With Boxing Insider Promotions Returning Tropicana Atlantic Metropolis on Nov 16 for our third time in 2024 what higher time then to start out publishing BoxingInsider’s Multi Half collection on the historical past of Atlantic Metropolis Boxing.
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You could not know this, however Atlantic Metropolis boxing goes again a great distance
Boxing in Atlantic Metropolis didn’t start when the legalized casinos opened, though it could appear that manner. 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 fascinating contestants.
Jim Corbett by no means got here to battle on the Boardwalk, however his sparring accomplice did. Jim Daly, who floated between the sunshine heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, gained a battle 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 battle John McCormick in 1893. McCaffrey had scored a win over Charlie Mitchell, and he would go on to battle unsuccessfully towards 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 determination over Matty Matthews.
The early days had been powerful 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 battle within the tenth spherical in January 1908.
Nonetheless, progress got here for boxing within the space.
Maxie Williamson, a bantamweight affectionately referred to 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 Enviornment, which was rising as a venue for native motion..
Lew Tendler was one other Atlantic Metropolis favourite, and he had way 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 a lot of bouts in Atlantic Metropolis, combating on the airport, the Bacharach baseball park and Waltz Dream Enviornment. 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 determination 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 may 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 battle playing cards each year. And the Waltz was going robust, internet hosting weekly reveals.
Issues slowed down throughout the Nice Despair, 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, gained featherweight and junior light-weight titles, and fought 23 instances in A.C.
Atlantic Metropolis boxing was considerably dormant throughout World Conflict II, then revived itself within the fast post-war years, however issues went useless beginning within the fifties, which made it appear to be a ghost city so far as the game is worried.
And it lasted some time.
Certain, there have been a number of brilliant 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 passed off on December 7 of that 12 months at Conference Corridor off the boardwalk. Giardello registered a disputed 15-round determination to seize the WBC model of the crown.
In style Philadelphia promoter Russell Peltz and Frank Gelb introduced a battle between Bennie Briscoe and Willie Warren to Atlantic Metropolis in 1973, and Herman Taylor, a legend in Philly battle 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 battle playing cards. The realm had decayed as a vacationer vacation spot, and there was little or no purpose to go there.
That might quickly change – in an enormous manner.
