With Boxing Insider Promotions Returning Tropicana Atlantic Metropolis on Nov 16 for our third time in 2024 what higher time then to begin publishing BoxingInsider’s Multi Half collection on the historical past of Atlantic Metropolis Boxing.
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You might not know this, however Atlantic Metropolis boxing goes again a good distance
Boxing in Atlantic Metropolis didn’t start when the legalized casinos opened, though it could appear that method. The very fact is, New Jersey’s beachside resort goes again to the nineteenth century with fisticuffs – to not less than 1887.
And there have been some attention-grabbing contestants.
Jim Corbett by no means got here to struggle on the Boardwalk, however his sparring accomplice did. Jim Daly, who floated between the sunshine heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, received a struggle there in 1890 and went on to be knocked out by the likes of Peter Maher, Child McCoy and Bob Fitzsimmons.
Dominic McCaffrey was a widely known heavyweight earlier than the flip of the century, and he got here to Atlantic Metropolis to struggle John McCormick in 1893. McCaffrey had scored a win over Charlie Mitchell, and he would go on to struggle unsuccessfully in opposition to John L. Sullivan, Jack “Nonpareil” Dempsey and Corbett.
April 1895 noticed the looks of Mysterious Billy Smith, combating Jimmy Mann in a four-round no-decision bout. Smith turned a participant on the world scene, successful the world welterweight championship three years later with a 25-round resolution over Matty Matthews.
The early days had been robust at instances. Atlantic Metropolis suffered not less than a few ring deaths; Alexander Tighman died after a KO loss to Robert Brenn in 1904, and Lewis Malone perished after the police got here in and stopped a struggle within the tenth spherical in January 1908.
Nonetheless, development got here for boxing within the space.
Maxie Williamson, a bantamweight affectionately generally known as the “Mighty Mite,” turned one of many early native favorites in Atlantic Metropolis. He fought there a complete of 11 instances, a number of of these coming on the Waltz Dream Area, which was rising as a venue for native motion..
Lew Tendler was one other Atlantic Metropolis favourite, and he had far more world significance than Williamson. Tendler, who competed within the light-weight and welterweight divisions, by no means turned a world champion, however his ring accomplishments had been sufficient to get him enshrined into the Worldwide Boxing Corridor of Fame. He had various bouts in Atlantic Metropolis, combating on the airport, the Bacharach baseball park and Waltz Dream Area. In his retirement, he additionally opened up a department of Tendler’s Tavern, a steak restaurant, in Atlantic Metropolis.
The well-traveled Jack Britton fought KO Willie Loughlin solely two weeks after shedding a newspaper resolution to Benny Leonard in 1918. He’d win the welterweight championship simply eight months later over Ted “Child” Lewis.
Different Corridor of Famers to seem in Atlantic Metropolis in 1918 alone had been the likes of Battling Levinsky, who was a lightweight heavyweight title claimant; Sam Langford, who boxed a rematch with Battling Jim Johnson; Harry Wills, who was a significant nemesis of Langford’s, and Jack Blackburn, who was late in his profession, however would start one other one as a coach, mentoring Joe Louis amongst others.
Within the years between Prohibition and the inventory market crash (a interval readers could be acquainted with, as depicted in “Boardwalk Empire”), Atlantic Metropolis thrived as a middle of boxing exercise. From 1921 to 1929, the town averaged 56 struggle playing cards each year. And the Waltz was going robust, internet hosting weekly reveals.
Issues slowed down in the course of the Nice Melancholy, however not precipitously. One of many stars who shined in entrance of the Atlantic Metropolis viewers was Benny Bass, a local of the Ukraine who emigrated to Philadelphia, received featherweight and junior light-weight titles, and fought 23 instances in A.C.
Atlantic Metropolis boxing was considerably dormant throughout World Battle II, then revived itself within the rapid post-war years, however issues went useless beginning within the fifties, which made it appear like a ghost city so far as the game is anxious.
And it lasted some time.
Certain, there have been just a few vibrant spots. In 1963, Joey Giardello scored an upset over Sugar Ray Robinson in Philadelphia and have become the #1 contender for the middleweight title. That earned him a shot at champion Dick Tiger, which befell on December 7 of that yr at Conference Corridor off the boardwalk. Giardello registered a disputed 15-round resolution to seize the WBC model of the crown.
Standard Philadelphia promoter Russell Peltz and Frank Gelb introduced a struggle between Bennie Briscoe and Willie Warren to Atlantic Metropolis in 1973, and Herman Taylor, a legend in Philly struggle circles, placed on the 1975 bout between Eugene “Cyclone” Hart and Sugar Ray Seales. However these massive moments had been few and much between.
The very fact is, from 1951 via 1977, Atlantic Metropolis performed host to solely 25 struggle playing cards. The realm had decayed as a vacationer vacation spot, and there was little or no motive to go there.
That may quickly change – in an enormous method.
