Lew Jenkins took on Tippy Larkin in March of 1940 / Photo courtesy of Antiquities of the Prize Ring

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By Andrew Fruman

Picking up from where we left off on Tuesday (March 5 to 11, 1910 & 1920), we're moving on to the years 1930, 1940 and 1950 for the week of March 5 to 11.

In this edition...

• Maxie Rosenbloom vs Larry Johnson - New York, March 10, 1930
  
• Eddie Mack vs Goldie Hess - Los Angeles, March 11, 1930
  
• Lew Jenkins vs Tippy Larkin - New York, March 8, 1940
  
• Bob Montgomery vs Al Nettlow - Philadelphia, March 11, 1940
• Rocky Graziano vs Bob Curcio - Miami, March 6, 1950
• Arthur King vs Rafael Lastre - Toledo, March 7, 1950
• Plus plenty more news and fight reports...

1930

March 5…

Irish born New York fighter Bartley Madden (pictured left, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) died after falling twenty feet from the steps of Treasury Building in Washington D.C. The fighter had stopped in the capital for a sight-seeing trip on the way home from Miami, where he had unsuccessfully sought a bout with Young Stribling.

Before succumbing to his injuries at the hospital, Madden said he was almost penniless and had been heading back to New York to take care of his son Bartley Jr., as his wife Anna had passed away three weeks earlier.

A professional fighter for almost two decades, the 39 year old had fought many of the best big men of the era, only being stopped on one occasion by Gene Tunney, who referred to the Irishman as one of the most courageous fighters he’d ever met.

March 7…

In a battle of local middleweights at the Broadway auditorium in Buffalo, Harry Fuller dropped Frankie Schoell four times en route to a 10 round decision victory.

According to the United Press, Fuller’s "youth and strength" were too much for Schoell’s "speed and skill". The younger man did have one particularly rough moment though, when he was dropped for a nine count in the third round.

It was the second win in quick succession for Fuller over Schoell.  The Niagara Falls fighter had also been victorious when the two had met in another 10 rounder a week earlier at the same location.

March 10…

Before 12,000 spectators at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Harlem fighter Maxie Rosenbloom (173 ½) won by a sixth round disqualification over Larry Johnson (174 ½) of Chicago.

Rosenbloom (pictured right, Antiquities of the Prize Ring), who had been cut badly on the forehead after a clash of heads in the second session, was slightly out in front at the time the bout ended. His non-stop swarming attack kept the big hitting Johnson off balance for the most part, but the visiting man had landed his share of heavy right hands.

The disqualification of Johnson was justified, for Referee Patsy Haley had no other course, since the blow was palpably erratic, although unintentionally so.

The finish came after the sixth round had gone exactly twenty-nine seconds, and put and end to a battle which started in the whirlwind fashion characteristic of Rosenbloom and waxed warmer and more exciting as it progressed. The foul blow was a long left aimed for the body as the men raced together at close quarters. Under its impact Rosenbloom sank to the floor.

– James P. Dawson

Haley hesitated to disqualify Johnson immediately, but after conferring with the two ringside judges, made the call.

Buffalo light-heavyweight Lou Scozza (169 ½) also featured on the card winning an exciting 10 round decision against Rosey Rosales (171) of Cleveland. The Times had Scozza in front by 8 rounds to 2, with Rosales having the edge in the second and seventh sessions. It was Scozza’s first bout since losing his title shot against Jimmy Slattery a month earlier.

March 11…

At the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, flashy lightweight Eddie Mack of Denver, had the better of local fighter Goldie Hess. It was the second meeting between the pair, with Mack having gained a disputed verdict back in September of the previous year.

Hess nearly scored knockdowns on a couple of occasions after connecting with heavy left hooks, but it was Mack that scored the points win. The Los Angeles Times had the bout 5-3 with 2 even.

Not your average pugilist, Mack has been fighting to pay his way through school and recently graduated with a degree in philosophy from St. Regis University.

1940

March 6…

Canadian boxing trainer Charlie Mendoza died suddenly in front of the Old Pal’s Gymnasium in Toronto. The 75 year old trainer had worked the corner of Georgie Pace in the Cleveland fighter’s title clash with Lou Salica only two nights earlier…

Mendoza was long associated with boxing in Toronto and acted as trainer for Pace in the champion’s thirteen fights in Toronto. Despite his age he was very spry.

– Globe & Mail

Pace and his manager George Stanley had returned to Cleveland the day before Mendoza’s passing. The fighter was reported to have suffered a hand during the bout, and was forced to cancel engagements scheduled against Tony Olivera in San Francisco and Pablo Dano in New York.

March 8…

At Madison Square Garden in New York, big hitting Texan Lew Jenkins (134 ½) won a showdown of highly rated young lightweights in spectacular style with a one round knockout of Tippy Larkin (135 ½).

The bout started cautiously with both fighters probing with their jabs looking for openings, before Jenkins (pictured right, Harry E. Winkler) unloaded...

Jenkins disposed of the New Jersey entrant in only 2 minutes 41 seconds of fighting, sending him down for the full count with a straight right to the chin and a lightning follow-up to the jaw, delivered while Larkin was falling.

Larkin landed squarely on his face in his corner, his head beyond the ropes. He rolled slightly in a prodigious effort to adjust himself while Referee Pete Hartley tolled the count into his unheeding ears.

– Joseph C. Nichols, New York Times

Larkin was attended to in the corner by Dr. William Walker, and it was not before several minutes had passed that the fighter regained his bearings.

The bout had been scheduled for the 15 round distance, as the two fighters were considered by the NYSAC to be the leading contenders for a crack at the 135lb crown held by Lou Ambers. After the bout, Gardens promoter Mike Jacobs wasted no time announcing that Jenkins would be matched with Ambers for May 10 at the Garden.

The under-card featured an eight round draw between Chicago fighter Pete Lello (137 ¼) and Tony Marteliano (140) of New York’s East Side.

The bout was bitterly contested from first bell to last, and the warriors received a mighty ovation when it was over.

- Joseph C. Nichols

Lello nearly scored a knock-out early in the bout, dropping the local man late in the second session, only for the bell to ring at the count on 9 with Martinello still on his knees.

March 11…

Local middleweight Coley Welch (162) rebounded from a first round knockdown to win a ten round unanimous decision from Frankie Nelson (157) at the Exposition Building in Portland, Maine.

Welch used a heavy body attack to get back in the fight and had the better of the later rounds, although the decision in favour of the hometown fighter was not popular with the crowd.

* * * *

At the Arena in Philadelphia, 21 year old local lightweight Bob Montgomery (136) needed a couple of second round knockdowns to edge out a 10 round decision from Detroit’s Al Nettlow (140). The two fighters had battled to an exciting draw at the same venue six weeks earlier.

A capacity crowd of 9,000 that paid a gross of approximately $11,000 saw the Detroiter stagger to his corner at the end of the second round, his face covered with blood from cuts on the eye, nose and mouth. He managed to weather the third round by constant backing up, then came on with a great rally that earned him an even break as far as rounds was concerned.

– Associated Press

Nettlow’s manager Al Weill – also the manager of lightweight champion Lou Ambers – said he would consider giving Montgomery (pictured left, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) a crack at the title in June. Ambers of course is slated to face Lew Jenkins in May.

1950

March 6…

Before a crowd of 7,500 at Miami Stadium, former middleweight champion Rocky Graziano (162 ¼) made very short work of Joe Curcio (153 ½). Curcio came charging out of the gate, taking the fight to the big punching Graziano (pictured right, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) for the opening two minutes…

Graziano, making a bid for a fight this summer with Jake LaMotta to regain his middleweight crown, rolled with the punches, none of which appeared to hurt him.

The fighters had reached Curcio’s corner when Graziano loosed a one-two jab to the stomach that straightened the Newark fighter up for the knockout. Graziano then threw a right and a left to Curcio’s face and dropped him with a right cross to the jaw.

– United Press

March 7…

On the strength of a strong late round rally, Manuel Ortiz (132) edged out his one time nemesis Harold Dade (128 ½) over 10 rounds at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Three years earlier as a 12 to 1 underdog, Dade (pictured left, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) had pulled off one of the sport’s all-time greatest upsets by defeating Ortiz and capturing the bantamweight title over 15 rounds in San Francisco. Ortiz won his crown back two months later in Los Angeles, although many observers felt Dade had done enough to keep his title.

On this occasion it was clear that both fighters were mere shadows of their former selves.

Ortiz, hog-fat at 132 pounds dropped Dade with a sharp right to the chin for a no-count in the last round to win the fight. He had the willowy Negro tottering at the final bell, yet Ortiz would have deserved to lose the fight had he not summoned his last ounce of energy to finish like the champion that he is – or used to be.

Dade, who has gone back as far as Ortiz – and that’s quite a distance – confounded the crowd by actually outslugging the El Centro Mexican throughout much of the fight.

– Frank Finch, Los Angeles Times

The ref scored the bout 56-54 for Dade, while the two judges had Ortiz out in front 57 ½-52 ½ and 58-52.

* * * *

British Empire and Canadian lightweight champion Arthur King (138 ½) took a ten round decision from Rafael Lastre (138 ½) at the Sports Arena in Toledo.

Artie King, British Empire lightweight champion shaded Raphael Lastre of Cuba in their 10-round bout, showing just a trifle more speed than the Cuban, beating him just a fraction to the punch and being just a a shade too clever on the infighting.

– Lou Klewer, Toledo Blade

The two fighters had originally been scheduled to face off in Toledo on January 31, but King was forced to pull out with the flu. Lew Jenkins took the Canadian’s place that night, and was knocked out by Lastre in the 10th round.

The show also featured former middleweight contender Anton Raadik (166). Now on the downside of his career, the rugged Estonian knocked out local fighter Bobby "Kid Alphonso" Hughes (164) in the 9th round of a scheduled 10. Raadik kept the pressure on throughout, gradually grinding Hughes down until he finished the exhausted fighter off with a left hook.

In another 10 rounder on the card, Virginia light-heavyweight Reuben Jones (175 ½ ) was far too quick for Irishman Charles Patrick Henry (172 ½).  Henry was staggered several times over the last few rounds, and although bleeding badly from a cut by his left eye, made it to the finish.

March 10…

Freddie Herman (140) nailed Harold "Baby Face" Jones (140) repeatedly with straight right hands on the way a unanimous decision victory at Hollywood Legion Stadium.

Jones, who gave Enrique Bolanos and Art Aragon ac ouple of tough fights here last year, won only one round – the fourth. He held Freddie even in the first and 10th, but aside from those infrequent flurries he took quite a pasting.

The southpaw, at times looked like the heavier hitter but he let the clever Herman take the play away. Freddie beat Baby Face to the punch nine times out of 10.

– Frank Finch, Los Angeles Times

For more great boxing photos of the past, make sure to visit Antiquities of the Prize Ring.

Check back in next week for more of The Boxing Bulletin's History Corner as we move on to the week of March 12 to 18.

e-mail Andrew Fruman