The Newsboy Boxer: Remnant of a Bygone Era

Published

3 years ago

November 4, 2021

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In olden days, many boxers were drawn from the ranks of newsboys. The newsboy boxer was a staple of so-called smokers during the early decades of the twentieth century. Some amateur tournaments were restricted to newsboys. The promoters had no trouble finding volunteers.

Some newsboys went on to have Hall of Fame careers. Abe Attell, Tony Canzoneri, Young Corbett III, Pete Herman, Rocky Kansas, Fidel LaBarba, David Montrose, Lew Tendler, and Kid Williams are enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, NY. There are undoubtedly a few others in there with a newsboy background. Montrose was enshrined under his ring name, Newsboy Brown.

There are different types of newsboys. Many years ago, this reporter had a newspaper route. At the distribution center, copies of the Long Island Press were folded in such a way that they became projectiles which could then be launched on to a homeowner’s stoop without getting off one’s bicycle. The Press was an afternoon paper so there was no conflict with school.

This was the sissified version of a newsboy.

With few exceptions, the newsboys that went on to become boxers were city dwellers who had to hustle to make a little money in the face of fierce competition. They did not have the luxury of a well-defined route free of interlopers like the kids in suburbia. They had to fight to defend their turf.

A boy holding a bunch of newspapers under one arm as he barked out his spiel was once a ubiquitous shard of the urban landscape. The peak years were the years straddling the dawn of the twentieth century when new technologies sharply reduced the cost of producing a newspaper. During the decade of the 1890s, notes the celebrated historian Vincent DiGirolamo in his 2019 opus “Crying The News,” 657 new daily papers emerged in the United States, bringing the total to 2,179. In 1899, there were more than two dozen dailies in New York City alone with a combined circulation of more than a million. Many of the newcomers were tabloids that practiced so-called yellow journalism. They were known for their lurid headlines, a boon to the newsboys who had their hook for roping in passersby who might need a sensational storyline to trigger them into shaking loose a few coins.

During this period, the newsboy demographic changed. Jews and Italians displaced the Irish. Boxing mirrored the transition. Of the Hall of Famers previously mentioned, only Kid Williams, born in Denmark, was unique. Young Corbett III (Raffaele Giordano), Pete Herman (Peter Gulotta), and Rocky Kansas (Rocco Tozzo) were Italian. Montrose was Jewish, as were Attell and Tendler.

There were two diametrically opposed stereotypes of newsboys.

In books for young readers, he was often portrayed as an orphan who would return a lost wallet to its owner with its contents undisturbed. He was applauded for his industriousness. But as the ranks of newsboys were swelled by immigrants and children of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, a pernicious stereotype emerged. Newsboys were now frequently portrayed as truants whose moral fiber, already tattered, was worsened by a life on the streets. Newsboys, it was noted, were more likely to smoke, swear, and gamble than were their non-newsboy peers. At Newsboy Alley in Chicago, one could reportedly find a craps game at any hour of the day.

For some boxers identified either as newsboys or former newsboys, hawking papers was likely an irregular and fleeting occupation. Some may not have been newsboys at all. Old-time sportswriters were notorious for playing loose with the facts. But for some, work as a newsboy continued while their boxing careers were in progress. And newsboys weren’t all boys. There were always adult men in the mix and a smattering of girls and women too. Their percentage increased during periods of economic instability.

Plug the word newsboy into BoxRec and more than 100 citations appear. Monk the Newsboy, a fighter from Providence, Rhode Island, born Harry Kronski, had the distinction of being the last man to defeat George Dixon, knocking the immortal “Little Chocolate” into retirement. Newsboy Millich, who did not confine his fisticuffing to the ring, was one of the great sporting characters in the history of Sacramento.

Millich had more than 100 pro fights, but the prize in this category belonged to Abraham “Abe the Newsboy” Hollandersky who claimed to have had more than a thousand, earning him a citation in the Guinness Book of Records and in Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Abe sold newspapers on the streets of New London, Connecticut before graduating to the life of a maritime newsboy-businessman. Through an arrangement with the Department of the Navy, he acquired a supply boat from which he peddled newspapers and magazines and various sundries such as shaving cream to servicemen aboard military ships. He had his most notable fights in Panama where the U.S. Navy established a large presence during the building of the famous canal.

Abe did so well at his trade that he was able to finance the publication of his memoir. Titled “The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy: Hero of a thousand Fights,” the book went to so many editions that it became almost as commonplace as Pete Rose’s autograph. It is a most curious tome as one would have inferred from this promotional blurb: “a story that has all the charm of conversation…unspoiled by any editorial blue-pencil.”

As author DiGiralamo notes, although young boys hawking papers flooded the sidewalks of cities both big and small, they were yet invisible to social reformers concerned with improving conditions of children working in factories and mills. Part of this owed to the fact that newsboys were independent contractors and there was a great deal of turnover in their ranks. However, some young newsboys were compelled to quit school because of circumstances at home and their lot wasn’t an easy one. Their bosses could raise the wholesale cost of papers on a whim or reduce the number of unsold papers they were willing to take back. Working in harsh weather was a challenge and there were predators on the streets – older boys that coveted their pitch and men with sordid propensities.

In this environment, it figured that many boys would take up the sport of boxing. And as history would show, many proved to be quite good at it.

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Arne K. Lang

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Bakhodir Jalolov Returns on Thursday in Another Disgraceful Mismatch

Published

8 hours ago

February 4, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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How good is Bakhodir Jalolov? Some would argue that in terms of pure talent, the six-foot-seven southpaw from Uzbekistan who has knocked out all 14 of his opponents since turning pro, is better than any heavyweight you can name. Others say that this can’t possibly be true or his braintrust wouldn’t keep feeding him junk food. Jalolov has been brought along as gingerly as Christopher Lovejoy who was exposed as a fraud after running up a skein of 19 straight fast knockouts,

One thing that’s indisputable is that Jalolov was one of the best amateurs to come down the pike in recent memory. A three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist, Jalolov won 58 of his last 59 amateur bouts. The exception was a match in which he did not compete which translated into a win by walkover for his opponent, countryman Lazizbek Mullojonov.

The circumstances are vague. Was Jalolov a no-show because of an injury or illness or a technicality? Amateur boxing, save in a few places or in an Olympic year, is the quintessential niche sport. The mainstream media does not cover it.

What we do know, thanks to boxrec, is that Jalolov caught up with Mullojonov in May of last year in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk and won a split decision. And Mollojonov was no slouch. He too won a gold medal at the Paris Games, winning the heavyweight division to give the powerful Uzbekistan contingent the championship in the two heaviest weight classes.

Jalolov, whose late father was a champion free-style wrestler, has answered the bell as a pro for only 35 rounds. The Belgian-Congolese campaigner Jack Mulowayi came closest to taking the big Uzbek the distance, lasting into the eighth round of an 8-round fight. But when Jalolov closed the show, he did it with a highlight reel knockout, knocking Mulowayi into dreamland with a vicious left hook.

The KO was reminiscent of Jalolov’s most talked-about win as an amateur, his first-round blast-out of Richard Torrez Jr at a tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 2019. Torrez, knocked out cold with a left hook, left the ring on a stretcher and was removed to a hospital for evaluation.

This was the first AIBA-sanctioned international tournament in which pros were allowed to compete and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was incensed, calling the match-up “criminal” in a tweet that was widely circulated. (Jalolov then had six pro fights under his belt.) They would meet again in the finals of the Tokyo Olympiad with the Uzbek winning a unanimous decision.

Perhaps there will be a third meeting down the road. When Jared Anderson was roughed-up and stopped by Martin Bakole, Torrez Jr (currently 12-0, 11 KOs) vaulted ahead of him on the list of the top home-grown American heavyweights. But Torrez Jr, a short-armed heavyweight who overcomes his physical limitations with a windmill offense, would be a heavy underdog should they ever meet again.

Bakhodir Jalolov’s last bout before heading off to Paris was against the obscure South African Chris Thompson. His match on Thursday at the Montreal Casino in Montreal pits him against an obscure 33-year-old Frenchman, David Spilmont.

Spilmont’s last two opponents were the same guy, an undersized Lithuanian slug who has lost 36 of his 41 documented fights. It seems almost inevitable that Spilmont will suffer the same fate as Thompson who was KOed in the first round.

There’s talk that Jalolov doesn’t really care how far he advances at the professional level; that he has his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles where he would have an opportunity to become only the fourth boxer to win three Olympic gold medals, joining the immortal Teofilo Stevenson, Hungarian legend Laszlo Papp, and Cuban standout Felix Savon. Were he to accomplish the hat trick, they would build monuments to him in Uzbekistan. But, if that is his mindset, he’s skating on thin ice. There’s no guarantee that boxing will be on the docket at the Los Angeles Games and, if so, the powers-that-be may choose to roll back the calendar to the days when the competition was off-limits to anyone with professional experience.

While it’s true that Jalolov needs to work off some rust, a pox on promoter Camille Estephan and his enabler, the Quebec Boxing Commission, for not dredging up a more credible opponent than the grossly overmatched David Spilmont.

—

Jalolov vs. Spilmont is ostensibly the co-feature. The main event is a 10-round junior welterweight clash between Movladdin “Arthur” Biyarslanov (17-0, 14 KOs) and Spilmont stablemate Mohamed Mimoune (24-6, 5 KOs). Undefeated light heavyweights Albert Ramirez and Mehmet Unal will appear in separate bouts on the undercard. The Feb. 6 event, currently consisting of seven bouts, will air in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.

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Claressa Shields Powers to Undisputed Heavyweight Championship

Published

2 days ago

February 2, 2025

David A. Avila

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Claressa Shields blasted her way to the undisputed heavyweight championship and nearly knocked out challenger Danielle Perkins in the final seconds, but settled for a win by unanimous decision on Sunday.

Yes, she can punch.

“I just feel overwhelmed and so happy.” Shields said.

Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) proved that even the super athletic Perkins (5-1, 2 KOs), a true heavyweight, could not stop her from becoming an undisputed world champion in a third weight division at Dort Arena in Flint, Michigan, her home town.

In the opening round it was easy to see the size difference. Shields calmly measured Perkins long right jabs then countered with rocket rights through the guard. The speed was evident in Shield’s punches. Perkins used jabs to work her way in but was caught with counters.

“That girl was strong as hell,” said Shields describing Perkins.

Perkins, a southpaw, was somewhat confident that she was the stronger puncher and the stronger fighter overall. But when Shields connected with 10 rocket overhand rights in the third round the power moved Perkins several feet backward.

Suddenly, Perkins realized that indeed Shields has power.

Perkins became more cautious with her approaches. Though the true heavyweight was not frozen in fear, she was wary about getting caught flush with Shields rights. But bullet jabs and lightning combinations still rained on Perkins.

Finding a way to nullify Shields speed was crucial for Perkins.

The former basketball player Perkins continually proved her athleticism with agile moves here and there, but Shields just was superior in every way.

When Perkins became focused too much on the right, a Shields left hook caught the New York native flush. Suddenly there was another Shields weapon to worry about.

Many critics of Shields had focused on her lack of knockouts. But in her previous fight against another heavyweight, the two-time Olympic gold medalist surprised Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse with knockout power. It’s the same power Shields showed Perkins as if firing a fast ball by powering her right with leverage by using her left leg to produce momentum and an explosive punch.

In the 10^th and final round Shields and Perkins exchanged blows. Perkins was looking to connect with one of her power shots when suddenly Shields countered with a perfectly timed right to the chin and down went Perkins with about 10 seconds remaining. She beat the count to finish the round.

“I showed I was the bigger puncher and better boxer,” said Shields. “I knew I could do it because I’m really strong at heavyweight.”

All three judges favored Shields 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92.

It was another convincing performance by Shields. So what is next for the best female fighter pound for pound?

“I want to fight Franchon Crews, Hanna Gabriels,” said Shields also naming a few others. “Flint, (Michigan) I love you all so much.”

Other Bouts

A heavyweight clash saw why there is a rule against holding. Brandon Moore (17-1) and Skylar Lacy (8-1-2) punched and held throughout their eight rounds. Referee Steve Willis finally disqualified Lacy when he tackled Moore and took him through the ropes and on to table below.

No, holding and clinching is not part of the fight game. Now you know why.

Moore was ruled the winner by disqualification due to unsportsmanlike conduct by Lacy at 1:35 of the eighth. No need to describe the fight.

A battle between undefeated welterweights saw Joseph Hicks (12-0, 8 KOs) stop Keon Papillon (10-1-1, 7 KOs) at 1:35 of the seventh round. Hicks stunned Papillon at the end of the sixth, then unloaded in the seventh round to force a stoppage.

Joshua Pagan (12-0) out-battled Ronal Ron (16-8) over eight rounds to win the lightweight match by unanimous decision.

Samantha Worthington (11-0) defeated Vaida Masiokaite (10-27-6) by decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight bout.

Featherweight Caroline Veyre (9-1) out-boxed the shorter Carmen Vargas (5-3-1) to win by decision after six rounds.

Super bantamweight Asheleyann Lozada (1-0) won her pro debut by unanimous decision over Denise Moran (3-1) in a four-round fight.

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Benavidez Defeats Morrell; Cruz, Fulton, and Ramos also Victorious at Las Vegas

Published

3 days ago

February 2, 2025

David A. Avila

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David Benavidez showed fans why they call him “El Monstro” as he plowed through Cuba’s heavy-punching David Morrell to retain a number one ranking in the light heavyweight division by unanimous decision on Saturday.

Not even a flash knockdown for Morrell could make a difference.

Phoenix native Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) gave Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) his first loss as a professional in front of more than 15,000 fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. No one needed to hear the judge’s decision.

“I prepared for everything. I know he’s a great fighter,” said Benavidez. “I thought he was going to hit harder, but he didn’t.”

Before the fight, Morrell was almost an even bet according to oddsmakers, but that was not the case once the fight commenced.

Immediately Benavidez pounded the body and exposed the weaknesses of Morrell’s peek-a-boo defense by using his own left glove to push down the Cuban’s guard. Then immediately firing a crushing right to the jaw.

For the first four rounds Benavidez pounded away on the left and right side of Morrell’s body. And when the openings came the uppercuts caught Morrell’s chin. But he absorbed the blows.

Morrell didn’t waver in trying to find a solution. Though Benavidez connected often to the body and head, the Cuban fighter who moved up from super middleweight displayed a very solid chin.

In the fourth round during a furious exchange Morrell beat Benavidez to the punch that stunned him momentarily. But the blow seemed to spark outrage and a storm of blows followed from Benavidez.

It must have seemed like a nightmare for Morrell.

At times the Cuban fighter would connect perfectly with a right hook and pause. Then Benavidez would return fire with massive blows.

The look on Morrell’s face bore traces of disappointment.

As the rounds continued Benavidez became emboldened by his success. Soon the Mexican Monster began launching lead right uppercuts through Morrell’s guard especially in the sixth round.

“He was easier to hit than I expected,” Benavidez said.

During the breaks Morrell’s corner asked him to pressure Benavidez. It was a fruitless suggestion. How do you corner a Monster?

Benavidez continued to stalk Morrell who never stopped swinging but could not seem to hurt the Monster. In the 11^th round Morrell managed to catch Benavidez perfectly with a right hook and down went Benavidez. He immediately got up and the two fighters unloaded on each other. Morrell fired one punch after the bell and was deducted a point by referee Thomas Taylor. That negated the extra point gained from the knockdown.

“I wasn’t really hurt,” said Benavidez. “That bullshit knockdown caught me off-balance.”

The final round saw both resume their efforts to knock the other out. Both showed great chins and the ability to trade. Benavidez was simply better. Even Morrell didn’t wait for the decision to be read as he raised the arm of the Monster at the final bell. All three judges scored in favor of Benavidez 115-111 twice and 118-108.

“He knows this is Monstro’s world. Big shout out for Morrell, he’s a tough fighter,” Benavidez said.

Other Bouts

In a fight dedicated to honor the late Israel Vazquez, the ultimate Aztec warrior, super lightweights Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (27-3-1) and Angel Fierro (23-3-2) battled like demons for 10 nonstop rounds. Cruz was ruled the winner by unanimous decision.

With little resemblance of defense, Cruz and Fierro whacked each other relentlessly with shots that might have stopped a moving car. Cruz was tagged by a right cross on the top of the head that staggered him momentarily. Fierro was driven back four feet by an overhand right to the chin early in the fight.

Both fighters took cruel and unusual punishment and never wavered more than a few seconds. It was brutal war and fans were the winners after 10 rounds of violent and savage action.

All three judges saw Cruz the winner 96-94, 97-93, 98-92.

“I’m so happy I gave the fans a great fight,” Cruz said.

Fulton Wins

Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs) defeated Brandon Figueroa (23-2-1, 19 KOs) again and took the WBC featherweight title by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. He had previously defeated Figueroa in 2021 for the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles.

Most of the action took place in nose-to-nose fashion where Fulton landed the cleaner shots especially with uppercuts. Figueroa had his moments but was unable to hurt the challenger who lost to Naoya Inoue by knockout 17 months ago.

Fulton landed clean shots but as his record shows he lacks the power with only eight knockouts on his record. But Figueroa was unable to hurt or knock down Fulton. After 12 rounds all three judges saw Fulton win by scores of 116-112 twice and 117-111,

“It feels good. I’m champion again,” said Fulton.

Ramos Wins

Jesus Ramos (22-1, 18 KOs) won by technical knockout over former world champion Jeison Rosario (24-5-2) in the eighth round of a middleweight fight. Both fighters attacked the body but by the sixth round Ramos was the busier fighter and began to dominate the fight. At 2:18 of the eighth round referee Robert Hoyle stopped the fight.

“I like to throw a lot of body punches. It’s kind of my style,” said Ramos.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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