Owen Moran was in action against Harlem Tommy Murphy in February of 1910 / photo courtesy of Cyber Boxing Zone

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By Andrew Fruman

We're back with another edition of the History Corner.  Today, we've got news and fight reports from February 26 to March 4, for the years 1910 and 1920.  On Thursday, we'll be moving on to 1930, 1940 and 1950.

Check out last week's editions of the History Corner: February 19 to 25, 1910 & 1920
& February 19 to 25, 1930, 1940 & 1950

In this edition...

• Owen Moran vs Harlem Tommy Murphy - San Francisco, February 28, 1910
• Pal Moore vs Al Delmont - Boston, March 1, 1910
• Eugene Brosseau vs Roddy McDonald, Canadian middleweight title - Halifax, March 2, 1920
• Jimmy Wilde vs Patsy Wallace - Philadelphia, March 3, 1920
• Plus plenty more news and fight reports...

1910

February 28…

In a battle of lightweight contenders at Dreamland Park in San Francisco, Referee Eddie Smith awarded Harlem Tommy Murphy a contentious 20 round verdict over Owen Moran. The Englishman reportedly had the better of the contest until Murphy started a late round rally in the fifteenth.

Moran was hopping man and vehemently protested when Smith raised Murphy’s hand at the close of the bout. Many in the crowd were in agreement that Moran deserved a better shake, believing the Englishman deserved a draw at the very least.

The 15th was the best round of the fight and marked the turning point in favour of the New Yorker. He jarred his opponent frequently with left hooks and left hand swings to the jaw, Moran countering with right stomach punches.

In the 18th round the Harlem fighter dazed the little Englishman with a succession of left chops on the jaw. Moran, however, came up strong in the last round, forced the fighting and at one time had Murphy in distress. The fight ended with both men strong and fighting hard.

– Associated Press

In his story on the fight in the following day’s Oakland Tribune, referee Smith explained his decision…

No one with half an eye for the game is claiming Moran as a winner, however, and that is the best indication in the world that Murphy had the better of the bout. Murphy and Moran are so well matched and have boxed together so many times that they know the style employed by the other so well that unless decisions were rendered on a small margin the men would be able to fight a draw every time they stepped in the ring.

– Eddie Smith

Smith went on to argue out that Murphy has an awkward defensive style and that many of Moran’s punches that might have appeared to land, were actually blocked by the New Yorkers arms and gloves. Smith had Moran up by a slight margin at the end of 12, but felt Murphy’s work over the remaining sessions, especially at close quarters, more than made up the difference.

More from the writer/referee…

Were it not for the game stand the Englishman took in the last round and the hurricane finish he made, the fans would have been unanimous in saying Murphy won.

Moran in this round fought back with desperation, however, and although Murphy had the better of the round, the Englishman did just enough good work to cause his backers to believe he should have been given a draw. As has already been said, the decision was a close one and were the writer looking for popularity he would have called it a draw, it is my honest opinion that Murphy had a fair margin and by the actual counts of punches landed and leads made, he was entitled to the verdict.

– Eddie Smith

March 1…

In the main attraction of a 3 bout show at the Armory A.A. in Boston, much talked about Pal Moore easily beat local fighter Al Delmont. Using his jab to constantly disrupt his opponent’s rhythm, Moore won just about every round but was not his usual flashy self.

Moore’s manager blamed the lacklustre showing on a tough scrap the youngster had two nights earlier against Tommy O’Toole in Philadelphia. In a fast paced bout that had the crowd at the National A.C. on their feet, O’Toole had pushed Moore hard in a six rounder that was almost too close to call.

The Armory A.A. show had intended to feature a match-up of Boston vs Philadelphia in each of the contests, but local fighter Eddie Murphy could not show for his bout with Tommy O’Keefe and was replaced by Harry Scroggs of Baltimore.

Having only got off the train a few hours earlier, and not being in the best of shape, Scroggs did not make a good showing. O’Keefe was in control from the start, and scored a second round knockdown with a right hand to the body. O’Keefe scored another body shot knockdown in the eighth that prompted the sponge to come flying in from the Scroggs corner.

The opening bout of the show between Boston’s Eddie Shevlin and Philadelphia’s Willie Moody proved to be the best of the night.

Despite being at a weight disadvantage of "at least 10 pounds," Moody did most of the forcing, and staggered Shevlin several times in the early going with right hands. All the while, Shevlin responded with a dedicated body attack that combined with his size edge gradually took the steam out of the visiting man. By the late rounds, Shevlin had asserted control and was the winner at the end of the 10.

* * * *

Battling Nelson will be accompanied on his recuperation trip to his ranch in New Mexico by a surgeon. The former lightweight champion will be having treatment done on his cauliflower ear, as well as having close tabs kept on his overall physical condition.

Also in the news, the manager of Ad Wolgast announced that "no boxer under his management will meet a colored man." This declaration came in response to a challenge from former lightweight champion Joe Gans.

March 2…

Enjoying a weight advantage of "easily twenty pounds," Jack Fitzgerald of Philadelphia used a steady body attack to wear out the Dixie Kid at the Sharkey Athletic Club in New York. The Kid was in distress in the ninth from a big left hook to the body, but managed to hang on tight and survive the round, and last out the tenth as well…

"Fitzgerald earned a clear decision for his perfect condition at the end of the bout, for his clean blows, and the manner in which he had forced the fight from the start."

– New York Times

1920

February 27…

After seven tedious rounds at Toronto’s Massey Hall, Referee Lou Marsh decided that neither Mike Paulson of Minnesota nor Mel Stevenson of Pittsburgh were trying, and called a halt to their scheduled 10 rounder. The welterweights had been warned repeatedly to do something fighting, before the bout was ended…

They mauled through five rounds about as interesting as a frog concert and were warned by Referee Marsh to loosen up and show something beside a pair of gloves. They tried for a while, but they hadn’t anything to show and as the spectators were trailing homeward, disgusted, the official did a Swiss bell-ringing act on the gong, and waved the boys to the dressing room.

– Toronto Daily Star

February 28…

Heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey and his manager Jack Kearns (pictured together, Library of Congress) were charged with conspiring to evade the draft by a federal grand jury.  Dempsey had spoken on the matter the previous day when he learned the grand jury were planning to indict him…

"When the facts are laid before the federal court I am certain the whole thing will be shown as a trumped up case to injure me because I have reached the top."

- Jack Dempsey

Jack Kearns also commented on the matter…

"We have proof that Dempsey was ready to do whatever he was ordered to do by his draft board. The charges are absurd and the case will give us a chance to prove this."

- Jack Kearns

March 1…

In a non-title contest at the Olympia A.C. in Philadelphia, middleweight champion Mike O’Dowd stopped Jack McCarron of Allentown in the second round of a scheduled six. The champion dropped his opponent three times in the opening round, and when McCarron was put down again in the following round, his seconds threw in the towel.

March 2…

In front of 3,000 spectators at the Armouries in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Eugene Brosseau captured the vacant Canadian middleweight title by defeating local fighter Roddy McDonald.

The big punching McDonald, who had briefly held the title years earlier, had his moments in the contest, but was eventually finished by the crafty Montreal fighter in the fourteenth round. McDonald was unconscious for five minutes after the stoppage.

March 3…

World flyweight champion Jimmy Wilde (pictured left, Library of Congress) was in impressive form at the National A.C. in Philadelphia. His opponent Patsy Wallace came out looking to mix it up in the opening round, but the Welshman quickly sent the local fighter into retreat…

When Wallace came out of his corner at the start, he tried two or three exchanges and took the lead in the round, but a left hook near the end that showed him the power behind those long arms of Wilde drove him to cover.

From then on until the sixth, it was Wilde, Wilde, Wilde. At time it seemed as though he had a couple of his triplet brothers helping him out. He was all over Wallace and won the second, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds by a wide margin, with the third even.

- Newswire Report

Check back in on Thursday for more of The Boxing Bulletin's History Corner as we move on to the years 1930, 1940 and 1950 for the week of February 26 to March 4.

e-mail Andrew Fruman