Remembering Prizefighters Danny Nardico and Billy Murray: A Story for Veterans Day

Published

4 weeks ago

November 11, 2024

Remembering Prizefighters Danny Nardico and Billy Murray: A Story for Veterans Day

“There are now over 4000 pro boxers in our armed forces” said a story in the Sept. 19, 1943 issue of the Pittsburgh Press. Some of those boxers returned from the battlefields physically unscathed and were able to extend their career. Others were damaged and never fought again and still others never returned.

Among those 4000-plus boxers who served in World War II were two former world champions who would be decorated for their heroism, Barney Ross and Lew Jenkins. Books have been written about them. Here’s a look at two others who were in the thick of that terrible conflagration, stories worth re-telling today, Nov. 11, Veterans Day in the United States, a day set aside to honor all those that served our nation in the military.

Danny Nardico

Danny Nardico (pictured on the right squaring off against 1952 foe Dan Bucceroni) was born in Ohio near Cleveland, the product of a broken home. He was two years old when his father walked out on little Danny and his six siblings.

At age 17, Nardico enlisted in the Marines. He was wounded in the Battle of Gloucester which began on the day after Christmas in 1943 on an island in New Guinea. The Marines were sent there to destroy two Japanese air bases.

Nardico, despite his tender age, was reportedly a squad leader. The bullet he took in his leg did not stop him from participating in other battles in the Pacific theater. For his valor he received a Purple Heart and a Silver Star.

As a professional boxer, Nardico spent 35 months in The Ring Top 10, rising to #3 in the light heavyweight division. He had two signature fights, the first against Jake LaMotta in Miami (actually Coral Gables) on New Year’s Eve, 1952.

Airing on CBS, this was the first nationally televised fight emanating from the state of Florida. Of greater significance, Nardico became the first man to score a knockdown against the rugged LaMotta who was then in the twilight of his career. It happened in round seven, a straight right following a left hook that dropped the Bronx Bull on his pins. Jake survived the round, just barely, and his corner pulled him out before the eighth.

The Ring recognized Nardico’s performance by naming him the Fighter of the Month.

Nardico wasn’t so fortunate in his next memorable fight. On Jan. 20, 1954, he was stopped inside the ninth frame by Charley Norkus, a banger who fought out of Jersey City. Both were in dire straights during this contest, a wild skirmish punctuated by eight knockdowns, six by Norkus. An instant classic, it was named The Ring Fight of the Year. (Danny Nardico, who came in at 181 ½, was out-weighed by 15 ½ pounds. They fought again nine weeks later and Norkus won a unanimous decision in another fierce fight.)

Before his bouts with Charley Norkus, Nardico fought Joey Maxim in a de facto eliminator for Archie Moore’s world title. An outdoor event in Miami, Nardico had Maxim on the canvas in the seventh round but couldn’t sustain the momentum and lost a 10-round decision.

Nardico quit the sport with a record of 50-13-4 (35 KOs) and became a postal worker in Tampa. He later relocated to Sacramento where his second wife, the former Rachel Galindo, had family, and opened an appliance repair shop. When that failed, he accepted a job as the recreation director at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, Nevada, where he and Rachel lived on the grounds of the minimum security prison. After 13 years in the Silver State, he returned to the Sacramento area with Alzheimer’s to live out his days.

Danny and Rachel were married 48 years when Danny passed away at age 85 in 2010. Speaking about her late father, Nardico’s daughter Danella Plum said, “I remember my father being strong as an ox, but tenderhearted….He had a hard exterior, but inside he was as soft as a marshmallow.”

Billy Murray

Stylistically, Billy Murray and Danny Nardico were complete opposites. Murray, who predated Nardico as a fledgling pro by roughly 10 years, was a cutie. Nardico was a brawler who willingly took two punches to land one of his own. But beyond this, both had a great deal in common.

Billy Murray 1941 photo

Both were born in Ohio – Nardico in Painesville and Billy Murray in the blue-collar Ohio River town of Bellaire – and both spent the bulk spent of their professional boxing lives in Tampa. They even had the same trainer, Bill Gore, who would be named to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in large part because of his work with Willie Pep. And, akin to Nardico, Murray would also be feted as The Ring Fighter of the Month.

Murray, sometimes billed as Irish Billy Murray, was accorded the honor in the July 1941 issue of the self-styled “Bible of Boxing” which hit the newsstands in June. Murray was recognized for his work in the month of May where he scored six wins, upping his ledger to 29-0.

It was the dream of every young boxer to see his name on the marquee at Madison Square Garden. Billy Murray achieved that goal in August of 1942 when he was matched against the formidable Beau Jack.

Murray entered the contest with a 58-2 record, but took the fight on two days’ notice and was a heavy underdog to the former Georgia bootblack. He wound up losing a unanimous decision, but lasting the distance was a feather in his cap and he could look forward to many more engagements at the famous New York sock palace. With Bill Gore piloting his career, he might yet reach the height of stablemate Willie Pep who was then well on his way to getting a world title shot.

Then came the letter from Uncle Sam that so many young men dreaded receiving. Murray was ordered to report for his induction physical. He had been drafted into the Army.

Murray was assigned to the Air Force. He was remanded to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he was taught how to be an airplane mechanic and then to gunnery school at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. An Air Force World War II gunner was a crew member on a bomber plane, responsible for protecting the aircraft from machine gun fire by fighting fire with fire.

Billy Murray took his 58-3 record to the grave. On Nov. 24, 1943, the day before Thanksgiving, this terse message appeared in the papers: “Cpl. William F. Murray, better known as Billy Murray was reported missing in action by the War Department.” Murray’s plane had been shot down somewhere over Italy.

Murray learned the rudiments of boxing at a gym in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, an hour’s drive from Bellaire. “Sports fans and friends of Billy Murray will always remember him and hope that he will turn up to show his wares again when the conflict is over,” read a story in the Canonsburg paper.

But he never did.

News reports do not list Billy Murray’s age but he was undoubtedly in his early twenties. He looks even younger in the few photos of him that can be found in old papers. One is reminded of the famous anti-war poem by the great sportswriter Grantland Rice.

How very young the faces were

Where all the dead men lay

…wrote Rice in the second stanza of his poem which concludes with his observation that “nearly all the dead were hardly more than boys.”

Danny Nardico, who fought in some of the fiercest boxing contests of his generation, once said, “it was all a cakewalk [compared to the War].” Today, Nov. 11, is a federal holiday, a day set aside to recognize the sacrifices of brave men like Danny Nardico and Billy Murray. And to those of you that served in the military, thank you for your service.

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***

A recognized authority on the history of prizefighting and the history of American sports gambling, TSS editor-in-chief Arne K. Lang is the author of five books including “Prizefighting: An American History,” released by McFarland in 2008 and re-released in a paperback edition in 2020.

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Boots and Bam Win in Philly

Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix

Published

8 hours ago

December 7, 2024

Phil Woolever

Emanuel-Navarrete-and-Rafael-Espinoza-Shine-in-Phoenix

PHOENIX – Saturday was a busy night on the global boxing scene, and it’s quite likely that the howling attendees in Phoenix’s Footprint Center witnessed the finest overall card of the international schedule. The many Mexican flags on display in the packed, scaled down arena signaled the event’s theme.

Co-main events featured rematches that arose from a pair of prior crowd-pleasing slugfests. Each of tonight’s headlining bouts ended at the halfway point, but that was their only similarity.

Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, now 39-2-1 (32), defended his WBO Junior Lightweight belt with a dramatic stoppage of more-than-willing Oscar Valdez, 32-3 (24). The 29-year-old champion spoke of retirement wishes, but after dominating a blazing battle in which he scored three knockdowns, his only focus was relaxing during the holidays then getting back to what sounded like long-term business.

“Valdez was extremely tough in this fight,” said Navarrete. “I knew I had to push him back and I did. You are now witnessing the second phase of my career and you can expect great things from me in 2025.”

“I don’t really know about the future,” said the crestfallen, 33-year-old Valdez. “No excuses. He did what he wanted to and I couldn’t.”

Navarrete, a three-division titlist, came up one scorecard short of a fourth belt in his previous fight last May, a split decision loss to Denys Berinchyk. This was Navarrete’s fourth Arizona appearance so he was cheered like a homeboy, but Valdez was definitely the crowd favorite, evident from the cheers that erupted as both fighters were shown arriving in glistening, low rider automobiles.

Both men came out throwing huge shots, but it was Navarrete who scored a flash knockdown in the first round, setting the tone for the rest of the fight. There was fierce action in every frame, with Navarrete getting the best of most of it, but even when he was in trouble Valdez roared back and brought the crowd to their feet. He got dropped again at the very end of round four, and Navarrete sent his mouthpiece into orbit the round after that.

When Navarrette drove Valdez into the ropes during round six it looked like referee Raul Caiz, Jr was about to intervene, but before he could decide, Navarrete finished matters himself with a perfect left to the ribs that crumpled Valdez into a KO at 2:42.

“He talked about getting ready to retire soon so I told him we had to fight again right now,” said Valdez prior to the rematch. There were numerous “be careful what you wish for” type predictions of doom and he entered the ring at around a two to one underdog, understanding the contest’s make or break stakes. “Boxing penalizes you if you have a lot of losses,” observed Valdez. “It’s not like other sports where you can lose and do better next season. In boxing, most people don’t want to see you again after a couple of losses.”

What Valdez might decide remains to be seen, but even in defeat he proved to be a warrior worth watching.

Co-Feature

After their epic, razor-close encounter almost exactly a year ago, it was obvious Rafael Espinoza, and fellow 30-year-old Robeisy Ramirez should meet again for the WBO featherweight title belt Espinoza earned by an upset majority decision. Espinoza turned the trick again this time around, inside the distance, but it was more anti-climactic than anything like toe-to-toe.

The 6’1” Espinoza, now 26-0 (22), was the aggressor from the opening frame, but 5’6” Ramirez, 14-3 (9) employed his short stature well to stay out of immediate danger and countered to the body for a slight edge. The Cuban challenger avoided much of their previous firefight and initially controlled the tempo. The crowd jeered him for staying away but it was an effective strategy, at least at first.

Espinoza connected much better in the fifth round and looked fresher as Ramirez’s face rapidly reddened. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere in round six, Ramirez took a punch then raised a glove in surrender. Whatever the reason, even looking at Ramirez’s swollen right eye, it looked like a “No Mas” moment. Replays showed a straight right to the eye socket, but that didn’t stop the crowd from hooting their disgust after ref Chris Flores signaled the end at 0:12.

***

Richard Torrez, Jr, now 12-0 (11), displayed his Olympic silver medal pedigree in a heavyweight bout against Issac Munoz, 18-2-1 (15). Torrez, 236.6, found his punching range quickly with southpaw leads as Munoz, 252, tried to stand his ground but looked hurt by early body work that forced him into the ropes. He was gasping for breath as Torrez peppered him in the second, and Munoz went back to his corner on unsteady legs.

Munoz’s team should have thought about saving him for another day in the third as he ate big shots. Luckily, referee Raul Caiz, Jr. was wiser and had seen enough, waving it off for a TKO at 0:59.

“I don’t train for the opponent,” reflected Torrez, who isn’t far from true contender status. “Every time I train, I train for a world championship fight.”

***

Super-lightweight Lindolfo Delgado, 139.9, improved to 22-0 (16), and took another step into the world title picture against Jackson Marinez, now 22-4 (10), 139.2.

On paper this junior welterweight matchup appeared fairly even, and Marinez managed to keep it that way for almost half the scheduled ten rounds against a solid prospect but Delgado kept upping the ante until Marinez was out of chips. The assembled swarm was whistling for more action after three tentative opening frames, as Delgado loaded up but couldn’t put much offense together.

That changed in the 4th when Delgado connected with solid crosses. In the fifth, a fine combination dropped Marinez into a delayed knockdown and a wicked follow-up right to the guts finished the wobbly Marinez, who had nothing to be ashamed of, off in the arms of ref Wes Melton. Official TKO time was 2:13.

In a matter of concurrent programming, Saturday also held a lot of highly publicized college football and basketball games which likely detracted from the larger mainstream audience and media coverage this fight card deserved. That’s a shame but you can’t fault boxing, Top Rank, or any of the fighters for that because, once again, they all came through big time in Phoenix.

Photos credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico

Published

9 hours ago

December 7, 2024

David A. Avila

Brooklyn's-Richardson-Hitchins-Wins-IBF-140-Pound-Title-in-Puerto-Rico

A change of champions took place as Richardson Hitchins rallied from a lethargic start to wrest the IBF super lightweight title from Australia’s Liam Paro by split decision on Saturday in Puerto Rico at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.

Brooklyn has another world champion.

“I’m just happy to be a world champion,” Hitchins said.

Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) proved that his style of fighting could prevail over Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) who had previously knocked off another Puerto Rican champion, Subriel Matias.

Both fighters expected a different kind of encounter as Paro immediately started the fight with constant pressure and short, precise combinations. Hitchins had expected a different attack and seemed hesitant to pull the trigger.

“I couldn’t get my timing,” said Hitchins. “I thought he was going to put the pressure on me.”

Soon Hitchins ramped up his attack.

After Paro had jumped ahead with a constant strategic attack, Hitchins slipped into second gear behind a sharp right counter that found the target repeatedly.

Things began to swing in the Brooklyn fighter’s favor.

Those long arms came in handy for Hitchins who snapped off deadeye rights through Paro’s guard repeatedly. Soon the southpaw Aussie’s eye began to show signs of damage.

But Paro never quit.

Aside from using quick counters, Paro began firing lead lefts and the occasional right hook and uppercut. But seldom did he target the body. Slowly, the rounds began mounting in favor of the Brooklyn fighter.

Perhaps the best blow of the fight took place in the ninth round as Hitchins connected flush with a one-two combination. Though stunned, Paro trudged forward looking to immediately counter.

He mostly failed.

Still, Paro knew the rounds were not one-sided and he could close the distance. The Aussie fighter did well in the 11^th and 12^th round but could not land a significant blow. After 12 rounds one judge saw Paro the winner 117-11, while two others saw Hitchins the winner 116-112 for the new IBF titlist.

“He’s a hell of a boxer,” said Paro who loses the title in his first defense. “It’s not a loss, it’s a lesson.”

Other Bouts

A battle between Puerto Rican featherweights saw Henry Lebron (20-0) out-battle Christopher Diaz-Velez by decision after 10 action-packed rounds.

In a lightweight fight Agustin Quintana (21-2-1) gave Marc Castro (13-1) his first loss to win by split decision after 10 rounds.

Welterweight Jose Roman Vazquez (14-1) defeated Jalil Hackett (9-1) by split decision after 10 rounds.

Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom

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A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix

Published

13 hours ago

December 7, 2024

Arne K. Lang

A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix

Top Rank promoted a 10-fight card tonight at the NBA arena in Phoenix. The undercard included welterweight standout Giovani Santillan and a bevy of young prospects.

Based on his showing tonight, Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez is a prospect on the cusp of being a contender. A high-octane fighter with ring smarts that bely his tender age, the 22-year-old Gonzalez pitched a near 8-round shutout over Argentina’s Gerardo Antonio Perez, advancing his record to 12-0 (7). Although Gonzalez was forced to go the distance after five straight wins by stoppage, Perez, an Argentine who had never been stopped and was better than his 12-6-1 record, had a granite chin.

LA junior bantamweight Steven Navarro improved to 5-0 (4 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Gabriel Bernardi (7-2). Navarro had Bernardi, a Puerto Rican, on the canvas twice before referee Raul Caiz Jr waived it off.

In a welterweight contest slated for “10,” Giovani Santillan improved to 33-1 (18 KOs) at the expense of Fredrick Lawson who retired on his stool after only one round. It was a nice confidence-booster for Santillan who took a lot of punishment in his last fight vs. Brian Norman Jr, a fight that Santillan was expected to win. However, tonight’s win should come with an asterisk as Lawson, a Chicago-based Ghanaian, is damaged goods and ought not be permitted to fight again, notwithstanding his 30-6 record. (All six of his losses, including the last three, came inside the distance.)

In a welterweight contest slated for six rounds, 19-year-old SoCal prospect Art Berrera Jr advanced to 7-0 (5 KOs) with a second-round TKO over Juan Carlos Campos (4-2) who fights out of Sioux City, Iowa. Referee Wes Melton lost his balance as he stepped in to stop the one-sided affair with a nano-second remaining in round two and went flying into the ropes, but was seemingly unhurt.

In a major surprise, Cesar Morales, a former Mexican national amateur champion, lost his pro debut to unheralded Kevin Mosquera, a 23-year-old Ecuadorian. A flash knockdown in the opening minute of final round factored into the result. The judges had it 39-36 and 38-37 for Mosquera (3-0-1) and 38-38.

The night did not start well for Morales’ trainer Robert Garcia who had five fighters in action tonight.

In the lid-lifter, 21-year-old Las Vegas lightweight DJ Zamora, a protege of the late Roger Mayweather, improved to 15-0 (10 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Argentine import Roman Ruben Reynoso (22-6-2). Zamora put Reynoso on the canvas in the opening round with a left to the solar plexus and knocked him down in the second round with a counter left to the chin. Reynoso made it to his feet, but had no beef when the fight was waived off. The official time was 1:56 of round two.

Bouts involving former Olympians Lindolfo Delgado and Richard Torres Jr plus two compelling world title rematches round out the 10-fight card. TSS correspondent Phil Woolever is ringside. Check back later for his post-fight reports.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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