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Lou Nova vs Max Baer, Boxing’s Seminal TV Fight, Opened a Pandora’s Box
According to crackerjack publicist Madelyn Flax, the June 1, 1939 fight at Yankee Stadium between Lou Nova and Max Baer has the distinction of being the first fight on television. The bout aired on NBC.
Ms. Flax includes this bit of trivia in her correspondence with the boxing media on behalf of her client Ring City USA. Boxing’s newest promotional entity, Ring City launched a series of twice-monthly shows on Nov. 19. Currently anchored at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, the club-level cards air on Thursdays on the NBC Sports network.
Ms. Flax is correct. The Nova-Baer fight did air on NBC and it was a trailblazing event that ushered in a new era of boxing. However, this information begs for historical context.
The TV signal, short-waved from Yankee Stadium to a transmitter atop the Empire State building, reached a 50-mile radius of midtown Manhattan, give or take a few miles depending on the weather. NBC estimated that 20,000 people watched the fight on 8-by-10 screens, a dubious assertion as the TV hadn’t yet become an object of curiosity in a department store’s picture window. Even allowing for the fact that TV owners invited friends and neighbors over to watch the fight, 20,000 is a number that strains credibility.
Because the signal reached into parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, the telecast was technically illegal. The 1912 federal law prohibiting the interstate transportation of fight films, the “Jack Johnson law” as it was informally known, was still on the books.
Sam Taub, a columnist for The Ring magazine, did the blow-by-blow. Taub, who lived into his nineties, would estimate that he broadcast more than 7,000 fights on radio or television before he turned the reins over to a younger man.
Before the year was out, Taub was promoting a series of televised shows on Saturday nights from the Ridgewood Grove, an intimate 2,500-seat nightclub that sat on the border of Brooklyn and Queens. These were the first indoor televised fights in the United States. Taub’s first show, on Oct. 21, 1939, featured an 8-round contest between journeymen light welterweights Tony Marteliano and Bobby McIntire.
Before the Nova-Baer experiment aired, NBC did several walk-throughs of various kinds, including a three-round exhibition between Lou Nova and one of his sparring partners, Patsy Perroni. The ring was pitched in a room on the third floor of the Radio City building. Invited guests watched the fight on the sixth floor.
When it comes to new technologies, us Yankees like to think that we were in the vanguard, but in point of fact when it came to televised boxing, the Brits beat us to the punch. On Feb. 23, 1939, the British lightweight title fight between Eric Boon and Arthur Danahar at North London’s Harringay Arena was beamed to three cinemas in London, each of which paid $1,000 for the privilege of showing the fight.
The mass production of televisions was stalled by the war. In 1948, RCA’s cheapest model sold for $395. That’s the equivalent of $10,400 today. But the price came down in a hurry and the felt need to own one begat a feverish rush unmatched until the introduction of the cell phone, that handy little gizmo that fits so neatly in our hip pocket. A 1958 survey showed that there were more televisions in American homes than telephones or bathtubs. And by then, boxing was all over the TV dial, not that there was much competition as few folks had access to more than four channels.
The TV honchos loved boxing. It was a sport played on a small “playing field” with only two contestants who were usually at arm’s length. Little furbishing of the staging area was needed other than brighter illumination and tinting the canvas a darker shade to reduce glare, keeping production costs low. The expedient of requiring one boxer to wear white trunks and the other black enabled the viewer to keep them apart. Multi-colored ring apparel awaited the introduction of the color television.
TV brought new money into the sport, but there was a big downside. Neighborhood fight clubs – and there were hundreds of them across the country – folded at an alarming rate as legions of fight fans stayed home to get their boxing fix. There were other factors at work such as suburbanization, but TV was the main culprit. Dan Parker, the syndicated boxing writer for the New York Daily Mirror, was prescient when he predicted in a 1939 story that TV would eventually make the grass-roots boxing promoter almost extinct. Parker cited the example of vaudeville which was clubbed into antiquity by the movies.
Dan Parker would later recommend a one-year moratorium on televised fights “to nourish boxing’s withering roots.”
Sam Taub, by the way, was no fan of television although he was quick to embrace the new medium. Taub once said, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, that the TV set was a device invented by the devil. He felt that way because it stifled his creativity; his freedom to improvise.
In boxing lore there is a yarn about an out-of-town fight manager who took ill after coming to New York to see a match at the old Madison Square Garden and thought it prudent to catch the fight on radio in his room at his hotel located a stone’s throw from the arena. The first two rounds, as narrated by Sam Taub, were so full of action that the ailing fight manager was roused to go see it, not wishing to miss the entirety of a fight shaping up as an all-time classic.
When he rushed into Madison Square Garden, the lobby was jammed with fight fans who had left their seats. The bout was such a stinker that they couldn’t bear to watch any more of it.
Taub, by the way, was no fan of Howard Cosell who became nationally prominent covering Muhammad Ali before he became identified with Monday Night Football. He would have numbered Cosell among the noxious effects of television.
Taub didn’t like the man but was too diplomatic to bad-mouth him. Asked if he had ever met the bombastic sportscaster, Taub had a stock reply: “Yes, I have met him,” he would say, “but I never loaned him any money.”
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The next Ring City show goes Dec. 17. Undefeated super welterweights Charles Conwell (13-0, 10 KOs) and Madiyar Ashkeyev (14-0, 7 KOs) collide in the 10-round main event. Conwell, 23, represented the U.S. in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Ashkeyev, 32, is a native of Kazakhstan and a stablemate of Vasyl Lomachenko. The show airs at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT on NBCSN.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 310: Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue and More
Many proclaim super bantamweight world champ Naoya Inoue to be the best fighter in the world today. It’s a serious debate among boxing pundits.
Is he Japan’s best fighter ever?
Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) takes another step toward immortality when he meets Korea’s Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) on Friday Jan. 24, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. ESPN+ will stream the Top Rank and Ohashi Promotions card.
Inoue defends the IBF, WBC, WBA and WBO world titles.
This is Inoue’s third defense of the undisputed super bantamweight division that he won when he defeated Philippines’ Marlon Tapales in December 2023.
Japan has always been a fighting nation, a country derived from a warrior culture like Mexico, England, Russia, Germany and a few others. Professional boxing has always thrived in Japan.
My first encounter with Japanese fighters took place in March 1968 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was my first visit to the famous boxing venue though my father had performed there during the 1950s. I was too young to attend any of his fights and then he retired.
The main event featured featherweights Jose Pimentel of Mexico against Sho Saijo of Japan. Both had fought a month earlier with the Mexican from Jalisco winning by split decision.
Pimentel was a friend of my female cousin and gave my father tickets to the fight. My family loved boxing as most Latino families worldwide do, including those in the USA. It’s a fact that most sports editors for newspapers and magazines fail to realize. Latinos love boxing.
We arrived late at the boxing venue located on Grand Avenue and 18th street. My father was in construction and needed to pick me up in East L.A. near Garfield High School. Fights we already underway when we arrived at the Olympic Auditorium.
It was a packed arena and our seats were fairly close to the boxing ring. As the fighters were introduced and descended to the boxing ring, respectful applause greeted Saijo. He had nearly defeated Pimentel in their first clash a month earlier in this same venue. Los Angeles fans respect warriors. Saijo was a warrior.
Both fighters fought aggressively with skill. Every round it seemed Saijo got stronger and Pimentel got weaker. After 10 strong rounds of back-and-forth action, this time Saijo was declared the winner. Some fans booed but most agreed that the Japanese fighter was stronger on this day. And he was stronger still when they met a third time in 1969 when Saijo knocked out Pimentel in the second round for the featherweight world title.
That was my first time witnessing Japan versus Mexico. Over the decades, I’ve seen many clashes between these same two countries and always expect riveting battles from Japanese fighters.
I was in the audience in Cancun, Mexico when then WBC super featherweight titlist Takashi Miura clashed with Sergio Thompson for 12 rounds in intense heat in a covered bull ring. After that fight that saw three knockdowns between them, the champion, though victorious, was taken out in a stretcher due to dehydration.
There are so many others going back to Fighting Harada in the 1960s that won championships. And what about all the other Japanese fighters who never got the opportunity to fight for a world title due to the distance from America and Europe?
Its impossible to determine if Inoue is the greatest Japanese fighter ever. But without a doubt, he is the most famous. Publications worldwide include him on lists of the top three fighters Pound for Pound.
Few experts are familiar with Korea’s Kim, but expect a battle nonetheless. These two countries are rivals in Asian boxing.
Golden Boy at Commerce Casino
Middleweights Eric Priest and Tyler Howard lead a Golden Boy Promotions fight card on Thursday, Jan. 23, at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif. DAZN will stream the boxing card.
All ticket money will go to the Los Angele Fire Department Foundation.
Kansas-based Priest (14-0, 8 KOs) meets Tennessee’s Tyler Howard (20-2, 11 KOs) in the main event in a match set for 10 rounds.
Others on the card are super welterweights Jordan Panthen (10-0) and Grant Flores (7-0) in separate bouts and super lightweight Cayden Griffith seeking a third consecutive win. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Diego Pacheco at Las Vegas
Super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) defends his regional titles against Steve Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) at the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jan. 25. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.
It’s not an easy fight for Pacheco.
“I’ve been fighting for six years as a professional and I’m 22-0 and I’m 23 years old. I feel I’m stepping into my prime now,” said Pacheco, who trains with Jose Benavidez.
Also on the card is Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz and Southern California’s dangerous super lightweight contender Ernesto Mercado in separate fights.
Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)
Thurs. DAZN 6 p.m. Eric Priest (14-0) vs Tyler Howard (20-2).
Fri. ESPN+ 1:15 a.m. Naoya Inoue (28-0) vs Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2).
Sat. DAZN 9:15 a.m. Dalton Smith (16-0) vs Walid Ouizza (19-2); Ellie Scotney (9-0) vs Mea Motu (20-0).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Diego Pacheco (22-0) vs Steve Nelson (20-0).
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Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing
Skylar Lacy, a six-foot-seven heavyweight, returns to the ring on Sunday, Feb. 2, opposing Brandon Moore on a card in Flint, Michigan, airing worldwide on DAZN.
As this is being written, the bookmakers hadn’t yet posted a line on the bout, but one couldn’t be accused of false coloring by calling the 10-round contest a 50/50 fight. And if his frustrating history is any guide, Lacy will have another draw appended to his record or come out on the wrong side of a split decision.
This should not be construed as a tip to wager on Moore. “Close fights just don’t seem to go my way,” says the boxer who played alongside future multi-year NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at the University of Louisville.
A 2021 National Golden Gloves champion, Skylar Lacy came up short in his final amateur bout, losing a split decision to future U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards. His last Team Combat League assignment resulted in another loss by split decision and he was held to a draw in both instances when stepping up in class as a pro. “In my mind, I’m still undefeated,” says Lacy (8-0-2, 6 KOs). “No one has ever kicked my ass.”
Lacy was the B-side in both of those draws, the first coming in a 6-rounder against Top Rank fighter Antonio Mireles on a Top Rank show in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and the second in an 8-rounder against George Arias, a Lou DiBella fighter on a DiBella-promoted card in Philadelphia.
Lacy had the Mireles fight in hand when he faded in the homestretch. The altitude was a factor. Lake Tahoe, Nevada (officially Stateline) sits 6,225 feet above sea level. The fight with Arias took an opposite tack. Lacy came on strong after a slow start to stave off defeat.
Skylar will be the B-side once again in Michigan. The card’s promoter, former world title challenger Dmitriy Salita, inked Brandon Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) in January. “A capable American heavyweight with charisma, athleticism and skills is rare in today’s day and age. Brandon has got all these ingredients…”, said Salita in the press release announcing the signing. (Salita has an option on Skylar Lacy’s next pro fight in the event that Skylar should win, but the promoter has a larger investment in Moore who was previously signed to Top Rank, a multi-fight deal that evaporated after only one fight.)
Both Lacy and Moore excelled in other sports. The six-foot-six Moore was an outstanding basketball player in high school in Fort Lauderdale and at the NAIA level in college. Lacy was an all-state football lineman in Indiana before going on to the University of Louisville where he started as an offensive guard as a redshirt sophomore, blocking for freshman phenom Lamar Jackson. “Lamar was hard-working and humble,” says Lacy about the player who is now one of the world’s highest-paid professional athletes.
When Lacy committed to Louisville, the head coach was Charlie Strong who went on to become the head coach at the University of Texas. Lacy was never comfortable with Strong’s successor Bobby Petrino and transferred to San Jose State. Having earned his degree in only three years (a BA in communications) he was eligible immediately but never played a down because of injuries.
Returning to Indianapolis where he was raised by his truck dispatcher father, a single parent, Lacy gravitated to Pat McPherson’s IBG (Indy Boxing and Grappling) Gym on the city’s east side where he was the rare college graduate pounding the bags alongside at-risk kids from the city’s poorer neighborhoods.
Lacy built a 12-6 record across his two seasons in Team Combat League while representing the Las Vegas Hustle (2023) and the Boston Butchers (2024).
For the uninitiated, a Team Combat League (TCL) event typically consists of 24 fights, each consisting of one three-minute round. The concept finds no favor with traditionalists, but Lacy is a fan. It’s an incentive for professional boxers to keep in shape between bouts without disturbing their professional record and, notes Lacy, it’s useful in exposing a competitor to different styles.
“It paid the bills and kept me from just sitting around the house,” says Lacy whose 12-6 record was forged against 13 different opponents.
As a sparring partner, Lacy has shared the ring with some of the top heavyweights of his generation, e.g., Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He was one of Fury’s regular sparring partners during the Gypsy King’s trilogy with Deontay Wilder. He worked with Joshua at Derrick James’ gym in Dallas and at Ben Davison’s gym in England, helping Joshua prepare for his date in Saudi Arabia with Francis Ngannou and had previously sparred with Ngannou at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas. Skylar names traveling to new places as one of his hobbies and he got to scratch that itch when he joined Whyte’s camp in Portugal.
As to the hardest puncher he ever faced, he has no hesitation: “Ngannou,” he says. “I negotiated a nice price to spend a week in his camp and the first time he hit me I knew I should have asked for more.”
Lacy is confident that having shared the ring with some of the sport’s elite heavyweights will get him over the hump in what will be his first 10-rounder (Brandon Moore has never had to fight beyond eight rounds, having won his three 10-rounders inside the distance). Lacy vs. Moore is the co-feature to Claressa Shields’ homecoming fight with Danielle Perkins. Shields, basking in the favorable reviews accorded the big-screen biopic based on her first Olympic journey (“The Fire Inside”) will attempt to capture a title in yet another weight class at the expense of the 42-year-old Perkins, a former professional basketball player.
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Mizuki Hiruta Dominates in her U.S. Debut and Omar Trinidad Wins Too at Commerce
Japan’s Mizuki Hiruta smashed through Mexico’s Maribel Ramirez with ease in winning by technical decision and local hero Omar Trinidad continued his assault on the featherweight division on Friday.
Hiruta (7-0, 2 KOs), who prefers to be called “Mimi,” made her American debut with an impressive performance against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez (15-11-4) and retained the WBO super flyweight world title by unanimous decision at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.
The pink-haired Japanese southpaw champion quickly proved to be quicker, stronger and even better than advertised. In the opening round Ramirez landed on the floor twice after throwing errant blows. On one instance, it could have been ruled a knockdown but it was not a convincing blow.
In the second round, Ramirez again attacked and again was met with a Hiruta check right hook and down went the Mexican. This time referee Ray Corona gave the eight-count and the fight resumed.
It was Hiruta’s third title defense but this time it was on American soil. She seemed nervous by the prospect of getting a favorable review from the more than 700 fans inside the casino tent.
For more than a year Hiruta has been training off and on with Manny Robles in the L.A. area. Now that she has a visa, she has spent considerable time this year learning the tricks of the trade. They proved explosively effective.
Though Mexico City’s Ramirez has considerable experience against world champions, she discovered that Hiruta was not easy to hit. Often, the Japanese champion would slip and counter with precision.
It was an impressive American debut, though the fight was stopped in the eighth round after a collision of heads. The scores were tallied and all three saw Hiruta the winner by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72.
“I’m so happy. I could have done much more,” said Hiruta through interpreter Yuriko Miyata. “I wanted to do more things that Manny Robles taught me.”
Trinidad Wins Too
Omar Trinidad (18-0-1, 13 KOs) discovered that challenger Mike Plania (31-5, 18 KOs) has a very good chin and staying power. But over 10 rounds Trinidad proved to be too fast and too busy for the Filipino challenger.
Immediately it was evident that the East L.A. featherweight was too quick and too busy for Plania who preferred a counter-puncher attack that never worked.
“He was strong,” said Trinidad. “He took everything.”
After 10 redundant rounds all three judges scored for Trinidad 100-90 twice and 99-91. He retains the WBC Continental Americas title.
Other Bouts
Ali Akhmedov (23-1, 17 KOs) blasted out Malcolm Jones (17-5-1) in less than two rounds. A dozen punches by Akhmedov forced referee Thomas Taylor to stop the super middleweight fight.
Iyana “Roxy” Verduzco (3-0) bloodied Lindsey Ellis in the first round and continued the speedy assault in the next two rounds. Referee Ray Corona saw enough and stopped the fight in favor of Verduzco at 1:34 of the third round.
Gloria Munguilla (7-1) and Brook Sibrian (5-2) lit up the boxing ring with a nonstop clash for eight rounds in their light flyweight fight. Munguilla proved effective with a slip-and-counter attack. Sibrian adjusted and made the fight closer in the last four rounds but all three judges favored Munguilla.
More Winners
Joshua Anton, Tayden Beltran, Adan Palma, and Alexander Gueche all won their bouts.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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