Arne’s Almanac: Goldfield’s First Big Fight, An Argentine Ring God and More

Published

3 years ago

September 14, 2022

Arne's-Almanac-Goldfield's-First-Big-Fight-an-Argentine-Ring-God-and-More

Tomorrow, Sept. 15, marks the 117^th anniversary of the first big fight in Goldfield, Nevada. No, we’re not talking about the first fight between Joe Gans and Battling Nelson, one of the most ballyhooed and hashed-over battles in the history of the ring. Before Gans-Nelson, there was Attell vs. Tenny, a fight-to-the-finish promoted as a flyweight championship tilt.

This was Monte Attell who would become less famous than Abe, his older sibling. But Monte was an outstanding fighter in his own right and his opponent, Harry Tenny, a fellow San Francisco Jew, was among the top fighters in his weight class.

Attell vs. Tenny was a classic “festival fight,” a match designed to add more sparkle to an event with many tendrils. Sept. 15, 1905 was Railroad Day in Goldfield, and the locals built a four-day festival around it. There were trunk lines for moving freight between Goldfield and nearby mining camps, but before 1905 a person visiting Goldfield from a “metropolis” such as Reno or Salt Lake City could not reach his destination without taking a stagecoach for the final leg of his journey. The arrival of passenger trains was seen as a signal to the outside world that a town was major league and the occasion became an informal holiday in many western mining towns.

It’s fun to read about the festival in the old Goldfield News. Marching bands came from as far away as Virginia City. The city was ablaze in decorative bunting. Rock drilling contests, tug-of-wars, pie eating contests, and burro races spiced up the festivities. All contests came with cash prizes and these weren’t penny-ante. Goldfield was awash with money, albeit on the precipice of a deep downturn. The gold mines would shortly peter out, causing a massive exodus. At its peak moment, Goldfield may have harbored as many as 25,000 people. Today the town in sun-parched, desolate Esmeralda County is home to fewer than 300 permanent residents.

By all accounts, Attell vs. Tenny was a fierce battle. According to a report in the San Francisco Examiner, Tenny’s nose was broken in two places and both of his eyes were nearly shut when he drew down the curtain, knocking Attell down for the count in the twenty-fifth round. The dispatch said “at least” 400 women were in attendance which would have caused a scandal in an Eastern precinct.

The bout had a sad postscript. Five months after meeting Attell, Tenny fought Frankie Neil in San Francisco. This was a rematch. Neil was given the decision over Tenny in their first encounter, a lusty 25-round affair.

Neil knocked Tenny out in the fourteenth round and Tenny died from his injuries the next morning. Born Harry Tennebaum, he was only 20 years old.

Horacio Accavallo (1934-2022)

Among boxing historians, there is an understandable prejudice against top Argentine boxers who rarely fight outside Argentina. Their records tend to vastly overstate their aptitude.

Horacio Accavallo, who was the reigning WBA world flyweight champion when he left the sport in 1967, retiring with a record of 75-2-6 (34), was an exception. Accavallo, who passed away yesterday (Sept. 13), one month shy of his 88^th birthday, was really, really good. The noted boxing historian Matt McGrain considers him the most underrated flyweight of all time. “His absence from the IBHOF makes a mockery of that institution,” wrote McGrain in a story that appeared on these pages.

Accavallo, who was a shade over 5-feet tall, was a trapeze artist and tightrope walker for a circus before finding his calling in the prize ring. His first defeat came at the hands of Salvatore Burruni in their second of three meetings. His other defeat came in his final year as a pro in a non-title fight in Tokyo with ex-Olympian Kiyoshi Tanabe, a boxer who would leave the sport undefeated, his career cut short by eye problems.

Between those two setbacks, Accavallo was unbeaten in 49 fights, going 48-0-1.

In Accavallo’s final fight, he successfully defended his flyweight title with 15-round majority decision over Hiroyuki Ebihara who was 55-3-1 heading in. Accavallo had a terrible time making weight for that fight and rather than move up into a higher division, he simply quit. “If I lose I will stop being a champion,” he reportedly said. “If I retire, I will be a champion forever.”

Born in one of the worst slums in Buenos Aires, Accavallo was the son of an Italian father and a Spanish mother, both reportedly illiterate. Historically, most fighters who grow up in poverty squander their ring earnings, but Accavallo was an exception. As noted by the noted Argentine boxing writer Diego Morilla, he used his earnings to build a chain of successful sporting goods stores.

Accavallo, who answered the bell as a pro for 732 rounds, developed Alzheimer’s and spent most of the last decade of his life in nursing homes. May he rest in peace.

Celebrity Fights

There’s good news for old-school boxing fans who are distressed to find social media influencers clogging up the fight calendar. By all indications, last Saturday’s show at LA’s Bank of America Stadium headlined by the exhibition between YouTube stars Austin McBroom and AnEsonGib was a big money-loser.

There were nine bouts in all, five on the pay-per-view card. According to various sources, the total purse money for the 18 participants amounted to about $600,000. Yes, that’s chump change considering what Eddie Hearn will pay Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin, but it’s a big nut for a promoter when factoring in other expenses – e.g., arena rental, ring rental and set-up, travel and lodging, insurance, ring officials (referees, judges, inspectors), and a laundry list of incidentals.

The event was available on multiple pay-per-view platforms for $40 ($39.99 for you nitpickers). Ticket prices for those attending the show ranged from $35 to $2,200.

Granted, sponsorship deals may compensate for disappointing returns from PPV and on-site sales, but yet it says something that there weren’t more than a few thousand people in the arena, many of whom were undoubtedly comped.

“Like it or not, the era of YouTuber’s boxing is not going away anytime soon,” says Daniel Yanofsky, the Combat Sports editor for The Sporting News. Perhaps not, but perhaps the light I see at the end of the tunnel isn’t merely wishful thinking.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Arne K. Lang’s latest book, titled “George Dixon, Terry McGovern and the Culture of Boxing in America, 1890-1910,” has rolled off the press. Published by McFarland, the book can be ordered directly from the publisher (https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/clash-of-the-little-giants) or via Amazon.

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Arne K. Lang

Up Next

Avila Perspective, Chap. 203: Canelo-GGG 3 and More

Don't Miss

Elite Trainer Jesse Reid Has Schooled Some of Boxing’s Most Mercurial Champions

Argentina’s Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

Published

3 hours ago

May 11, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Argentina's-Fernando-Martinez-Wins-His-Rematch-with-Kazuto-Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12^th round, Argentina’s Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Ioka’s familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.

The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.

But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum swing.

Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.

Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonio’s Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africa’s obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.

As for Ioka, had he won today’s rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

Published

5 hours ago

May 11, 2025

David A. Avila

Emanuel-Navarrete-Survives-a-Bloody-Battle-with-Charly-Suarez-in-San-Diego

In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.

What do they feed these guys?

Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.

From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.

It was savage.

Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.

Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.

Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.

But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.

Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.

Interim IBF Lightweight Title

The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.

Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.

Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.

Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.

There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.

Muratalla was brief.

“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”

Perla Wins

Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.

Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Published

18 hours ago

May 10, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Late-Bloomer-Anthony-Cacace-TKOs-Hometown-Favorite-Leigh-Wood-in-Nottingham

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.

Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.

In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.

Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.

Semi-Wind-Up

Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.

Other Bouts of Note

In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.

In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.

Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.

A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).

Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!