"The Ghetto Wizard"

By Peter Silkov

The lightweight division has always been one of the favourite weight classes in boxing, spawning over the years many of boxing’s greatest and most colourful champions.  Of all these, Benny Leonard ‘The Ghetto Wizard’, will always rank amongst the best and the greatest of them all.  Born Benjamin Leiner, on April 7, 1896, upon turning professional at just 15 years old, he took on the name Benny Leonard, in order to keep his mother from knowing that he was boxing. Leonard was one of the cleverest and fastest boxers the division has ever seen, with a lighting left jab, brilliant defence, and footwork. Leonard also had a knockout punch in either hand.  In all, he was a complete fighter. 

When Leonard turned professional and began his career in New York, the No- Decision law was in force, (also known as the Frawley Law) meaning that a fighter could only win a fight by a stoppage or clear knockout, any fights which traveled the full distance were called a ND contest. To remedy this, the journalists of the day would give their own verdicts on the fights of the night before, verdicts that became known as ’newspaper decisions.’ During this time, Leonard was involved in many fights that ended officially as a ND contest, but he also piled up an unusual amount of knockout and stoppage wins for someone of his weight.

After overcoming some early setbacks, Leonard fought his way to world title contention.  On May 12, 1917, Leonard fought Freddie Welsh for Welsh’s World Lightweight championship.  The fight was fought in New York, under the no-decision rules, which meant that if it went the distance, Welsh would win and retain his title.  This was the third meeting between Leonard and Welsh, with each winning one newspaper decision each, but this time, Leonard dominated the action and in the 9th round floored Welsh three times, and the referee stopped the fight, meaning that Leonard was the new world champion.  Welsh protested the stoppage and claimed that the fight had not been advertised as for the title (Welsh had weight 136 and a half pounds, a pound and a half over the lightweight limit, while Leonard weighed in at 133, two pounds under the division limit) but found not support from the media or the boxing authorities. The young and exciting Leonard was welcomed by all as the new World Lightweight champion. 

The lightweight division has generally always been one of the most talented weight classes in boxing, always with a mixture of slippery boxers, dangerous sluggers, and fighters who could do a bit of each.  In the 1910’s and 1920’s, the amount of talent amongst the lightweights was at bursting point; this was a time when fight clubs were on every corner and fight cards took place every night of the week, and a fighter could fight as often as he wanted if  he was so inclined. 

Even while sitting atop such a hot division, Benny Leonard dominated it.  From 1917 to 1925,  he defended his world title 8 times against the cream of the contenders, as well as taking part in various non-title fights.  Some of the outstanding talents that Leonard defended his title against were, Richie Mitchell, Rocky Kansas, Charlie White and Lew Tendler. The only defeat that Leonard suffered during this time was when he tried to win the World Welterweight championship from Jack Britton in 1922, and after flooring Britton in the 13,th he then inadvertently hit him while he was down and was instantly disqualified.

By 1925, Leonard had defeated all his top contenders, amassed a large fortune, and gained world wide recognition as one of the greatest boxers ever to lace on a pair of gloves.  So he retired, safe in the knowledge that his work was complete.

However, in 1929, when millions lost their jobs, careers, and life savings, Benny Leonard was among them, his businesses and fortune wiped away with the speed of a right hand to the face.  In 1931, Benny Leonard pulled on the gloves once more, for a comeback that broke many hearts.  This was not the Benny Leonard of old, but an old Benny Leonard, softened by over six years of idleness, he fought at welterweight, his midriff thicker, and his hair thinning.  The faded great still had enough left to win 19 fights in a row, but then on October 7, 1932 he met ’Baby Face’ Jimmy McLarnin, a decade younger than Leonard and in his prime, most of McLarnin’s career was still ahead of him, while Leonard was trying to recapture a past that was forever lost. ’Baby Face’ floored and punished Leonard until the referee stopped the fight in the 6th round.  ’The Ghetto Wizard’ was no more, and Benny never fought again.

In 1943 Benny Leonard became a licensed referee on the staff of the New York athletic commission.  On April 18, 1947, while refereeing a fight in New York, Benny Leonard collapsed and died of a heart attack at the age of 51.  He died as he had lived in his prime, in the boxing ring. 

Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Remembering Norman "Kid McCoy" Selby

By Peter Silkov

Charles ‘Kid’ McCoy was born plain Norman Selby in Rush County, in Moscow, Indiana, on October 13, 1872.  However, it was as Kid McCoy that he would find riches, fame and notoriety in equal measure, and be acclaimed by some as the greatest boxer of his generation.  McCoy did not look like a fighter; he was baby-faced and at 5’ feet and 11” inches tall, was lankily built, and weed-like.  Yet, his wiry frame was strong and durable; McCoy was a skilful crafty boxer, with a catlike manner about him in the ring. 

He used good movement and a stinging jab, and threw his punches in vicious combinations.  McCoy was credited with the invention of the ’corkscrew punch’ in which the fist would be turned at the point of impact with the opponent. Many of McCoy opponents suffered severely battered and cut up faces as a result of his lacerating blows, and his tally of 65 knockout wins during his career testifies to the effect of his punches. McCoy was also an inveterate trickster, who liked to gain an advantage over an opponent, be it psychological, or physical, through a wide variety of means, raging from pretending he was sick prior to a fight, to feigning injury during a fight, in order to lull his opponent into a false sense of security.  

During his 25 years boxing, McCoy fought nearly all of the outstanding fighters from welterweight to heavyweight, and spent the larger portion of his career fighting men far bigger than himself.  For all of his ability in the ring, McCoy became equally known for his antics outside of the ring as inside it. He was a notorious womanizer, who was married ten times to eight different women, and his love of the high life and the fairer sex, would lead him to disaster late in life.

Beginning his career in 1891, at the age of 18, McCoy soon made a name for himself with his brilliant boxing and destructive punching. After being used to seeing boxers taking their time in fights and pacing themselves, spectators were often shocked by the high pace at which McCoy fought, and his efforts to finish fights as quickly as he could.  On March 2, 1896, McCoy laid claim to the World Welterweight title when he knocked out the brilliant Tommy Ryan in 15 rounds. Legend has it that McCoy had visited Ryan before the fight with his face made up to make him look ill, claimed to Ryan that he was sick, and only taking the fight because he needed to pay doctor’s fees. This trickery on McCoy’s part was supposedly revenge in part for Ryan’s treatment of him when McCoy was his sparring partner some years earlier.  McCoy had claimed that during his time as Ryan’s sparring partner, Ryan had paid him little, and punished him a lot during their sessions.  Just before their contest in 1896, McCoy is said to have burst into Ryan’s dressing room and shouted at his startled opponent to “get ready for the whipping of your life”, which is exactly what he got at the fists of McCoy that night.  Despite putting up the fight of his life, Ryan was knocked out in the 15th round after being punished severely. Many onlookers believed that McCoy could have finished the fight far earlier had he wanted to, but his cruel streak had made him prolong the ordeal a little longer for Ryan.  It was the first defeat of Ryan’s career.  McCoy had little interest in defending the welterweight title; aiming his sights always on larger and heavier opponents. He beat top heavyweights such as Gus Ruhlin, Joe Goddard, Joe Choynski, Jack Bonner, and Pete Maher amongst others.

McCoy added the middleweight title to his tally on December 17, 1897, when he knocked out Dan Creedon in 15 rounds, but again didn’t defend the title as he concentrated on fighting bigger foes.

On August 30, 1900, McCoy fought a dubious contest with former World Heavyweight champion James J. Corbett, being counted out in the 5th round, after a performance (or rather lack of ) that raised eyebrows of many present. Although, both Corbett and McCoy protested otherwise, their fight went down in many people’s minds as a fake. 

McCoy’s boxing career was on the wane now and after losing on points to Jack Root on April 22, 1903, in a contest for the newly instigated world Light-heavyweight championship, McCoy fought less and less over the next few years and usually only when funds were low. 

With his boxing career all but over, McCoy turned his hand to acting and was in a number of films with his good looks still intact, even after  20 + years as a pugilist.

On December 31, 1924, McCoy was found guilty of the manslaughter of Theresa Mors, who had been his latest girlfriend. McCoy was released from jail in 1932, at the age of 60, after impressing prison authorities with his good behaviour.  Once he was free again, McCoy was given a position overseeing the running of the Henry Ford vegetable gardens in Detroit and found time to marry for the tenth time. McCoy seemed to be living a happy, albeit rather quieter life, with his new job, and new wife.

On April 18, 1940, McCoy was found in a hotel room, having taken an overdose of sleeping pills.  He left a note in which he declared that he could no longer take the world’s madness.  McCoy's final record was 87(65koes)-7-10.

Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Bernard Hopkins vs. Beibut Shumenov… Can Shumenov Stop The Alien

By Peter Silkov

When Bernard Hopkins (54-6-2, 32koes) steps into the ring this Saturday against Beibut Shumenov, (14-1, 9koes) for the pairs World Light-heavyweight unification title fight, he will be attempting, once more, to break records that he himself has set, during his age-defying run at 175 pounds. Hopkins and Shumenov will both be putting their respective Light-heavyweight world title belts on the line, when they clash at the DC Armoury, in Washington, DC on Saturday, April 19th.  Hopkins will be defending his IBF belt, while Kazakhstan born Shumenov, will be staking his WBA title in their unification showdown. 

For Shumenov, the fight represents the chance to raise his profile closer to the level of Adonis Stevenson and Sergy Kovalev, as a win over the living legend, that is Bernard Hopkins, would be a huge boost for Shumenov. Hopkins meanwhile, is attempting yet again, to break his own records, by becoming the oldest boxer to defend a world title, and in addition to that, the oldest man ever to unify world titles. 

Now at 49 years of age, Hopkins’ career at light-heavyweight has seen him post a series of almost otherworldly victories over proven fighters who are young enough to be his sons. It’s hardly any wonder that he has recently dropped his previous nickname of  ’The Executioner’ in favour of  ’The Alien’.  In recent years, Hopkins has seemingly dodged the cold hands of age, and has been performing between the ropes like a man half his age. It is hard to overstate just what a feat Hopkins has achieved in recent years at 175lbs. He has taken a career that hinted at greatness at middleweight, with a record world championship reign of over ten years, plus a record twenty defences, and turned it into something wholly different and unique. Only the great Archie Moore can compete with Hopkins in terms of achieving such longevity, and at the highest level, and Hopkins has now beaten Moore, in regards to age. 

In the course of his career, Hopkins has developed from a knockout artist, (many people mistakenly believe that Bernard was never in the habit of knocking people out) into a skilled technician, who uses the boxing ring like a chessboard. Hopkins was never as naturally gifted as the likes of Roy Jones Jr. or James Toney, but while they have both seen their talents and abilities erode with time, leaving each man just a shadow of the fighter he once was, Hopkins has seemingly not only avoided the same erosion by time, he has also continued to develop in the ring.

Hopkins is a master of making every move and punch count inside the ring, this along with his almost uncannily preserved reflexes and mobility, make Hopkins the boxer he is today.  In addition to his counter-punching and defensive ability, Hopkins has the rare gift of being able to dictate the pace and movement of a fight to such a degree, that at times, it is almost as if his opponents is mesmerized by him.

The longevity of Hopkins can be seen by the fact that he had outlasted the only men to beat him; Joe Calzaghe is long retired, while Roy Jones Jr. and Jermain Taylor both should be retired, and Chad Dawson has seen his career derailed by Andre Ward and Adonis Stevenson. Clinton Mitchell, who out-pointed Hopkins on his professional debut in October 11, 1988, went on to have just four more professional fights himself. In hindsight, beating ‘The Alien’ does not seem to have been a great career move for most of these men (save except Calzaghe.)

No matter what happens to Hopkins career from now on, his greatness is assured and his records are unlikely to ever be broken, other than by himself.  Yet Hopkins realises his achievements, and is pushing for more, with a view to a big showdown with WBC world Light-heavyweight titleholder Adonis Stevenson, if he can get past Shumenov first.  Hopkins has stated that his ultimate aim is to be the oldest ever-undisputed world champion that would mean also tackling big punching Sergy Kovalev.  No easy task, even for an Alien. 

Shumenov is a very capable fighter with a good amateur background, but he has had less fights, than Hopkins made defences of his world middleweight title. Shumenov has fought Gabriel Campillo, Montel Griffin, and Byron Mitchell, with his hardest fights, and lone career defeat, so far, coming against the skilful and cagey Campillo, which in itself doesn’t bode well for Shumenov against Hopkins.

Hopkins showed in his last fight against the tough Karlo Murat, that he is still able to exchange punches when he wants to and fight at a lively pace. ‘The Alien’ should have far too much skill and experience for Shumenov,  yet, with any ‘aging’ boxer, there is always the danger that one night the wheels will come off , leading to disaster.  Will Hopkins age defying act suddenly lose its magic over night against Shumanov? The answer to this question carries with it the eventual outcome of the contest.

While we watch Hopkins and admire him for his achievements, there remains the possibility that sooner or later he will push his body too far, in his quest forever- improving greatness.  Even Greatness is eventually doomed to fail.
However, Shumenov with his slowish hand and one-dimensional style is unlikely to be the man who finally returns Bernard Hopkins to mortality. 

Everything points towards a decision win for Hopkins on Saturday, then, onto Stevenson, and even perhaps Kovalev.  Hopkins improbable story may yet become even more outlandish over the next few months, but we shouldn’t be surprised, after all, he is an Alien.

Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Sugar Ray Robinson Remembered

By Peter Silkov

Sugar Ray Robinson was one of the most talented boxers ever seen, who achieved the kind of worldwide fame and recognition that was usually reserved for the Heavyweight champion of the world.  Robinson was the outstanding boxer pound-for-pound of his era and is rated by many as the greatest boxer pound-for-pound of all time.  Born Walker Smith in Detroit, on May 3, 1921, Robinson had an outstanding amateur career, which saw him win all 85 of his bouts, 69 by knockouts and 40 didn’t pass the 1st round.  He won the Featherweight Golden Gloves championship in 1939 and the Lightweight title in 1940. Smith picked up his new name when he made his professional debut in 1940 when substituting for a boxer named Ray Robinson. The ’Sugar’ was soon added after a spectator watching him sparring remarked that he was ’sweet as sugar’.

Robinson quickly became a huge fan favourite with his perfectly balanced, yet, flamboyant boxing style. He was a perfect example of a complete fighter, with superlative boxing skill, lightning speed of hand, the mobility of a dancer, and a knockout punch in either hand. 

In the first eleven years of his career, Robinson was beaten twice in 132 contests.  From 1940 to 1943, Robinson won all 40 of his fights before being out-pointed by Jake Lamotta, in what was his first defeat, as an amateur or professional. This was Robinson’s second of six legendary meeting’s with Lamotta in the ring; he had won their first fight, and would win the remaining four. After losing to Lamotta in 1943, Robinson would win 91 fights in a row before his defeat by Randy Turpin in 1951.

Despite his popularity and success, Robinson had to wait until 1946 until he was finally granted a shot at the World Welterweight championship, and out-pointed Tommy Bell on December 20, 1946, to become world champion.    

In 1951, Robinson moved up to the middleweight division and won the World Middleweight championship when he stopped his arch-rival Lamotta in the 13th round, on February 14, 1951. Robinson’s reign came to an abrupt halt on July 10 that same year, when he was out-pointed by Randolph Turpin, in London England, in what was one of the biggest upsets ever seen, with Robinson having been considered practically unbeatable until then. Sugar Ray regained his middleweight throne just over two months later when he stopped Turpin in the 10th round.

Following successful defences against Carl ’Bobo’ Olsen and Rocky Graziano, Sugar Ray took on World Light-heavyweight champion Joey Maxim, on June 25, 1952, in an attempt to win a third world title, and become one of the select few fighters to win world titles at three different weights. For the first 10 rounds, Robinson seemed well on his way to victory, out-boxing the much slower Maxim with ease, but then the heat of the night (which caused the referee to collapse after the 10th round, leading to him being replaced) began to get to Robinson.  By the 13th round, Robinson was suffering from heatstroke and could hardly stand, and after collapsing in his corner after the end of the round, he was unable to come out for the 14th round. The defeat was a bitter disappointment for Robinson and six months later, he announced his retirement.  Robinson tried to make a career in show business as a dancer, but found that he was not as in demand as a dancer, as he had been as a boxer.

In 1955, after almost three years out of the ring, Robinson started a comeback. His comeback seemed doomed to fail after he was beaten on points by Ralph ’Tiger’ Jones in his second return fight, but after 4 wins in a row, Robinson sensationally regained the World Middleweight title on December 9, 1955, when he knocked out Carl’Bobo’ Olsen in the second round.  In his mid and late 30’s, Robinson was still a great fighter, but he found it harder and harder to sustain the brilliance of his earlier years. He lost the middleweight crown to Gene Fullmer on January 2, 1957, but regained it four months later, after he knocked Fullmer out in the 5th round, with a picture perfect left hook. Four months after his victory over Fullmer, Sugar Ray had his title taken away by Carmen Basilio, losing on a split decision.  Many thought this was the end of the road for Robinson, but on March 25, 1958, at the age of almost 37 years old, Robinson regained the World Middleweight title again, when he out-pointed Basilio and became the only man to win the middleweight championship five times. 

Following his victory over Basilio, Sugar Ray was inactive for most of 1959 (save for a non-title bout) and on his return to the ring on January 22, 1960, lost his World Middleweight title again when Paul Pender out pointed him. This defeat would signal the end of Robinson’s time as a world champion, although he would make several attempts to regain it once again.  
         
On June 1960, Robinson was again out-pointed by Paul Pender for the World Middleweight title, and then six months later on December 4, 1960, Sugar Ray held Gene Fullmer to a draw, in an effort to win NBA recognition as world champion. Three months later, in what was their fourth fight, Fullmer out-pointed Robinson again for the NBA World Middleweight title.  This was to be Robinson’s final attempt at regaining the World Middleweight title. Now in his 40’s, Robinson fought on for another four years, still hoping to get another shot at the world title, and talking about ending his career in a blaze of glory. Although Robinson’s faded skills were still more than enough to see him through against most run of the mill fighters, he was now losing to men he would previously have beaten with ease in his prime.

Sugar Ray Robinson’s final fight came on November 10, 1965, when he was out-pointed over 10 rounds by Joey Archer. Robinson announced his retirement one month later. When he retired, the greatest fighter of his and perhaps any other generation retired broke, with barely any furniture inside his modest apartment. 

Robinson retired with a final record of 174(109koes)-19-6.  He was never knocked out in his career, and was only stopped in the Maxim fight.

Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Remembering Joe Louis...the Quiet Patriot

By Peter Silkov

Joe Louis is considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight champion of all time.  His record as champion still stands unequalled, with 25 defences made from 1937 to 1949, when he retired as undefeated champion. From the start of his career in 1934 to his first retirement in 1949, Louis lost just one fight, his 12th round knockout defeat to Max Schmeling in 1936, which he later avenged after he had won the World title in 1938. 

In his prime, Joe Louis was the perfect fighting machine, living up to his name of ‘The Brown Bomber’. He was a finely balanced boxer, with a knockout punch in both hands. While not fast on his feet, he was an expert at cutting off the ring, and paved the way for his dynamite combinations with a piston-like left jab.  Louis’s punches were short, accurate, and he was one of the best finishers ever seen.

Louis was entering the peak of his career, when America was dragged into WW2 by Pearl Harbor, and in the first three months of 1942, he defended his world title against Buddy Baer and Abe Simon, and donated the proceeds of each fight to the war effort.  Following the Simon bout, Louis enlisted in the United States Army, despite the segregation that was prevalent in the army at that time. When asked about his views of segregation, Louis answered ‘Lot’s of things wrong with America, but Hitler ain’t gonna fix em’.

Louis’s presence in the army proved to be a huge boost for the morale for his fellow soldiers, especially his fellow coloured comrades, many of whom he used his connections to help, when they fell victim to various examples of racism.
Already a hero to many, due to his accomplishments in the ring up to that time, Louis became even more of a hero, due to his behaviour throughout WW2. During one relief fund dinner he stated, “We’ll win, because we’re on God’s side” helped elevate his status to that of a national icon.

Rather than be sent into active combat, Louis was recruited for publicity and to boost war funds. From 1942 to 1945, he travelled all round America and even to England, boxing as many as 96 exhibition fights, with the money going directly to war relief funds.  However, unknown to Louis at the time, the proceeds of these exhibitions and his title defences against Baer and Simon, were still being regarded by the IRS as taxable income for Louis.

When Louis was released from military service in October 1945, his finances were in a shambles and he was on the edge of being broke. In addition, the IRS had begun to investigate his earnings, including earnings that he had donated to war funds. With these financial worries looming over him, Louis returned to defending his World Heavyweight championship, but his performances against Billy Conn and Jersey Joe Walcott showed that age and the years of inactivity had permanently blunted the ‘Brown Bombers’ reflexes and speed.  After barely escaping with his title intact in his defence against Walcott, with a split decision win on December 5, 1947,
Louis gave Walcott a rematch six months later, and won with an 11th round knockout victory.  Then on March 1, 1949, Louis announced his retirement from the ring, but it was to be short lived.  The IRS had finished their long investigations into his earnings and hit Louis with a 500,000-dollar tax bill. Louis came to a deal with the IRS that he would return to boxing and that the net amount of his earnings would go to the IRS to pay his bill.  Unfortunately, although Louis had some good paydays after his return to the ring, the incremental tax rate of 90% meant that they barely paid the interest on his ever-growing tax bill.

Louis made his comeback on September 27, 1950, challenging Ezzard Charles for the World Heavyweight title that Charles had claimed following Louis's retirement in 1949.  After over two years out of the ring and at the age of 36 years old, Louis was out-boxed and battered for 15 rounds, before losing by a wide decision.  Although he had little left except his heart and power, Louis carried on fighting, winning a number of contests against mediocre opposition, before taking on a young unbeaten Rocky Marciano on October 26, 1951.  The fight between Louis and Marciano was one of boxing’s saddest nights, as the aging ’Brown Bomber’ was worn down, and finally battered to the canvas, and then through the ropes and out of the ring in the 8th round.  Even Marciano himself took no pleasure in knocking out Joe Louis.

After his defeat to Marciano, Louis retired from boxing for good, but his tax bill had only grown.  Over the next few years, Louis tried various ways of generating money, including fighting as a wrestler for a while, before a heart problem reduced him to just working as a referee.

In the mid-1960’s, the IRS struck a deal with Louis that they would only pursue his current income, therefore striking off much of the huge debt that he had never had any hope of repaying, yet, this partial reprieve was perhaps too late for Louis state of mind. By the 1960’s Louis was suffering from depression, anxiety, and paranoid feelings that people were trying to destroy him. Louis health declined throughout the 1970’s, but he remained hugely popular with the public, many of whom had been outraged by Louis’s treatment by the IRS and various American governments.

Joe Louis was the second coloured man to win, what in his day was sport’s most popular prize, the World Heavyweight title.  Jack Johnson had the courage and confidence to break through the barriers and stare down, face-to-face, the racial prejudices of his times, yet remained a divisive and in many cases reviled figure, while Louis, was able to break through the racial barriers of his own time and become a beloved figure with boxing fans of all colours and races. Joe Louis’ greatest accomplishment outside of his ability inside the ring, was that he eased the way for the coloured fighters who came after him, and made the idea of the World Heavyweight champion being coloured something that was mostly acceptable, rather than feared as it had been previously.   

Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Panama Al Brown...The First Latin American World Champion

By Peter Silkov

Al Brown was the first Latin American to win a world championship, and despite the years that have passed since his prime, and the many great Latin American champions who have come after him, he remains one of the greatest of them all. Brown stood an elongated 5 feet 11 inches, an almost freakish height for a bantamweight (and he actually began his career as a flyweight) and he used his height perfectly with his immaculate boxing technique. He also had a stinging knockdown punch, and despite his height, did not suffer from the kind of vulnerability that other fighters of similar elongated builds suffered in their careers. Brown was never stopped once throughout his boxing life. Brown turned professional in 1922 and became something of an overnight sensation and a quick favourite with the fans. Despite this, he had to wait until 1929 before he got a world title shot, and out pointing Gregorio Vidal over 15 rounds, he began a reign as World Bantamweight champion, which would last for six years and see him defend his championship all round the world. The champion was especially popular in France and settled in Paris where he enjoyed the life of partying and the culture. Brown’s world title reign still stands today as one of the most impressive ever in the division’s history. Brown eventually lost recognition as champion in 1935 when he was out pointed by Baltazar Sangchili. Brown retired briefly in 1936, but returned in 1938, regained partial recognition as World Bantamweight champion again, when he out pointed Baltazar Sangchili in 1938, but after making one defence, he vacated the title, no longer able to make the 118 pound bantamweight limit. Time and a party lifestyle was now taking its toll on Brown and he finally retired in 1942 after failing to win the national Panamanian Featherweight title at the age of 40. Brown retired with a final record of 130(60koes)-19-13. Sadly, like so many other greats of the ring, Panama Al Brown’s final days where spent in poverty and he struggled with a cocaine habit that he had picked up in Paris. He died in New York in 1950 of tuberculosis.

Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

The Tale of 'Big' John Tate

 By Peter Silkov

 The 1980's have become known in recent years as the era of the lost heavyweights. It was the decade that followed the golden era of the 1970’s, and while Ali, Norton, and Frazier saw their careers tail off and come to a halt with the arrival of the 1980’s, there seemed to be plenty of talented fighters to fill the void. However, as the decade unfolded, these fighters with so much talent became one by one, almost to the last man, stories of lost opportunity and wasted promise. Amongst the saddest stories to emerge from that decade is the tale of 'Big' John Tate, a fighter who seemed to have it all, but then fell from grace spectacularly and then didn't stop falling. Tate was a very successful amateur, whom, despite his size (6 feet 4 and around 220 to 230 pounds), had good mobility and skills for such a big man. He gained a bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, making it to the semi-final, where he was knocked out by the legendary Cuban Teofilo Stevenson, who duly went on to win the gold medal. Despite the loss to Stevenson, (who was seen by many as unbeatable at the time) Tate had impressed at the Olympics, and turned professional in mid-1977, and immediately began an impressive climb up the heavyweight ranks. His victims on his rise were Duane Bobick, Bernardo Mercandoe, and Kallie Knoetzee. Tate showed good power, but even more impressive were his technical skills, which included a swift and punishing jab and the ability to fight on the inside. Some even compared his jab to those of Louis and Liston.

On October 20, 1979, Tate traveled to South Africa to fight the unbeaten big-punching, South African Gerrie Coetzee, for the vacant WBA World Heavyweight championship.  Both men were unbeaten, Tate being 19-0, 15 koes, while Coetzee was 22-0, 12 koes.  Coetzee was already famed for his ’Bionic’ right hand, which had been broken so badly in the past that it had been put back together with a various assortment of metal pins and clips. Prior to meeting Tate for the vacant world title, Coetzee had given an impressive display of what his ’bionic right hand’ could do, when he demolished former World Heavyweight champion Leon Spinks in the first round. 

In fighting Coetzee, a white South African in South Africa, Tate was also coming face to face with the controversial subject of apartheid. Some objected to Tate going to South Africa to tackle Coetzee, others saw it as a great opportunity for Tate to raise the hopes and dreams of the oppressed black South Africans, by beating white South Africa’s boxing idol, in his own backyard.


In front of a mostly white and hostile crowd of 86.000 at the Loftus Versfield Stadium in Pretoria, Tate overcame a slow start and weathered some big punches from Coetzee, to emerge victorious on points, after 15 rounds. Tate's victory was impressive as he both out-boxed and outlasted the favoured Coetsee. 'Big John' was on top of the world and great things were expected from him, with rumours of a possible big money unification fight with the WBC champion Larry Holmes, or even a big money fight with the returning Muhammad Ali.

Tate also wanted to inspire the youth to believe that great things could be accomplished with hard work and discipline, and took his newly won title belt around his home town of Knoxville, to show how a man who had left school in the 7th grade and who struggled to read and write, had become Heavyweight Champion of the world. 
It seemed to be just the beginning of the kind of rags to riches story that boxing thrives on.

Five months after winning his title, Tate made his first defence, against Mike Weaver. Tate went into this fight the solid favourite, but this was no easy first defence for the champion. Weaver was nicknamed ’Hercules’ because of his impressive physique, and was strong, with a heavy punch.  Although his career had began with a mixed record, Weaver had showed marked improvement following some early defeats, and the biggest illustration of his danger was displayed the previous year when he had challenged Larry Holmes for the WBC world heavyweight title, and had given Holmes one of his toughest fights, before being stopped (rather controversially) in the 12th round.
Everything started out well for the champion in the fight. 

Tate boxed brilliantly for 10 rounds, keeping the cruder Weaver on the end of his jab. Weaver, however, kept coming forward, and by the 11th round Tate was showing signs of tiredness. Over the next few rounds the two exchanged some tremendous punches, but Tate still kept the upper hand and seemed destined to win on points as the fight moved into the 15th and final round. Weaver was told by his corner, that he needed a knockout to win as he came out for the final round, and launched a tremendous attack upon Tate that drove him to the ropes, whereupon, Weaver threw one tremendous right hand that knocked Tate out cold, before he fell face first to the canvas. Tate was counted out with his face squashed into the canvas, it was one of the most violent and devastating koes ever seen.

With his title gone and having been knocked out in such a severe fashion it would perhaps have been expected that Tate would be taken a rest and time to recuperate from his defeat. Instead, his management team chose to try and get him back into circulation as quickly as they could. It was a miscalculation that was to prove devastating. Just three months after the Weaver defeat, Tate was back in the ring to face Trevor Berbick.
This was no soft touch comeback for Tate, as Berbick was a rough and tough fighter known for his good chin and physical strength, not the ideal fighter to bring in for someone recovering from a heavy knockout defeat. Berbick swarmed all over Tate from the start, attempting to tire him out with his roughhouse style and body shots. Tate held the upper hand after 6 rounds, due to his jab and more accurate punches upon the often wild Berbick, but like Weaver before him, Berbick kept coming at Tate. After the 6th, Tate began to tire and found himself being driven onto the ropes time and again. The fight was becoming a desperate battle for the defending champion

Then in the 9th round, Tate was staggered by a shot from Berbick and half turned, half staggered into the ropes. Berbick was on him in a frenzy, and landed some heavy swings, which sent Tate tumbling to the canvas. Tate was counted out in an eerily similar position as he had been when knocked out by Mike Weaver three months earlier.

Defeat in a boxing ring can often be the making of a fighter; it can also be the breaking of him, not just as a fighter, but as a man as well. Tate never recovered from his back-to-back defeats to Weaver and Berbick, either mentally or physically. Where once he had been lauded as a possible future great, now he was dismissed as damaged goods.   Although Tate made a comeback and fought several times from 1981 to 1983, his opponents were trail horses, as his management attempted to slowly rebuild him, but it was too late. Tate began to use drugs and drink, and his fights became more and more infrequent. He was winning against mediocre opposition, but he looked like a once finely tuned machine that was now irreversibly flawed. Tate did not fight at all from 1983 to 1986, a sparse comeback came to an end in 1988 when Tate traveled to England and was out pointed by British contender Noel Quarless. Tate still had his great jab, but he was overweight, slow and ponderous, and waddled to a point’s defeat as if sleep walking.

Big John' never fought again. The last decade of his life saw him fighting substance abuse and having frequent run-ins with the police. On April 9, 1998, Tate's pick up truck crashed into a telegraph pole in the early hours of the morning. Tate was found dead at the wheel. The autopsy revealed that Tate had been suffering from a brain tumour and had died of a massive stroke. It was a sad end for a man who had once had everything, and then had it all taken away.

Tate's final record was 34(23koes)-3

Copyright © 2014 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com