The Boxing Bulletin History Corner: April 23-29, 1930, 1940 & 1950

By Andrew Fruman

Picking up from where we left off last time (April 23 to 29, 1910 & 1920), we're moving on to the years 1930, 1940 and 1950 for the week of April 23 to 29.

In this edition...

• Kid Chocolate vs Johnny Erickson - Toronto, April 28, 1930
• Tommy Loughran vs Ernie Schaaf - Philadelphia, April 28, 1930
• Tony Olivera vs Little Dado - bantamweight title (California version) - Oakland, April 24, 1940
• Charley Burley vs Sam Edwards - New Orleans, April 26, 1940
• Henry Armstrong vs Paul Junior - world welterweight title - Boston, April 26, 1940
• Armand Savoie vs Alan McFater - Toronto, April 24, 1950
• Terry Allen vs Honore Pratesi - world flyweight title - London, April 25, 1950
• Plus plenty more fight reports and pugilistic news of the times...

1930

April 23...

At the Arcadia Pavilion in Oakland, top 10 ranked New York middleweight Jack McVey (157) won a ten round decision victory over San Francisco fighter Joe Roche (159).  The bout was the first for McVey (pictured, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) on the West Coast.

McVey’s body punches had Roche on the run in several rounds and he won four of the sessions. Roche had an edge in three rounds while three were even.

McVey forced the fighting most of the way and took Roche’s hardest punches to the chin without noticeable effect.

– Associated Press

April 28…

Kid Chocolate (124 ½) outclassed Johnny Erickson (123) in front of 7,000 somewhat disappointed spectators at the Coliseum in Toronto. Erickson spent the entire bout either wading forward unsuccessfully or covering up, while the brilliant Cuban never appeared interested in doing more than necessary.

According to the Globe & Mail’s report, Chocolate was placing his hardest punches "intentionally or otherwise" on Erickson’s arms, while taking the sting off anything aimed at a vital spot. On several occasions, Chocolate was warned by referee Lou E. Marsh to start fighting, and he responded with brief spurts of activity, before taking it easy again. At the end of the tenth round, Marsh chose not to hand in a scorecard, explaining that an exhibition did not need a verdict. The two judges handed in their slips for Chocolate.

It was on the books for Erickson to stay those ten rounds – and he stayed, thanks to the charity of the colored thunderbolt, who pulled and placed his punches all the way through the piece.

– Lou E. Marsh, Toronto Star

 Initially, Chocolate’s purse was upheld, but a post-fight doctor’s examination revealed an injury to the base of the fighter’s left thumb and he was paid in full. The fighters seconds had protested vigorously during the bout that Chocolate’s hands were hurting, at one stage explaining that it would be foolish to risk "a million dollar pair of hands" on a third rate opponent when he could win in a walk.

The spectators were already in a surly mood thanks to the semi-final bout, a flyweight clash won by Black Bill over Routier Parra. The Cuban was the busier of the two fighters, doing his best work to the body in close, while Parra landed the harder shots from long range. It was reportedly a close bout, but the spectators strongly favored the work done by the Chilean…

…those who did not agree with the verdict showered abuse upon the referee and master of ceremonies which is a habit of disgruntled fight fans…. Anyway it was a good looking bout – lots of swings and thuds and a smart exchange of Spanish… it sounded like a mess of real sassy fighting talk – the kind that concerns the immediate ancestry of the one under verbal fire.

– Lou E. Marsh

* * * *

At the Arena in Philadelphia, two hundred policemen were needed to quell a near riot after referee Leo Houck awarded Ernie Schaaf (200) the decision over hometown star Tommy Loughran (189).

Loughran used his jab and footwork to control the action early, only for the youthful Schaaf (pictured, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) to come on very strong over what was a thrilling second half. Both fighters emerged from the rugged ten rounder bleeding from cuts around the face and eyes, though Schaaf was comparatively much fresher than his spent rival.

A year ago Loughran, then holder of the light heavyweight title won a decision over Schaaf in Boston. But last night he found the Boston gob a greatly improved fighter. Loughran still the clever boxer of old, was excellent in that department, but Schaaf was by far the better fighter.

– Associated Press

Houck was called on to decide the bout after the two judges failed to agree on the verdict, one voting for Loughran and the other a draw. He explained his decision (5-3, 2 even) to the press after the bout by pointing out Schaaf’s harder punching had off-set Loughran’s advantage in skill. The beleaguered third man luckily managed to slip away before most of the spectators had made their way to the ring.

1940

April 23…

Dave Castilloux (134 ¼) won an eight round decision over Wesley Ramey (135 ½) before a crowd of 5,000 at the New York Coliseum. The Canadian lightweight champion lead throughout, raising a welt under Ramey’s right eye in the opening round, and dropping the Grand Rapids fighter for an 8 count in the third session with a left hand to the jaw.

Castilloux has developed his boxing skill to the degree where real students of the game go into ecstasy at sight of him in action. He slips punches with a slight movement of his head. He catches blows on his elbows and gloves. He is a master of the all but forgotten trick of side-stepping a rushing opponent and countering with a telling blow. He is a sharp puncher and never throws one until an opening presents itself. A lightweight, he has the shoulders and back of a middleweight…

But, now that he has arrived on the threshold of a title match with Lou Ambers, managers of other leading contenders either want no part of him or name prohibitive terms.

– Associated Press

April 24…

NBA flyweight champion Little Dado (115 ½) claimed the world bantamweight title – at least as far as California is concerned - with a clear cut ten round decision over Tony Olivera (117) at the Auditorium in Oakland.

Dado (left) and Olivera promoting the bout, April 14, 1940 / Antiquities of the Prize Ring

Even with the muddled bantamweight title picture, the bout’s title credentials were shaky at best, as Olivera had weighed in at 119 – a pound over the limit for his "title victory" over Lou Salica back in December. Salica had defeated Olivera in November for the vacant title as recognized by California and New York in a bout both fighters entered under the limit. 

Dado was a relentless little speedster, who stepped around his bewildered opponent at will and peppered Tony with lefts and rights to head and body.

Particularly effective was a swinging left hand to the jaw, which seldom failed to miss its mark. And even at body punching, in which Olivera was believed to excel, the Filipino was tops.

– Alan Ward, Oakland Tribune

Ward had Dado in front seven rounds to one, with two even. Ward had the third all square, and gave Olivera an even break during a thrilling sixth, a round in which the San Francisco fighter recovered from an early deficit to rattle his Bay Area rival with a series of right hands. A cautious Dado lost the seventh, before regaining control in the eighth on route to the comfortable decision win.

Olivera’s manager Joe Herman protested bitterly after the bout, accusing referee Jimmy Duffy with giving Dado every advantage when the fighters came together…

"Every time Olivera started working his body punches, Duffy broke them up. When a normal clinch was cleared by Jimmy, he invariably scolded Tony for holding.

"Why, he had the kid so upset as early as the fourth round. Tony couldn’t fight his natural style. We know we didn’t have a chance unless Dado was kayoed."

– Joe Herman

Ward agreed that there were a few times when Duffy was quick on the break when it looked like Olivera was getting good work done to the body, but felt that Dado was so superior on the night to his listless opponent, that these occurrences were irrelevant in deciding the outcome.

• On December 11, 1939, the NBA named Dado as the successor to Peter Kane as flyweight champion, after the California based Filipino agreed to meet any flyweight selected by the Association.

* * * *

At the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, middleweight champion Ceferino Garcia (156) stopped one time contender Allen Mathews (162) in the fourth round of a scheduled ten.

Mathews was saved by the bell at the end of the third after being dropped by an overhand right from the big hitting Garcia (pictured, Antiquities of the Prize Ring). Mathews needed help getting to his corner, and a series of lefts hand rights seconds into the fourth had him the tough Missouri fighter on the canvas once more, prompting one of his seconds to jump in and end the contest.

April 25…

Boxing manager Joe Jacobs (pictured with Max Schmeling, Antiquities of the Prize Ring), famous for coining the famous phrase "We Wuz Robbed," passed away suddenly at the age of 43 after collapsing in the office of a heart specialist.  The fight manager had complained earlier in the day of not feeling well after attending a newsreel shoot at his fighter Tony Galento's bar to promote Galento's upcoming bout with Max Baer.

He was best known as the manager of Max Schmeling of Germany, who won the world heavyweight title in 1930 under the management of Mr. Jacobs, and also as the manager of Tony Galento, who was piloted into a match with champion Joe Louis largely through the efforts of Mr. Jacobs.  In addition he managed other champions, including Andre Routis, once featherweight titleholder, and Mike McTigue, former light-heavyweight champion.

For years he had been a familiar figure in boxing centers and fight camps, whether guiding one of his own fighters or passing judgment on others.  In the course of his carer he made and spent a fortune.  But in whatever circumstance he happened to be he was always jaunty, with a cigar tilted at the corner of his mouth.

- New York Times

April 26…

Charley Burley (151) had little difficulty blasting out late replacement Sam Edwards (164) at the Coliseum Arena in New Orleans. Burley (pictured, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) dropped the local fighter for a nine count in the opening round, and finished him with a blow to the solar plexus in the second. The gate for the event was only $329, blamed by the New Orleans Times-Picayune on the lack of a quality opponent for the classy Pittsburgh fighter.

Burley’s original opponent, veteran Baltimore middleweight Willie Jones was forced to pull out with an injury, and in scrambling to find a replacement, matchmaker Paul Grey had tried to pull a fast one that didn’t work. Grey brought in Willie Neyland from Houston, under the guise that he’d be fighting Jones – not Burley.

When the fighter and his manager Bill Davee arrived in New Orleans and discovered who the opponent really was, they turned around and went right back to Houston. That left Edwards to step in, and the local car washer took a pummelling for his troubles, although he told the press that he would fine for work on Monday.

* * * *

In front of a big Boston Garden crowd, welterweight champion Henry Armstrong (139 ½) stopped a game Paul Junior (141) of Lewiston, Maine in the seventh round of a scheduled fifteen. Though the National Boxing Association refused to sanction the contest as a title bout, the win went into the books as the sixteenth title defense for Hammering Henry.

The NBA’s reasoning was based on Junior – the reigning New England lightweight champion - not being a legit welter, and understandable considering the number of quality contenders in the 147lb class waiting for a crack at the crown. The spectators didn’t seem to mind though, as a the paid attendance totalled 16,469 – just 38 short of the New England indoor record set 10 years earlier.

The welterweight champ sends Junior to the canvas / Antiquities of the Prize Ring

It was a toe to toe, shoulder to shoulder affair and though Junior was dropped twice by hooks upstairs in the opening round, the underdog settled down and actually may have had an edge in the second and third sessions thanks to some crisp uppercuts in close. No doubt the fans loved the 32 year old resliancy, especially the 5,000 that had made the trip from Maine, but any hopes of a Cinderella tale evaporated in the fifth, when Armstrong made some adjustments and battered Junior, first from slightly longer range and then from in close with jarring hooks.

The sixth was more one way traffic, with Junior dropped for a nine count and punished badly on the inside…

The first hard blow of the seventh, a zipping right to the jaw, dropped Junior again and after he took another nine count, Armstrong set himself for the kill. As Junior struggled to his feet, Armstrong leaped at him and was battering him down when the referee intervened, after a minute and five seconds.

– Bill King, Associated Press

Armstrong received a $15,000 guarantee, while Junior, reportedly a veteran of over 300 professional fights, received a career high pay day, 15% of the $38,855 gate.

April 29…

In a battle of contenders – one a welter and the other only a featherweight - the Cocoa Kid (145) won a majority decision ten rounder over Californian Chalky Wright (130) in Baltimore.

Wright had an edge in the first and second rounds, before the sharp jabbing Kid’s slick skills took over. The Puerto Rican held his edge until the ninth when the big hitting Wright (pictured, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) again came on strong to make it close.

The Kid’s superior boxing, longer reach, plus the added weight off-set Wright’s heavier punching. There were no knockdowns and neither boxer was in distress at any time.

– Associated Press

* * * *

Mike Jacobs announced that the expected rematch between Joe Louis and Arturo Godoy was a go, and would be taking place at Yankee Stadium on June 20.

1950

April 24…

In a bout the Globe & Mail called the "most stirring scrap in this city in years," 8 to 5 underdog Armand Savoie (132 ½) stopped highly touted Alan McFater (137 ½) in the seventh round of a scheduled eight at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens.  Though having represented Canada at the 1948 Olympics and hailed in Montreal as the heir apparent to Johnny Greco, the big hitting Savoie was mostly unknown to Toronto fans, and the result was a surprise to the 6,000 in attendance.

There was nothing strange about Savoie’s knockout victory. The just-turned-20 French-Canadian was full measure for the smashing upset.

Savoie is made of steel cables, has a washboard for a midriff, belts like an explosion with a short right or a left hook, is fast with feet and fists, cool, and something even his management wasn’t too sure of, he takes a punch well.

– Joe Perlove, Toronto Star

After a closely contested opening three rounds, Savoie broke through in the fourth, nearly finishing McFater with a short right hand. In that session, the local nineteen year old was saved only by the bell, after Savoie’s follow-up assault had him stumbling all over the ring on unsteady legs.

McFater managed to battle his way back into the fight over the next couple rounds, but couldn’t turn away Savoie’s charge in the seventh. Savoie sent McFater crashing down for a nine count with a right hand on the chin, and finished him off with a two handed flurry.

… it’s tough to see a promising comer KO’d for the first time in his career. Even the veteran fight fans in the crowd stood there silently and a little awed as one of the best-looking little scrappers to appear in Toronto in years shakily crawled through the ropes after they’d swabbed the red off his face, and started that long, cruel trek back to the loser’s dressing room – past the quiet mob lined there on either side of him.

– Bruce West, Globe & Mail

April 25…

Englishman Terry Allen (111 ¾) held off Honore Pratesi (110) to claim the vacant world flyweight title at a packed Harringay Arena in London. Taking advantage of Pratesi’s lack of an inside game, Allen got off to a fast start by constantly crowding in close and never giving the French fighter room to punch. The strategy worked until the late going when Pratesi made a valiant, though unsuccessful charge…

Pratesi cut loose with a free swinging rally in the last four rounds. In the 13th he cut Allen’s left eye, and he slowed the speedy Briton down in a walk for the remainder of the fight. But Allen was just shifty enough to avoid that ever-threatened knockout punch.

– United Press

The fight had been arranged by the British Board of Boxing Control to name a successor to the recently retired Rinty Monaghan. The National Boxing Association had been hoping for a 3 way tournament between Allen, Pratesi and Dado Marino, but never heard back from the BBofBC. The NBA recently put in another request that whoever emerged victorious defend the title against the Hawaiian within six months.

April 28…

Middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson (156 ¼) stayed busy with ten round victory over Detroit fighter Ray Barnes (160 ¼). Though finishing well behind on all 3 cards, Barnes soaked up a lot of punishment and gave a game effort in battling the whole way…

A partisan crowd of 8,000 in Detroit’s Olympia Stadium watched in amazement as Barnes, a 6 to 1 underdog, carried the non-title fight to Robinson even after the champ knocked him down for a four-count in the sixth.

– International News Service

After the bout, Robinson (pictured, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) blamed a viral infection for his less than spectacular showing against the unheralded youngster.

* * * *

The National Boxing Association suspended world bantamweight champion Manuel Ortiz at the request of the British Board of Boxing Control. Ortiz had agreed to defend his title against Danny O’Sullivan in London, only to change his mind and sign for a bout in South Africa against Vic Toweel…

Despite the suspension, the NBA announced it would honor Ortiz’ fight against Toweel as being for the title…

If Ortiz insists on going through with the South Africa match and loses the title. The association will recognize Vic Toweel as the new champion on the premise that titles are won and lost in the ring.

– NBA statement

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

Check back in a few days for more of The Boxing Bulletin's History Corner as we move on to the week of April 30 to May 6 for the years 1910 and 1920.

e-mail Andrew Fruman