reality, Burley was never stopped), is already plotting his comeback. For Moore the question is who to face next: skillful Holman Williams, the top ranked contender, or the popular slugger Jake LaMotta? And what about other top black middleweights, like Jack Chase, Kid Tunero or even that clever welterweight, the Cocoa Kid? After his destruction of Burley, people are beginning to wonder if anyone can take the title from Moore.

[djday45]

Jack,
any chance of you carrying on with your middleweight campaign?
It was without doubt one of the best and most intresting threads I have seen.

rgds
Dean

[Jack Robby]

Gee, I didn't think anyone was reading. Sure, I'll be glad to continue it.

[Gunsmoke]

I also found your thread to be an interesting read and would be very happy to see you continue it.

Mark

[Jack Robby]

SCENARIO: Three nontitle bouts are held in July, 1943, that help clarify the title picture. Eddie Booker, fresh from his defeat by Archie Moore by a 15-round decision last February, defends his California mdidleweight title against another great black middleweight, Jack Chase in Oakland. And in Miami, in a double-header, Holman Williams takes on the hard-hitting young white middleweight Steve Belloise in the main event. On the undercard, Cuban middleweight Kid Tunero takes on Jose Basora, who is coming off a loss to Charley Burley.

THE FIGHTS:

Chase-Booker
Jack Chase took Eddie Booker’s California middleweight title by a split decision. Case took the early rounds, Booker came back in the late rounds. Chase outfought Booker by a wide margin in the last round, winning it on all three scorecards and with it the decision.

Judge Zack Clayton
Booker 544 445 445 555 454 - 67
Chase 455 554 554 444 545 – 68

Judge George Smith
Booker 544 445 445 555 554 – 68
Chase 455 554 554 444 445 – 67

Referee George Blake
Booker 544 454 445 445 454 – 65
Chase 455 545 444 554 545 – 71

Williams-Belloise
Holman Williams comes into the ring overweight and seemingly out of shape. However, he outboxes Steve Belloise by a wide margin in the opening round. He continues to box circles around Belloise in the second, although near the end of the round a hard right cross by Steve lets Williams know he needs to pay attention to his opponent.
Williams keeps outboxing Belloise in the third. Belloise finally calms down in the fourth, stops throwing wild haymakers and lands several hard punches at close range. The two fighters mix it up in the fifth, taking turns pressing each other to the ropes and landing good punches, but Williams lands by far the harder, more frequent punches.
They box tamely in the sixth with a slight edge to Belloise. Belloise tries to force the action inside in the seventh, while Williams tries to stay at long range. While neither does much damage, it begins to look as if Williams is tiring. Belloise steps up the pace in the eighth but Williams counters effectively and has his best round since the fifth. Belloise is wild with his punches in the ninth and Williams easily outboxes him again. The tenth round is more of the same and at the final bell it is clear that Williams has won easily.
The official decision is just a formality, the two judges voting 98-92 and the referee voting 97-93, all for Williams.


Tunero-Basora
Kid Tunero appears to be a little less than at his best coming into the ring. However, he comes out swinging, landing several hard punches. Midway through the round, a solid right cross drops Jose Basora for a 9-count. Tunero smashes both hands to the head and has Basora in trouble but can’t put him down again.
Basora comes out swining for round two, but Tunero stands his ground and they trade hard punches to the head and body. Tunero stays at long range in the third, bloodying Basora’s nose as he smashes lefts and rights to the head. Basora comes charging back in the fourth, staggering Tunero with a hard right and enjoying his best round of the fight so far.
Tunero lands the greater volume of blows in the fifth, but a devastating left hook by Basora stuns Tunero and makes it a close round. Basora lands a hard combination of blows to the head in round six and a left hook almost drops Tunero, who returns to the corner with a gash over his left eye. Tunero outboxes Basora at long range in the seventh and it begins to look like Jose is tiring.
Tunero seems to be tiring himself in the eighth and Basora stuns him with a sharp right cross in mid-round. Tunero tries to outbox Basora at long range in the ninth but it is a close round. Going into the last round, the fight seems to most ringsiders too close for either man to take the decision for granted. Nonetheless, Tunero comes out defensively and seems content simply to last the around, allowing Basora to rock him with several uppercuts at close range and carry the round.

The decision justifies Tunero’s caution, however, as the judge and one referee favor him 95 to 94 and the other judge makes it unanimous, 96-93.

Judge Zack Clayton
Tunero 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 10 - 96
Basora 8 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 9 - 93

Judge George Smith
Tunero 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 - 95
Basora 8 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 - 94

Referee George Blake
Tunero 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 - 95
Basora 8 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 - 94

THE AFTERMATH: Holman Williams, with victories over Jake LaMotta and Steve Belloise, is clearly ranked as the number one contender to Archie Moore's title. Jack Chase and Kid Tunero have now emerged as new contenders as well. The big question, however, is whether Moore will continue to defend his middleweight crown or whether, after his draw with Ezzard Charles, he will try to another move into the light heavyweight ranks. Former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, who for years led a highly-publicized effort to recruit a "white hope" to dethrone Joe Louis, talks about asking his superiors in the Coast Guard whether they would allow him to train a white middleweight to regain that title. Will racial polarization rend the nation's war-time unity?

[Mark42661]

Jack,

When you don't get alot of comments from others, don't let that discourage you. More people are following along with what you're doing here than you probably realize. Great job...and I look forward to continuing to follow along with your progress.

Mark

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO--By mid-1943, Jimmy Bivins was sitting on top of the fistic world. In only his fourth year as a professional, the 23-year-old Bivins was ranked by Ring Magazine as the top contender in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. In fact, with both of those titles "frozen" while the holders (Joe Louis and Gus Lesnevich, respectively) were in the service, promoters advertised bouts for the "duration" championship for each division.

In February, Bivins outpointed Anton Christoforidis in 15 rounds to win the duration light heavyweight crown, then two weeks later outpointed Tami Mauriello in ten rounds to claim the duration heavyweight championship. In July, he knocked out another top light heavyweight contender, Lloyd Marshall (knockout victor over Ezzard Charles two months earlier) in thirteen rounds.

Therefore it was not surprising that many boxing experts figured Archie Moore had bitten off more than he could chew when he took on Jimmy Bivins in Madison Square Garden on September 15. If he won, Moore could lay claim to being the top active fighter in all three of the heaviest divisions, something no one had been able to say since Bob Fitzsimmons in the last century.

FOR TBCB GAME PURPOSES: Bivins is a light heavyweight in his prime, Moore is a light heavyweight in his pre-prime.

THE FIGHT--Both men feel each other out in the first round, but Bivins is penalized for holding and hitting. He protests but Referee Arthur Donovan is adament. They open up in round two, Moore rocking Bivins back on his heals with a hard right, but Bivins fights back. Moore stops him with another hard right, but Bivins smashes a hard combination to the head.

Moore comes out slugging in the third and hurts Bivins with several hard shots to the head as Jimmy tries to keep the fighting at long range. Bivins is more succesful keeping Moore at bay in the fourth and near the end of the round rocks him with a hard right. The action slows down in the fifth and sixth but with a slight edge to Bivin, who is boxing cautiously but effectively. Moore has a bloody nose as he comes out for round seven and Bivins steps up the attack, but is penalized again--this time for hitting on the break.

Moore is throwing haymakers in round eight but can't connect. Bivins outjabs Moore and seems to be piling up a huge advantage in points. In round nine, Moore stuns Bivins with a three-punch combination that forces Bivins to hold on and try to cover up. Moore opens a gash under Bivins' right eye with a stiff jab in round ten, the first serious cut of the fight.

Bivins comes back strong in the eleventh, stunning Moore with a left hook and keeping him at bay with his own jab. Moore woke Bivins up with a strong combination in round twelve, but Bivins sends Moore staggering back with a hard right and has Moore in trouble by the end of the round. Moore chases Bivins around the ring in round thirteen, but Bivins boxes under control and scores repeated with his jab. In

the fourteenth, Moore snaps Bivins' head back with an uppercut. Bivins stands his ground and fights back but Moore seems to
have the edge. Moore seems to believe he's behind and comes out swinging in the fifteenth and final round but Bivins, boxing
defensively, is unhurt. Bivins wins a unanimous decision, with referee Arthur Donovan scoring it 7-6-2, one judge scoring it
8-3-4 and the other 9-6.

THE AFTERMATH--It is a chastened Archie Moore who is forced to recognize after the bout that he may have been trying to move too far, too fast. Unfortunately for Archie, the good living that accompanied his newfound prosperity also made it harder for him to make the middleweight limit of 160 pounds. Nonetheless, he recognized for the time being that continuing to enjoy that prosperity required him to continue to defend that title for the foreseeable future and that's why he agreed to meet Holman Williams in a title bout before the end of the year.

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO-- Twenty-two-year-old Jake LaMotta burst into the front ranks in 1943 with victories over Sugar Ray Robinson, Fritzie Zivic and Jackie Wilson, but his ten-round loss to Holman Williams cost him a shot at the title. Now he takes on the Cuban cutie, Kid Tunero, a 33-year-old veteran, in a ten round no decision bout in Madison Square Garden on September 22, 1943, in an effort to climb back into title contention. Tunero is riding high after his close 10-round decision over Jose Basora.

THE FIGHT-- Kid Tunero outboxes Jake LaMotta for the first two rounds. In round three, however, a hard right to the jaw drops Tunero for a 3-count. Upon rising, Tunero backpedals and tries to hold Jake off, but LaMotta rocks him repeatedly with hard shot to the head. Round four sees Tunero jabbing and running, with LaMotta unable to catch up. By round five, Tunero is outboxing Jake again.

In the six, Tunero keeps boxing at long-range but it appears that LaMotta is beginning to wear him down. LaMotta has more luck bulling his way inside in round seven and shakes Tunero with a combination of blows to the head. The eighth is another round of LaMotta chasing, Tunero running. A straight right by LaMotta in the ninth sends Tunero reeling into the ropes, where Jake batters him repeatedly. However, Referee Ruby Goldstein penalizes Jake for backhanding and costs him the round.

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, LaMotta goes all out for a knockout in the tenth and final round. He rocks Tunero with a three-punch combination but can't put him down again. The referee scores the fight 6-4 and one judge has it 7-3 Jake LaMotta, while the other judge has the bout even (thanks to the ninth round being taken away from LaMotta and given to Tunero on a foul). Tunero landed a greater percentage of his punches, but LaMotta threw and landed more, even while missing the majority of his. The judge and referee seemed to prefer Jake's aggressive style to Tunero's defensive display.

THE AFTERMATH--LaMotta, a crowd-pleasing slugger, is perhaps the best drawing card available to Moore. With his victory over Tunero, LaMotta can lay legitimate claim to a title shot without it appearing that promoters are valuing race over merit.

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO--California middleweight champion Jack Chase, looking for a woorld title shot himself, decided not to defend his California title but instead take on the talented welterweight, Cocoa Kid. The two met in San Francisco on September 24, 1943.

THE FIGHT--There was speculation that the Cocoa Kid was coming into the ring undertrained. The first round was fairly tame, and while Chase had a slight edge, the crowd was already booing and calling for more action. Chase had an even greater margin in round two. The third was another slow round, the crowd booing again. Cocoa Kid tries to fight inside in round four, but Chase still has the edge. Chase tries to stay at long range in the fifth, but the Kid keeps moving inside and enjoys his best round yet. The two fighters pick up the pace in round six, with Chase again landing more frequently.

In the seventh, it is Chase who suddenly moves inside and uses his weight advantage to savage the Kid at close range. The Kid, appearing to tire, tries to box at long range in the eighth, but Chase still lands more punches to good effect. A sharp left early in the eighth round drops Cocoa Kid, perhaps as much from exhaustion as anything else. The Kid pulls himself up at 8 and while Chase rocks him with several solid punches the round ends with both fighters still on their feet. Amazingly, the Kid starts the tenth and final round with a flurry, but Chase comes back at the end of the round to seemingly seal his opponent's fate.

Sure enough, the decision is unanimous and one-sided, the referee scoring the bout96-93, one of the judges making it 96-92 and the other judge making it 99-91, all for Jack Chase.

THE AFTERMATH--Although the Cocoa Kid had been successfully taking on middleweights for years, Chase's standing among middleweights was hardly enhanced even by this clear decision victory. If anything, his claim to a shot at Moore's world title was as remote as ever.

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO--Fresh off his defeat from the hands of light heavyweight and heavyweight contender Jimmy Bivins, Archie Moore once again agrees to defend his world middleweight title against the top defender, Holman Williams. The challenger, a clever defensive specialist, is not noted as an exciting or colorful fighter but the bout is scheduled once again for Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, the unofficial home of black athletic excellence (nearly a decade later, in 1952, it would host the first heavyweight title bout in which all three participants--both fighters and the referee--would be African-American, when Zack Clayton officiated the fourth bout between Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott).

The bout is held on Nov. 26, 1943 (NOTE--In reality, this was the date that Moore defeated Jack Chase via a 10-round decision in Hollywood, CA.)

THE FIGHT - Moore stuns Williams early in the first round with a right to the jaw, but Williams fights back effectively at close range. Williams outboxes Moore in the second, although Archie still manages to land some hard punches. The third round is pretty slow, but the action picks up in the fourth as Moore stuns Williams repeatedly at long range. Early in round five, a smashing right drops Williams for a 4-count. Upon rising, Williams covers up effectively but Moore rocks him repeatedly with hard blows with both hands. Williams is lucky to finish the round on his feet.

Williams boxes cautiously at long range in round six, but near the end of the round a left hook by Moore opens a cut over Holman's right eye. Williams looks disgusted as he comes out for round seven, although at least the cut over his eye has stopped bleeding. Williams is still on the defensive, but when his corner calls for him to be more aggressive, Moore snaps his head back with a hard uppercut and has Williams in trouble again at the bell.

Williams suddenly comes out aggressively in round eight, landing good punches with both hands. A hard uppercut to the jaw by Williams stuns Moore. Two-thirds of the way through the round, Moore starts to fight back. A hard right cross nearly floors
Williams and by the end of the round, Moore was again the aggressor. At the start of round nine, Moore staggers Williams
with a hard right, then rocks him with combinations. Williams is reeling around the ring but refuses to go down. Moore batters him from pillar to post,but Holman's defensive skills and superb instincts permit him to last the round.

Williams, who looked like he was finished at the end of the last round, starts out cautiously in round ten but somehow finds the energy to fight back and actually take the round. Early in round eleven, Moore drops Williams with a sharp left to the jaw for a count of two. Upon rising, Williams surprises Moore by waving him in to fight. Moore continues to outfight Williams, but doesn't wade in carelessly in an effort to finish him off. Moore lands a hard left hook early in round twelve, then sends Williams stumbling backward with a right uppercut. Williams gamely continues to box defensively, but Moore rocks him several more times before the round is over.

In round thirteen, Williams again waves at Archie to come in and try to finish him off. A short time later, Moore obliges by dropping Williams with a wild overhand right. Williams gets up at six, and Moore misses several blows intended to put Williams away. The referee penalizes Moore one point for hitting with an open glove. Finally another uppefcut staggers Williams. Moore lands several more good shots to the head and Williams is once again requires to call on all his skill and courage to last out the round. Williams suprises Moore by outfighting him at long range for most of the round, although a three-punch combination near the end has him covering up at the bell. In the fifteenth and final round, Williams appears exhausted while Moore is surprisingly fresh. Moore lands several hard punches but seem unconcerned about trying to knock the challenger out. For his part, Williams appears to be satisfied just to go the distance.

The referee scores it 146-138, one judge has it 145-138 and the other judge as it 144-141, all for the winner and still middleweight champion of the world, Archie Moore!

THE AFTERMATH--Concerns about Moore's ability to keep making the weight seem to be unwarranted after Archie's impressive victory over Williams. The excitement generated in some quarters when Burley won the middleweight title from Tony Zale was based on the belief that a very competitive situation would result from breaking down the unofficial color barrier and giving the many great black middleweights a shot at the title. Now a different question is being asked: Can any middleweight give
Moore a real challenge?

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO--Eager to solidify his claim for a title shot, Jake LaMotta traveled to Sunny California for the first time to take on the former California middleweight champion Eddie Booker. Despite Booker's loss of the state title to Jack Chase, boxing promoteres were thought to be not-so-secretly rooting for LaMotta to make a good showing so that he could be touted as the "white hope" challenger to Moore's title. The two men met in Wrigley Field in Los Angeles on December 10, 1943, just four weeks after LaMotta's latest victory over former world welterweight champion Fritzie Zivic in Neew York (a historical bout).

THE FIGHT--Booker looks a little soft around the middle, as if he hadn't trained particularly well for this fight. LaMotta dominates the first round, landing hard blows to the body at close range. In the second, Booker did better but reeled back at one point from what appeared to be a head butt. If the referee saw it, he didn't say anything. LaMotta continued his roughhouse tactics in the third, drawing a warning from the referee to keep his punches up. Booker hurs LaMotta with a hard right midway through the round, but LaMotta kept pounding away inside.

Booker picked up the pace in round four, stunning LaMotta with a good combination then hurting him a short while later with a hard right. LaMotta concentrated on his body attack inside, however, and seemed to be wearing Booker down. LaMotta fought a little more at long range in the fifth, but Booker held his own. Booker boxes defensively in round sixth and the referee finally penalized LaMotta for his fouls, this time for hitting Booker with a backhand against the ropes. LaMotta came out throwing haymakers in the seventh but Williams did a good job protecting himself. About mid-round, the referee warned Booker for what he called an intentional head butt, which shocked the fighter and most of those at ringside. Later in the round, he warned Booker again for holding and hitting. The referee didn't indicate he was deducting any points, however.

LaMotta really stepped up the pact in round eight, apparently wanting a knockout to seal his shot at the title. Booker defended well, but spent most of his time against the ropes. The two men kept fighting after the bell, forcing the referee to step between them to send them to their corners. LaMotta slowed down a bit in the ninth and Booker landed more effective counter punches than at any time previously. He was helped furthere when the referee again took a point away from Jake, this time for holding and hitting.

LaMotta seemed content to fight at long range in the tenth and final round, apparently concerned that after losing two points to fouls he couldn't risk another deduction or even disqualification when he apparently believed he was winning on points. Booker appeared by far the more exhausted and LaMotta still pressed the action throughout the round.

The decisions was a shock to most of those at ringside. While one judge gave it to LaMotta, 46-43, the otherjudge and the referee had it a draw, 45-45 and 44-44, respectively. Jake's corner was incredulous and the fans booed their dissatisfaction.

THE AFTERMATH--LaMotta's supporters claimed their man was the victim of a hometown decision and many of the reporters covering the fight agreed. They all pointed to the two points deducted from LaMotta for fouls, and while they couldn't really complain that Jake didn't file Booker, they contrasted that to the fact that in the seventh round Booker was warned twice with no deductions.

Although Jake didn't lose, the fact that he simply secured a draw against the man dethroned as California middleweight champion by Jack Chase presented Archie Moore with the champion's traditional dilemma: Should he pass over the colorless number one contender, Jack Chase, who would draw peanuts at the gate, and give the title shot to the seemingly less qualified Jake LaMotta in a far more lucrative battle in Madison Square Garden?

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO—Archie Moore receives a hailstorm of criticism from boxing purists and his fellow African-Americans when he by-passes top contender Jack Chase and agrees to defend his title against Jake LaMotta in Madison Square Garden on January 14, 1944. Even so, New York fights fans pile into the arena to see what many regard as the most attractive matchup in the division, between hard-punching cutie Moore and the brawling Bronx Bull, LaMotta.

As an added attraction, Charley Burley takes on Holman Williams on the undercard, with expectations that the winner will be back in the thick of the title picture.

Burley v. Williams

THE FIGHT (undercard)--Early in the first round, Burley sends Williams reeling into the ropes with a hard uppercut. Williams boxes his way out of trouble and scores repeatedly at long range. Burley stays on top of Williams in the second and rocks him with another uppercut. Williams lands several sharp counterpunches early in the third, but a sharp left hook by Burley opens a cut under Williams’ right eye in the middle of the round. Early in the fourth, Williams returns the favor by opening a cut under Burley’s left eye with a right uppercut at close range. Burley fights back, though, and scores with several good punches of his own before the bell.

Coming out for round five, Burley’s cut is still bleeding although Williams’ is not. Accordingly, Burley chooses to box defensively at long range, but still manages to throw and land more punches in a tame round. Burley is not longer bleeding in round six but still chooses to box at long range. Williams decides to press the action but is caught with several sharp counters from Burley. Suddenly, Burley lands a terrific left hook and Williams drops to the canvas. He can’t get up and is counted out in 2:08 of round six!

THE AFTERMATH—Burley’s stunning six-round kayo, coming at a time when he was leading on all three official scorecards, thrust him back into the thick of the title picture despite Moore’s decisive victory over him in their last bout. He immediately challenged Jack Chase, who continues to claim he’s only interested in a title bout with Moore.

Moore v. LaMotta

THE FIGHT (main event)--LaMotta claims he is undertrained for this bout, having had little time to recover from minor injuries he sustained in his fight with Booker. LaMotta came right after Moore from the opening bell, but if he expected Archie to back down he was in for a surprise. Both men landed good punches and the fans were thrilled at the action they were seeing.

Moore surprised LaMotta by working on the inside at the start of round two. He stoped LaMotta cold with a right hook at close range, then was amazed when Referee Arthur Donovan warned him for using his elbows. Moore was nonplussed and soon hurt LaMotta with a hard right at long range. Jake retreated to a neutral corner, where Moore followed up and shook LaMotta with another hard right. LaMotta tried to cover up but Moore rocked him with more blows. At one point it almost looked as if LaMotta might go down, but he grabbed onto the top rope and steadied himself. A hard shot on the top of the head almost caused Jake’s knee to touch the canvas, but he managed to survive the round.

As LaMotta comes out for the third it’s apparent that his left eye is beginning to swell shut. Moore seems to be taking a breather in the first half of the round, but then rocks LaMotta again with a combination and even splits his lip, bringing blood gushing from Jake’s mouth. Moore rocks LaMotta with a crushing right cross to start round four, but Jake returns the favor a few seconds later and manages to hold his own for the rest of the round. LaMotta’s left eye is nearly closed as he comes out for round five, but somehow he seems to be standing up under Moore’s assault and give back as good as he’s taking.

Moore stabs LaMotta repeatedly with stiff jabs in round six. When LaMotta bulls inside, Archie rocks him with hard uppercuts. The action slows somewhat in the seventh as Moore seems to realize that LaMotta can take his best shots and keep coming. LaMotta rushes out at the start of round eight, but Moore rocks him with a hard right. A short time later, the referee warns Moore for holding and hitting. Moore complains but soon is back scoring with hard counterpunches. Near the end of the round a hard left hook has Jake in trouble again.

Early in round nine, LaMotta stops Moore cold with a hard right. Moore tries to keep LaMotta off with his jab, but Jake keeps forcing his way inside. The referee warns LaMotta for rabbit punching. Moore tries to move back at long range, but when LaMotta bulls inside again, Archie stops him with a hard left to the midsection. Moore tries to show Jake he won’t be bullied at close range and as a consequence is penalized by Arthur Donovan for using his elbows.

Archie takes that as an invitation to step up the attack, staggering LaMotta with a fierce uppercut, then following up with a terrific right to jaw. A terrific combination of punches sends LaMotta back against the ropes and opens a serious gash over his right eye. Moore follows up with a series of hard punches to the head. With the blood flowing into Jake’s only good eye (the left now swollen shut), Referee Arthur Donovan steps in and halts the fight at 2:33 of round nine.

At the time of the stoppage, Moore was way ahead on all three scorecards, two of them 7 rounds to 1, the other a shutout, giving all eight rounds to Archie.

THE AFTERMATH—Moore’s stunning T.K.O. victory over LaMotta further solidified his position as king of the middleweights, and the two action-packed battles thrilled the capacity crowd at the Garden. Promoters are unapologetic about making this money match for the title, particularly now that they are faced with the prospect of small gates against either Jack Chase, the defensive specialist, or a third bout with Charley Burley.

Boxing aficionados praise the fact that the best fighters have been getting a shot at the title, but promoters remind reporters that prize fighting is a business, and that “size of the prize” is a function of paying customers in the arena.

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO—Marcel Cerdan was the European welterweight champion at the outbreak of World War II. He enlisted in the French Navy once war broke out, but when Paris fell to the Nazis, he returned to boxing in occupied France. When he knocked out the Spanish middleweight champion Jose Ferrer in Paris on September 30, 1942, the German’s were angered. Cerdan wisely got his papers together and escaped to unoccupied France, specifically Algeria. There he continued to box for the duration of the war.

In this scenario, Cerdan is encouraged by DeGaulle and the Free French to travel to the United States to take on the world’s top middleweights and present a fighting French face to the American people. His first bout is in New York City on January 17, 1944, against Coley Welch, a talented middleweight from Portland, Maine, who hasn’t lost a fight in two years.

THE FIGHT--Coley Welch looks a little soft, as if he had undertrained. Cerdan rushes out at the opening bell and floors Welch with a hard right just under the ribcage. Welch gets up at the count of six, but is wobbly. Cerdan presses Welch against the ropes, but Coley tries to hold on. Cerdan staggers Welsh with a hard left hook, then follows up with a crushing right. Welch sways and rolls under the barrage of punches but somehow manages to last the round.

Cerdan stalks Welch at the start of round two. A terrific uppercut to the jaw has Coley in trouble again. Cerdan keeps pressing his advantage while Welch remains on the defensive. Welch tries to stay at long range in the third, but Cerdan keeps moving inside. A hard left hook to the midsection forces Welch to bend over and Cerdan again drives him into the ropes. A right cross gets through Welch’s defenses, but he again manages to protect himself through the end of the round.

Welch gets off to a quicker start in round four, stopping Cerdan in his tracks with a sharp jab to the mouth. Cerdan continues to stalk his man, but a sharp combination of punches to the head opens a cut over Cerdan’s right eye. The cut doesn’t slow down Marcel’s pursuit, but clearly it is Welch’s best round so far in the fight.

Welch continues trying to box at long range in the fifth while Cerdan keeps bulling his way inside. A hard right cross by Cerdan hurts Welch, and Marcel follows up with a good left uppercut to the chin inside. Welch tries to jab Cerdan away but to no avail, as Marcel pounds the body at close range. Action slows down in the sixth as Cerdan is warned for using his elbows when he finally does get in close.

In the seventh, Welch begins to outbox Cerdan at long range and even hurts him with a hard left hook. The cut over Cerdan’s right eye has been bleeding ever since the fourth round. Early in round eight, Cerdan snaps Welch’s head back with a terrific left hook. Welch’s legs turn to jelly. Marcel tries to follow up and rights a left-right-left combination to the head. Welch appears to be on the verge of going down when Cerdan suddenly stops and allows a mutual clinch, perhaps indicating that he is tiring from the terrific pace he’s set so far in the fight.

Early in round nine, Cerdan lands a devastating right cross that has Welch’s eyes rolling back in his head. Incredibly, Coley stays on his feet. Although Welch looks exhausted, he actually outfights Cerdan as the Frenchman tries to follow up with wild swings. Welch comes out for the tenth and final round knowing that he is behind. He stung Cerdan with a hard right, but then a right uppercut inside by Marcel dropped Welch like a sack of potatoes.

Somehow the exhausted Welch manages to pull himself to his feet at the count of 8. Cerdan chases Welch to the ropes, raining lefts and rights on his head but to no avail. Apparently Cerdan is tiring as well, for his blows don’t seem to be hurting Welch. Near the end of the round, Welch gamely tries to fight back but at the final bell, the crowd is cheering for Cerdan as the apparent victory, while giving Welch credit for a game performance.

The final decision is not in doubt, the referee and one judge scoring it 7-3 and the other judge making it 8-2, all for Marcel Cerdan.

THE AFTERMATH—Cerdan’s successful American debut (which predates his historic debut here by nearly three years) puts him in the thick of the title mix. The American public has mixed emotions about him, their fondness for the brave Free French forces continuing to struggle against Hitler balanced against their wondering why this skillful young French athlete isn’t back home struggling with them. In any event, the consensus is that he’s a fight or two away from a title shot at least.

[Jack Robby]

THE SCENARIO—Responding to criticism for passing over number one contender Jack Chase to defend his title against Jake LaMotta, the top-ranked white contender, Moore agreed to meet Chase at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on February 25, 1944.

THE FIGHT--Both men box cautiously in the opening round, although Moore lands a hard left hook to the chin and later sinks a good left to the midsection. Moore opens up in the second, however, hurting Chase with a left then stopping him cold with a terrific right cross. He follows up with a three-punch combination, left-right-left, that has Chase holding on. As they break apart, a cut is visible under Chase’s right eye. Later in the round, Moore landed a hard hook off a jab, then hurts Chase with a hard right uppercut to the jaw.

Moore is stalking Chase from the opening bell of round three. About a minute into the round, Moore catches Chase with a short, sharp left hook that drops the challenger for a 7-count. Moore tries to finish his opponent off but is wild and Chase manages to survive the round with the cut still bleeding beneath his right eye. Early in round four, Moore nearly buckles Chase’s knees with a right uppercut at close range. Chase is now bleeding from cuts above and below the right eye. Several winging rights at long range have Chase staggered and hurt but Moore is unable to finish him off.

Chase opens the fifth round by missing a wild right. Moore counters with a right to the chin that turns the challenger’s legs to jelly. He reaches for the ropes to stabilize himself. Moore stabs a hard jab to the mouth, then gets the better of an exchange of blows with Chase backed against the ropes. Moore staggers Chase with a right uppercut. Chase tries to fight back but another uppercut has in trouble again. Moore hooks a hard right to the jaw inside, then lands a stinging left as Chase sinks to the canvas. He doesn’t move throughout the ten count.

The winner and still middleweight champion of the world by knockout in 2:46 of the fifth round—Archie Moore!

AFTERMATH—Moore’s dominance of the middleweight division continues to represent the greatest threat to the revival of wartime prizefighting. No wonder promoters are eagerly watching the revival of the French middleweight Marcel Cerdan with interest, and the clear hope that he will emerge as a serious title contender. Also promising is the rumor that the gifted welterweight, Sugar Ray Robinson, may be discharged early from the U.S. Army and return to the ring.