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<B>
Boxing: Lightweights
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★ Boxing: Lightweights

Tony Canzoneri (Born 6 November 1908 Slidell Louisiana US; died 9 December 1959 New York) American professional boxer who held world championships in the featherweight, lightweight, and junior-welterweight divisions.

 

Canzoneri weighed only 95 pounds (43 kg) when he began his amateur boxing career.  After turning pro in 1925, he won the National Boxing Association’s version of the bantamweight title.  Canzoneri’s first world-title match was as a featherweight on February 10 1928 when he defeated Benny Bass in a 15-round decision.  He lost the title later that year when Andre Routis outpointed him in 15 rounds, and he also lost his first attempt at the lightweight title in a 10-round decision to Sammy Mandell on August 2 1929.  Canzoneri won the world lightweight title in his second attempt, recording the fastest knockout in the history of the division by putting down Al Singer 66 seconds into the first round of their 1930 match.  He added the world junior-welterweight title by knocking out Jack ‘Kid’ Berg in the third round on April 24 1931.

 

From mid-July through late November, Canzoneri defended his junior-welterweight title three times and his lightweight title once.  In 1932 he lost two junior lightweight title matches, but he held the lightweight title until June 23 1933 when he was beaten by Barney Ross in a 10-round decision.  Later that year in a rematch, Ross defeated Canzoneri by decision in 15 rounds.  Upon Ross’s moving up to the welterweight division, a tournament was held to determine his successor as lightweight champion; Canzoneri won a 15-round decision over Lou Ambers on May 10, 1935, and thus regained the world title.  

 

After a successful title defense later that year, he lost a rematch with Ambers for the lightweight championship in a 15-round decision on September 3 1936.  Canzoneri met Ambers again on May 7 1937 and again lost a 15-round decision.  That was his last title match, but he continued boxing until 1939; over the course of his career, he fought 18 world champions.  He quit boxing on November 1 when he was knocked out in the third round by Al Davis the only knockout loss of his distinguished career.  Following his retirement from the ring, Canzoneri became an actor and operated a well-known restaurant in Manhattan.  He was inducted into Ring magazine’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 1956.  Encyclopaedia Britannica online article

 

 

Tony Canzoneri accomplished more in the ring as a teenager than some fighters do in an entire career.  Canzoneri fought for world titles in two divisions before he turned 20 and at the age of 22 was already a two-time champion.  By 23, he was considered the best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the world.

 

Canzoneri participated in 259 title-bout rounds and became boxing’s third three-division champion.  He turned pro in 1925 at the age of 16.   He fought to a drew with Bud Taylor for the vacant NBA Bantamweight title in 1927 and lost a rematch to Taylor in June.  But by October, he won his first title, outpointing fellow Hall-of-Famer Johnny Dundee to win the Featherweight crown.

 

In November 1930, Canzoneri knocked out Al Singer in 66 seconds, the quickest ending to a Lightweight title bout ever.  That set up his showdown with Junior-Welterweight champion Jackie Kid Berg.  Both titles were at stake and after Canzoneri scored a third-round knockout he walked away with two title belts and the mythical title of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.  He reaffirmed that title by beating reigning Junior-Lightweight champ Kid Chocolate to close out the year.

 

Canzoneri lost the Junior Welterweight title to Jackie Jadick in 1932 but held both titles simultaneously again before finally losing them to Barney Ross in 1933.  International Boxing Hall of Fame online

 

 

[8.6] IKE WILLIAMS 154-125(60)-24-5: Ring News 24 online -

 

Ike Williams: Without the Mob he could have been Greater: Back in 1988, a video collection under the title of Mike Tyson Presents … was released.  I purchased the one titled Boxing’s Greatest Knockouts.  Divided into sections, the one that caught my attention was Brutal Knockouts.  It was here that I discovered one of boxing’s hardest punchers and one of the lightweight’s greatest ever champions, Isiah Ike Williams

 

It was 12th July 1948 and Williams was defending his title against Philadelphia’s Beau Jack.  This was the first of four meetings between the men.  Jack, in his high pressure style, had let it all go in the first three rounds, as he had struggled with weight beforehand.  But his aggression had played in to the heavy hands of the champion.  Williams had the classic boxer’s physique: slender legs and torso with powerfully built arms and shoulders.  And he carried knockout power in both hands, particularly his right.  It was that shot that was the undoing of Jack.  Stunned early in the sixth, he was knocked back to the ropes as Williams unleashed a truly vicious barrage of punches.  As punch after punch thudded in to the unprotected jaw of Jack, driving him in to a corner, Williams turned to the referee, looking for the third man to stop what had become a one sided beating.  The referee did indeed intervene, even though the hard as nails Jack would have continued.  But this mixture of ferocity and compassion had me hooked on Williams.  And his story was certainly that of a man who vehemently followed his own beliefs.

 

Born on 2nd August 1923 in Brunswick, Georgia, not too much is known about Williams younger years.  He was, by accounts, a quiet and reserved child, possibly due to a slight speech impediment, but someone who excelled at sports.  He took up boxing and won the Trenton Times Golden Gloves championship at featherweight aged just fifteen, before turning professional two years later in 1940.

 

Matched tough, as fighters were in those days, Williams second opponent Leroy Born had a record of 31-61-13, he lost to Billy Hildebrand in only his fourth fight.  But losses weren’t viewed like they are today.  Back then, they were part of a fighters learning curve and Williams avenged the loss in his very next fight, stopping Hildebrand in six.  He lost a further three fights, and drew one with one no decision in his first sixteen fights, all against more experienced opponents, before going on a run of thirty four straight wins between November 1941 and December 1943, also reversing an earlier defeat to Tony Maglione, knocking him out in three.  Former lightweight champion Bob Montgomery was the man who put an end to that, knocking Williams out for the first time in his career with a  twelfth round win.  Williams, however, bounced back with fifteen straight wins.  It was his two wins over former lightweight champion Sammy Angott though, that got the boxing world to take notice.  Williams cleaner, sharper punching were in evidence against the mauling Angott, and he was becoming noticed for his smooth, crisp punching style.  But every fighter has his boogeyman.  And for Williams, slick boxing Willie Joyce was that man.  They fought three times in Williams next seven contests, with Joyce taking a split decision in their first fight.  Williams outpointed him in a rematch, then Joyce returned the favour in their third meeting.  The speedster style of Joyce seemed to be the antithesis of Williams smooth, accurate punching but against many other great fighters of that era, Williams displayed his versatility, overcoming all styles.

 

In 1945, Williams landed his opportunity.  A shot at the NBA title against champion Juan Zurita was set up in Zurita’s home country of Mexico.  Zurita had a very impressive record of 130-22-1 and, according to reports, had been boxing professionally since the age of ten.  However, this was Williams chance and he took it with both hands, ripping the title away with a second round stoppage.  Non-title fights were commonplace at this time and Williams went on a spree of these, besting some of the best fighters at lightweight and welterweight throughout his career, as outside issues prevented him from defending his title.

 

Connie McCarthy, Williams manager, was a round the clock alcoholic, and Williams parted company with him to try and take better care of his own career.  But, in 1946, this sort of decision wasn’t acceptable from a fighter and Williams was blackballed by the Manager’s Guild and faced being banned from boxing.  But the man who unofficially ran boxing was the notorious mafia Godfather Frankie Carbo, or Mr Gray, as he was also known.  He signed Williams over to one of his associates, Frank Blinky Palermo, a ruthless sort who gained the name Blinky as he was unable to hold eye contact with people for long, although this didn’t deter him from using unsavory ways when dealing with certain individuals.  Palermo assured him he would sort out the situation with McCarthy, take over his career and get Williams the fights and purses he should have as one of boxing’s finest champions.

 

For a period it seemed like Williams career was back on track.  In his non title fights he had fought as high as 144 lbs, although he would fight as high as 155 lbs later on, and there is no question at all that in today’s world he would have been a three or four weight champion.  He lost twice in this period, once by split decision to old rival Joyce and Sammy Angott also avenged both of his earlier defeats, stopping Williams in six.  But Williams went on a streak, winning six of his next eight, with two draws, including victories over such fighters as Charley Smith, Johnny Bratton and Eddie Giosa, before making his first defence against Enrique Bolanos, stopping his tough foe in eight.  For his second defence, he ventured overseas to Cardiff, facing the experienced Ronnie James who had lost just fourteen of one hundred and thirty one fights.  Williams had too much for James, flooring him seven times in total, scoring a ninth round knockout.  Six non title fights, five wins, followed before he met former conqueror Bob Montgomery for universal recognition as world champion.  Montgomery held New York State recognition as lightweight champion.

 

This time though, Montgomery was no match for Williams.  He was knocked down in the sixth before being rescued by the referee as Williams opened up, leaving Montgomery helpless.  Eight non title fights followed, contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, against quality opposition.  But the victory that stood out was the one over The Cuban Hawk Kid Gavilan.  Gavilan entered the ring with a record of 42-2-2 and was being primed for big things.  But Williams had too much for him and took a unanimous decision.  Defences of his title against Bolanos (W points 15), the aforementioned sixth round stoppage of Beau Jack, and a tenth round stoppage of Jesse Flores, saw Williams named both The Ring magazine and The Boxing Writers Association of America fighter of the year for 1948.

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