Tex Rickard Planted the Dempsey – Willard SuperFight in Toledo: Here’s Why

Published

5 years ago

June 30, 2019

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This coming July 4^th marks the 100^th anniversary of the Dempsey-Willard fight. More than a big fight, Dempsey vs. Willard came to be seen as the first big bang in the Golden Era of Sports, an era that eventually became synonymous with the Roaring 20s.

The fight was the handiwork of George “Tex” Rickard. America’s first great boxing promoter, Rickard had come to the fore in Nevada, first in 1906 in the boomtown of Goldfield where he was the chief architect of the lightweight title fight between Joe Gans and Battling Nelson, and then four years later in Reno where he manufactured (and refereed) a more historic event, the heavyweight championship fight between Jack Johnson and former title-holder James J. Jeffries.

Rickard’s third successful promotion was the March 25, 1916 heavyweight title fight between Jess Willard and Frank Moran at Madison Square Garden. Willard had dethroned Johnson the previous year, stopping the Galveston Giant in the 26^th round at a thoroughbred track on the outskirts of Havana. The gate receipts for Willard-Moran, Willard’s first title defense, were $151,254, the second-highest on record (surpassed only by Johnson-Jeffries at Reno), earning Rickard and his partners a tidy profit.

The fight would have produced an even larger gate if not for legal restraints. For one thing, the law then in effect in New York restricted fights to 10 rounds and outlawed official decisions. There were no judges and the referee lacked the authority to declare a winner. Bets were decided by designating a scorekeeper – typically a ringside reporter for a local paper – in the event that both combatants were still standing at the final bell.

The no-decision rule was hardly indigenous to New York. It was implanted in many other places during the first decade of the century when a wave of reform swept the land, devitalizing if not outright banning such “vices” as prizefighting and horse racing. Among other things, the rule was an incentive for champions to lollygag through title defenses as they could only lose their belt in the event of a knockout. Title fights were too often snoozers, an irritant that prevented boxing from reaching its full potential as a spectator sport.

After defeating Frank Moran, Willard sat on the title for three years, raking in big bucks in personal appearances that were often arranged in conjunction with a Wild West show. White folks flocked to see the champion pugilist of the world, the Kansas cowboy who had given the reviled Jack Johnson his comeuppance. And late in Willard’s decampment, Jack Dempsey shot out of the West like a comet, turning heads with a slew of fast knockouts. The high point was a 23-second blast-out of favored Fred Fulton on July 27, 1918 at a ballpark in New Jersey. Fulton, the Minnesota Plasterer, out-weighed Dempsey by 20 pounds.

It was clear that a fight between Willard and Dempsey would be a much bigger event than the Willard-Moran fight. But where to put it?

Ideally, it would bubble forth in a heavily populated area but New York was out as were Chicago and Philadelphia as the law in both jurisdictions mandated no-decision bouts no longer than six rounds. Forget San Francisco or, for that matter, anywhere else in California. In 1914, the voters approved a referendum that placed all boxing, amateur and professional, on the amateur plane, thereby restricting pro fights to four rounds.

The last remnant of old-time gloved fighting in the U.S. was found in New Orleans where the ceiling was 20 rounds. Rickard briefly considered placing Willard-Dempsey there but backed off because of climatic considerations; it figured to be awful hot and humid in New Orleans on the 4^th of July. True, the weather figured to be hot almost everywhere (and, as it turned out, it would be wickedly hot in Toledo), but Rickard was playing the percentages.

—

A community that wanted to host an important prizefight had to satisfy certain conditions. Foremost, the local organizers had to be willing to defray some of the promoter’s expenses. A big fight was a shot of adrenaline for a stagnant economy. Fight goers were conventioneers, of a sort, and had shown themselves to be the best kind of conventioneers; free spenders.

The spearhead of Toledo’s local organizing committee was Addison Thatcher. A gym operator and small-time boxing promoter, Thatcher had a thriving business that salvaged scrap metal from ships that went down in Lake Erie. A future Toledo mayor (running under the slogan “Feed the Poor and Don’t Ask Any Questions”) and a future failed candidate for Governor of Ohio, Thatcher was a man with considerable clout.

Through his sway, the city fathers agreed to put a 60-acre municipal park at Rickard’s disposal for his big wooden open air arena, leveling the ground where necessary to eliminate some of the prep work for Rickard’s construction engineers. (Addison Thatcher wasn’t motivated entirely by a sense of civic duty. He planned to cash in on the big fight by converting an empty warehouse into a dormitory and purportedly purchased 1,500 cots for this purpose.)

Equally important if taking a big fight into the hinterland (and from the standpoint of a New Yorker, anything west of Philadelphia was the hinterland), the place had to be easily accessible by rail. Chicago was America’s railroad hub and Rickard would eventually plant a big fight there (after the Illinois boxing law was liberalized to allow 10-round fights), but Toledo wasn’t too far behind. In fact, by some accounts, Toledo – roughly 55 miles from Detroit, less than 100 miles from Cleveland, and less than 200 miles from Cincinnati or Indianapolis — ranked second only to Chicago in passenger rail traffic. There were also ferries connecting Toledo to various points in Ohio and Michigan and to Windsor, Ontario, Canada, a short hop across the lake.

Another pre-condition, although this less overt, had to do with the culture. No out-of-town promoter would risk planting a big prizefight in a city with a distinct Victorian tone as he would inevitably butt heads with a strong anti-prizefighting lobby. Toledo wasn’t as libertine as New Orleans, or Denver for that matter, but it was relatively wide open, housing the most notorious red light district in all of Ohio. In the words of Ohio journalist Vince Guerrieri, Toledo appealed to Tex Rickard for its “moral flexibility.”

—

The Willard-Dempsey promotion turned a profit, but it was far less than what Rickard and his backers anticipated. The paid attendance was 19,650 in an arena built to house four times that number. The national heat wave and reports of price gouging by Toledo’s hotels and restaurants served to depress the turnout. But Jack Dempsey, a cruiserweight by today’s standards, slaughtered the six-foot-six, 245-pound Willard in such a spectacular fashion that he increased his stature a thousand-fold and Tex Rickard was off and running, soon to piggyback Dempsey into great spectacles that gripped the nation. (To illustrate what a big star Dempsey became, both of New York’s National League baseball teams postponed their home games on the day of Dempsey’s first fight with Gene Tunney in deference to it. An estimated 50,000 New Yorkers made the trek to Philadelphia to see the fight in person.)

It was the Golden Era of Sports, the Age of Wonderful Nonsense, and it dawned in the city of Toledo 100 years ago this Thursday. And let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy 4^th of July.

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Arne K. Lang

Related Topics:Addison Thatcher Arne K. Lang Boxing Frank Moran Fred Fulton Galveston Giant Jack Dempsey Jack Johnson Tex Rickard The Sweet Science Toledo Ohio TSS

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Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

Published

2 days ago

November 3, 2024

David A. Avila

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Floyd Schofield Wins a Banger and Gabriela Fundora Wins by KO

LAS VEGAS-Shades of Henry Armstrong and Baby Arizmendi. If you don’t know those names, look them up.

Floyd Schofield battled his way past Mexico’s super tough Rene Tellez Giron who walked through every blow the Texan could fire but lost by decision on Saturday.

It was a severe test and perfect matchmaking for Schofield who yearns for the big bouts against the lightweight giants roaming the world.

Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs) remains undefeated and won the war over thick-necked Mexican Tellez Giron (20-4, 13 KOs) who has never been knocked out and proved to be immune to big punches.

In the opening rounds, the Texas fighter came out firing rapid combinations from the southpaw and orthodox stances. Meanwhile the shorter Tellez Giron studied and fired back an occasional counter for two rounds.

Tellez Giron had seen enough and took his stand in the third stanza. Both unleashed blazing bombs with Schofield turning his back to the Mexican. At that moment referee Tom Taylor could have waved the fight over.

You never turn your back.

The fight resumed and Schofield was damaged. He tried to open up with even more deadly fire but was rebuked by the strong chin of Tellez Giron who fired back in the mad frenzy.

For the remainder of the fight Schofield tried every trick in his arsenal to inflict damage on the thick-necked Mexican. He could not be wobbled. In the 11^th round both opened up with serious swing-from-the-heels combinations and suddenly Schofield was looking up. He beat the count easily and the two remained slugging it out.

“He hit me with a good shot,” Schofield said of the knockdown. “I just had to get up. I’m not going to quit.”

In the final round Schofield moved around looking for the proper moment to engage. The Mexican looked like a cat ready to pounce and the two fired furious blows. Neither was hit with the big bombs in the last seconds.

There was Tellez Giron standing defiantly like Baby Arizmendi must have stood in those five ferocious meetings against the incomparable Henry Armstrong. Three of their wars took place in Los Angeles, two at the Olympic Auditorium in the late 1930s as the U.S. was emerging from the Great Depression.

In this fight, Schofield took the win by unanimous decision by scores 118-109 twice and 116-111. It was well-deserved.

“I tried to bang it out,” said Schofield. “Today I learned you can’t always get the knockout.”

Fundora

IBF flyweight titlist Gabriela Fundora needed seven rounds to figure out the darting style of Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz before firing a laser left cross down the middle to end the battle and become the undisputed flyweight world champion.

Fundora now holds all four titles including the WBO, WBA and WBC titles that Alaniz brought in the ring.

Fundora knocked down Alaniz midway through the seventh round. She complained it was due to a tangle of the legs. Several seconds later Fundora blasted the Argentine to the floor again with a single left blast. This time there was no doubt. Her corner wisely waved a white towel to stop the fight at 1:40 of the seventh round.

No one argued the stoppage.

Other Bouts

Bektemir Melikuziev (15-1, 10 KOs) didn’t make weight in a title bout but managed to out-fight David Stevens (14-2, 10 KOs) in a super middleweight fight held at 12 rounds.

Melikuziev used his movement and southpaw stance to keep Pennsylvania’s Stevens from being able to connect with combinations. But Stevens did show he could handle “The Bully’s” punching power over the 12-round fight.

After 12 rounds one judge favored Stevens 116-112, while two others saw Melikuziev the winner by split decision 118-110 and 117-111.

Super middleweight WBA titlist Darius Fulghum (13-0, 11 KOs) pummeled his way to a technical knockout win over southpaw veteran Chris Pearson (17-5-1, 12 KOs) who attempted the rope-a-dope strategy to no avail.

Fulghum floored Pearson in the first round with a four-punch combination and after that just belted Pearson who covered up and fired an occasional blow. Referee Mike Perez stopped the fight at 1:02 of the third round when Pearson did not fire back after a blazing combination.

Young welterweight prospect Joel Iriarte (5-0, 5 KOs) blasted away at the three-inch shorter Xavier Madrid (5-6, 2 KOs) who hung tough for as long as possible. At 2:50 of the first round a one-two delivered Madrid to the floor and referee Thomas Taylor called off the beating.

Iriarte, from Bakersfield, Calif., could not miss with left uppercuts and short rights as New Mexico’s Madrid absorbed every blow but would not quit. It was just too much firepower from Iriarte that forced the stoppage.

Photos credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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Results and Recaps from Turning Stone where O’Shaquie Foster Nipped Robson Conceicao

Published

2 days ago

November 2, 2024

Arne K. Lang

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Top Rank was at the Turning Stone casino-resort in Verona, New York, tonight with an 8-bout card topped by a rematch between Robson Conceicao and O’Shaquie Foster with the victor retaining or recapturing his IBF world junior lightweight title. When the smoke cleared, the operative word was “recapturing” as Foster became a two-time title-holder, avenging his controversial setback to the Brazilian in Newark on July 6.

This was a somewhat better fight than their initial encounter and once again the verdict was split. Foster prevailed by 115-113 on two of the cards with the dissenting judge favoring Conceicao by the same margin. Conceicao seemingly had the edge after nine frames, but Foster, a 4/1 favorite, landed the harder shots in the championship rounds.

It was the thirteenth victory in the last 14 starts for Foster who fights out of Houston. A two-time Olympian and 2016 gold medalist, the 36-year-old Conceicao is 19-3-1 overall and 1-3-1 in world title fights.

Semi-wind-up

SoCal lightweight Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) made a big jump in public esteem and moved one step closer to a world title fight with a second-round blast-out of Jose Antonio Perez who was on the canvas twice but on his feet when the fight was stopped at the 1:24 mark of round two. Muratalla, a product of Robert Garcia’s boxing academy, is ranked #2 by the WBC and WBO. A Tijuana native, Perez (25-6) earned this assignment with an upset of former Olympian and former 130-pound world titlist Jojo Diaz,

Other Bouts

Syracuse junior welterweight Bryce Mills, a high-pressure fighter with a strong local following, stopped scrawny Mike O’Han Jr whose trainer Mark DeLuca pulled him out after five one-sided rounds. Mills improved to 17-1 (6 KOs). It was another rough day at the office for Massachusetts house painting contractor O’’Han (19-4) who had the misfortune of meeting Abdullah Mason in his previous bout.

In a junior lightweight fight that didn’t heat up until late in the final round, Albany’s Abraham Nova (23-3-1) and Tijuana native Humberto Galindo (14-3-3) fought to a 10-round draw. It was another close-but-no- cigar for the likeable Nova who at least stemmed a two-fight losing streak. The judges had it 97-93 (Galindo), 96-94 (Nova) and 95-95.

Twenty-one-year-old Long Island middleweight Jahi Tucker advanced to 13-1-1 (6 KOs) with an eighth-round stoppage of Stockton’s teak-tough but outclassed Quilisto Madera (14-6). Madera was on a short leash after five rounds, but almost took it to the final bell with the referee intervening with barely a minute remaining in the contest. Madera was on his feet when the match was halted. Earlier in the round, Tucker had a point deducted for hitting on the break.

Danbury, Connecticut heavyweight Ali Feliz, one of two fighting sons of journeyman heavyweight Fernely Feliz, improved to 4-0 (3) with a second-round stoppage of beefy Rashad Coulter (5-5). Feliz had Coulter pinned against the ropes and was flailing away when the bout was halted at the 1:34 mark. The 42-year-old Coulter, a competitor in all manner of combat sports, hadn’t previously been stopped when competing as a boxer.

Featherweight Yan Santana dominated and stopped Mexico’s Eduardo Baez who was rescued by referee Charlie Fitch at the 1:57 mark of round four. It was the 12^th knockout in 13 starts for Santana, a 24-year-old Dominican father of three A former world title challenger, Mexicali’s Baez declines to 23-7-2 but has lost six of his last eight.

In his most impressive showing to date, Damian Knyba, a six-foot-seven Pole, knocked out paunchy Richard Lartey at the 2:10 mark of round three. A right-left combination knocked Lartey into dreamland, but it was the right did the damage and this was of the nature of a one-punch knockout. Referee Ricky Gonzalez waived the fight off without starting a count.

Knyba, 28, improved to 14-0 (8 KOs). A native of Ghana coming off his career-best win, a fourth-round stoppage of Polish veteran Andrzej Wawrzyk, Lartey declined to 16-7 with his sixth loss inside the distance.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 303: Spotlights on Lightweights and More

Published

3 days ago

November 1, 2024

David A. Avila

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Those lightweights.

Whether junior lights, super lights or lightweights, it’s the 130-140 divisions where most of boxing’s young stars are found now or in the past.

Think Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather.

Floyd Schofield (17-0, 12 KOs) a Texas product, hungers to be a star and takes on Mexico’s Rene Tellez Giron (20-3, 13 KOs) in a 12-round lightweight bout on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotion card that includes a female undisputed flyweight championship match pitting Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz and Gabriela Fundora.

Like a young lion looking to flex, Schofield (pictured on the left) is eager to meet all the other young lions and prove they’re not equal.

“I’ve been in the room with Shakur, Tank. I want to give everyone a good fight. I feel like my preparation is getting better, I work hard, I’ve dedicated my whole life to this sport,” said Schofield naming fellow lightweights Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Now he meets Mexico’s Tellez who has never been stopped.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” said Tellez.

Even in Las Vegas.

Verona, New York

Meanwhile, in upstate New York, a WBC junior lightweight title rematch finds Robson Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) looking to prove superior to former titlist O’Shaquie Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, N.Y. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank fight card.

Last July, Conceicao and Foster clashed and after 12 rounds the title changed hands from Foster to the Brazilian by split decision.

“I feel that a champion is a fighter who goes out there and doesn’t run around, who looks for the fight, who tries to win, and doesn’t just throw one or two punches and then moves away,” said Conceicao.

Foster disagrees.

“I hope he knows the name of the game is to hit and not get hit. That’s the name of the game,” said Foster.

Also on the same card is lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (21-0, 16 KOs) who fights Mexico’s Jesus Perez Campos (25-5, 18 KOs).

Perez recently defeated former world champion Jojo Diaz last February in California.

“We’re made for challenges. I like challenges,” said Perez.

Muratalla likes challenges too.

“I think these fights are the types of fights I need to show my skills and to prove I deserve those title fights,” said Fontana’s Muratalla.

Female Undisputed Flyweight Championship

WBA, WBC and WBO flyweight titlist Gabriela “La Chucky” Alaniz (15-1, 6 KOs meets IBF titlist Gabriela Fundora (14-0, 6 KOs) on Saturday Nov. 2, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. DAZN will stream the clash for the undisputed flyweight championship.

Argentina’s Alaniz clashed twice against former WBA, WBC champ Marlen Esparza with their first encounter ending in a dubious win for the Texas fighter. In fact, three of Esparza’s last title fights were scored controversially.

But against Alaniz, though they fought on equal terms, Esparza was given a 99-91 score by one of the judges though the world saw a much closer contest. So, they fought again, but the rematch took place in California. Two judges deemed Alaniz the winner and one Esparza for a split-decision win.

“I’m really happy to be here representing Argentina. We are ready to fight. Nothing about this fight has to do with Marlen. So, I hope she (Fundora) is ready. I am ready to prepare myself for the great fight of my life,” said Alaniz.

In the case of Fundora, the extremely tall American fighter at 5’9” in height defeated decent competition including Maria Santizo. She was awarded a match with IBF flyweight titlist Arely Mucino who opted for the tall youngster over the dangerous Kenia Enriquez of Mexico.

Bad choice for Mucino.

Fundora pummeled the champion incessantly for five rounds at the Inglewood Forum a year ago. Twice she battered her down and the fight was mercifully stopped. Fundora’s arm was raised as the new champion.

Since that win Fundora has defeated Christina Cruz and Chile’s Daniela Asenjo in defense of the IBF title. In an interesting side bit: Asenjo was ranked as a flyweight contender though she had not fought in that weight class for seven years.

Still, Fundora used her reach and power to easily handle the rugged fighter from Chile.

Immediately after the fight she clamored for a chance to become undisputed.

“It doesn’t get better than this, especially being in Las Vegas. This is the greatest opportunity that we can have,” said Fundora.

It should be exciting.

Fights to Watch

Sat. ESPN+ 2:50 p.m. Robson Conceicao (19-2-1) vs O’Shaquie Foster (22-3).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Floyd Schofield (17-0) vs Rene Tellez Giron (20-3); Gabriela Alaniz (15-1) vs Gabriela Fundora (14-0).

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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