Subj: The BAWLI Papers No. 13
Date: 98-12-23 13:10:43 EST
From: Oldfallguy@aol.com
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The BAWLI Papers
(Boxing As We Liked It)
By J Michael Kenyon

Issue Number 13
Saturday, December 26, 1998
New York City, New York, US of A
__________________________________________

IN THIS ISSUE: THE RECORD REVIEWED, VOLUME NUMBER ONE -- THE GREAT 'TIGER
JACK' FOX
__________________________________________

The BAWLI Papers are periodically sent to a free-of-
charge mailing list. To subscribe, at no cost, send an e-
mail message to and place the lower-case word "subscribe" in the body
of the message. To unsubscribe, do the same thing,
except for placing the lower-case word "unsubscribe" in
the body of the message.

Readers are welcome to submit interesting and otherwise noteworthy articles
concerning professional boxing's long and storied past. The emphasis,
generally, should be on the foremost fighters, managers, trainers and
promoters, and events that otherwise were of some moment in the sport's
history. Either transmit the articles via e-mail or mail them to the editor at
the following addresses:

J Michael Kenyon (oldfallguy@aol.com)
244 Madison Avenue, Suite 145
New York City, New York 10016
_________________________________________

(ED. NOTE -- The BAWLI Papers herewith begin a new chapter in boxing history
research. The record of John Linwood Fox, aka "Tiger Jack" Fox, as represented
in the 1960 edition of Nat Fleischer's Ring Record Book, is printed below. It
is a notable record, although Fox never quite made it to the pinnacle of his
profession by winning a championship. He was a man often denied opportunities
commensurate with his ring skills. But there are oldtimers who will attest,
having seen Fox even in his 40s, that the wily old Indiana veteran would have
toyed with most moderns of his weight class. The circumstances surrounding,
and leading up to the Melio Bettina fight in New York, will be explored in
future editions of the BAWLI Papers. And it is hoped that readers, in a joint
effort, might uncover various articles about Fox's fights and career that can
be published as well. The bare record, after all, is not much more than that
-- a bare record. To flesh out the life and times of Jack Fox, and to flesh
out the history of boxing's luminaries is, after all, the stated goal of
BAWLI. It is hoped that, as time goes along, the careers of other notables --
George Godfrey and Charley Burley are a couple of very good ones who never
reached the title rung of the ladder and who come quickly to mind -- will be
better defined in this manner. For starters, though, here is the "official"
ring record of the man who gained considerable acclaim fighting as Tiger Jack
Fox. Included, as preface to the bare statistics, are some comments from the
editor.)
-------------------------------------------------------------
John Linwood Fox

(TIGER JACK FOX)

Born, Apr. 2, 1907, Indianapolis, Ind., Weight, 180 lbs., Height, 5 ft. 11 1/2
inches.

Boxed as an amateur and semi-pro fighter for seven years -- he may have
had as many as 150 of these fights -- before starting as a pro in 1932 (ED.
NOTE--In other words, he had considerable experience before taking on tough
old cobs like Sekyra, Roper, Christner, Rosenbloom and George Godfrey within a
year of "turning pro." There is a not inconsiderable school of thought that
Godfrey, the protege of Jack Johnson, was the best heavyweight in the world
before Joe Louis came along.)

(RECORD AS SHOWN BELOW: 147 fights, 120 victories, 81 by knockout, 18 losses
-- 6 by knockout, 6 draws, 3 no contest)

1932

Jan. 12 -- George Dixon, Terre Haute KO3
Feb. 12 -- Jim Carr, Terre Haute KO1
May 2 -- Buck Everett, Terre Haute KO1
June 2 -- Tommy Gibson, Indianapolis KO9
June 22 -- Jack Redman, Terre Haute KO1
July 6 -- Joe Sekyra, Indianapolis W10
July 25 -- Battling Bozo, Terre Haute D10
Aug. 2 -- Jack Roper, Terre Haute KO6
Aug. 6 -- Larry Johnson, Indianapolis KO10
Aug. 21 -- Prettite Ferrarer, Indianapolis KO10
Sept. 7 -- Rosy Rosales, Terre Haute W10
Oct. 10 -- K.O. Christner, Terre Haute W10
Oct. 17 -- Maxie Rosenbloom, Dayton L10
Oct. 27 -- Johnny Mack, Dayton KO3
Nov. 7 -- Jack Williams, Terre Haute KO1
Nov. 27 -- Humberto Arce, Indianpolis KO4
Dec. 2 -- Joe Doctor, Terre Haute KO3
Dec. 14 -- Larry Johnson, Terre Haute W10
Dec. 21 -- Babe Hunt, Terre Haute W10

1933

Jan. 2 -- Frankie Simm, Dayton W10
Jan. 23 -- Humberto Arce, Terre Haute KO4
Jan. 31 -- George Godfrey, Indianapolis L10
Feb. 22 -- Seal Harris, Terre Haute KO1
Mar. 7 -- Buster Hall, Joplin, Mo. KO1
Apr. 21 -- Lou Scozza, Chicago W8
May 1 -- Babe Hunt, Terre Haute W10
May 3 -- Art Lasky, Chicago KOby5
May 21 -- Al Walker, Chicago KO3
June 5 -- Joe Doctor, Terre Haute KO3
Aug. 3 -- Humberto Arce, Quincy, Ill. W10
Sept. 25 -- Ed Prante, Salt Lake City KO1
Oct. 12 -- Jack Casper, Salt Lake City KO8
Oct. 22 -- Cecil Myatt, Salt Lake City W6
Nov. 18 -- Del Baxter, Salt Lake City KO3
Dec. 18 -- K.O. Christner, Salt Lake City KO5
Dec. 22 -- Bill Longson, Salt Lake City KO3
Dec. 28 -- Bill Longson, Salt Lake City KO4

1934

-- K.O. Christner, Salt Lake City KO5
-- Ed Prante, Salt Lake City W10
-- Cecil Myatt, Salt Lake City W6
-- Jack Donovan, Portland, Ore. KO1
-- Fritz Poli, Spokane, Wash. KO1
-- Jack Riley, Idaho Falls, Ida. KO1
-- Battling Lemorieux, Boise KO3
-- Houston Ash, Tacoma W10
-- Jack McCoy, Spokane KO4
-- Jack Howard, Spokane KO3
-- Bombo Chevalier, Portland, Ore. KO3
-- Sig Eckland, Portland, Ore. KO8
-- Frankie Sharkey, Portland, Ore. KO1
-- Jack Abrams, Portland, Ore. KO1
-- Fred Lenhart, Tacoma L10
-- Young Firpo, Tacoma L10
-- Young Firpo, Tacoma L10
-- Jack Roper, Oakland, Cal. KO1
-- Al Marino, Oakland, Cal. KO1
-- Mickey McFarland, Oakland, Cal. NC4
Nov. 14 -- Red Barry, Oakland, Cal. L10

1935

June 4 -- Charlie Massera, Spokane W10
Mar. 7 -- Young Firpo, Spokane LF10
May 6 -- Red Barry, Spokane KO4
July 4 -- Jack Petrie, Spokane KO1
-- Frank Rowsey, Spokane KO6
Sept. 6 -- Maxie Rosenbloom, Spokane D10
Oct. 11 -- Maxie Rosenbloom, Spokane W10

1936

Jan. 10 -- John Henry Lewis, Spokane KO by 3
Mar. 4 -- Tuffy Dial, Spokane KO5
Sept. 12 -- Ford Smith, Spokane KO3
Nov. 12 -- Sonny Buxton, Boise KO1

1937

Jan. 15 -- Bob Olin, Spokane KO2
Feb. 19 -- Tex Irwin, N.Y.C. KO2
Mar. 13 -- Lorenzo Pack, N.Y.C. W10
Mar. 20 -- Jack Trammell, N.Y.C. W10
Apr. 6 -- Jack Trammell, Youngstown KO4
Apr. 10 -- Lou Poster, N.Y.C. KO6
May 1 -- Phil Johnson, N.Y.C. KO3
May 14 -- Red Bruce, N.Y.C. W8
May 22 -- Jersey Joe Walcott, N.Y.C. KO8
July 15 -- Leo Deacon Kelly, N.Y.C. KO6
July 28 -- Red Bruce, N.Y.C. KO1
Aug. 20 -- Eddie Malcolm, Youngstown KO2
Aug. 30 -- Steve Dudas, N.Y.C. W6
Sept. 2 -- Yustin Sirutis, N.Y.C. D10
Sept. 11 -- Joe Finazzo, N.Y.C. KO1
Oct. 11 -- Red Bruce, Pittsburgh KO2
Nov. 22 -- Al Gainer, Pittsburgh L15

1938

Jan. 7 -- Mickey McAvoy, Spokane KO1
Jan. 28 -- Hank Hankinson, Spokane KO1
Feb. 18 -- Lou Brouillard, Boston KO7
Feb. 26 -- Gene Mickens, N.Y.C. KO1
Mar. 5 -- Jim Howell, N.Y.C. D10
Mar. 11 -- Johnny Whiters, N.Y.C. KO4
Mar. 18 -- Tony Shucco, Boston D10
Apr. 11 -- Jack Trammell, Pittsburgh W10
May 10 -- Jersey Joe Walcott, Camden W10
May 13 -- Eddie Blunt, N.Y.C. KO2
May 25 -- Willie Reddish, Philadelphia W8
June 9 -- Yustin Sirutis, Nutley, N.J. W8
June 24 -- Fred Lenhart, Spokane KO3
Sept. 8 -- Yustin Sirutis, Youngstown W10
Oct. 8 -- Juan Herrara, Kingston, Jamaica KO1
Oct. 22 -- Isodor Gastanaga, Kingston, Jamaica KO1
Nov. 29 Al Gainer, N.Y.C. W15

1939

Feb. 3 -- Melio Bettina, N.Y.C. KO by 9
Mar. 24 -- Tiger Warrington, N.Y.C. W8
Apr. 11 -- Al Gainer, Boston D10
July 13 -- Dave Clark, N.Y.C. L8
July 31 -- George Hughes, Pittsburgh KO3
Aug. 8 -- Eddie Simms, Pittsburgh W10
Sept. 1 -- Clarence Brown, Chicago W10
Spet. 15 -- Orlando Trotter, Chicago KO2
Oct. 13 -- Andy Kid Miller, Kansas City W10
Nov. 10 -- Elza Thompson, Kansas City W10
Dec. 1 -- Clarence Brown, Chicago NC6

1940

Mar. 7 -- Eddie Wenstob, Vancouver B.C. W10
Apr. 29 -- Ernie Collins, Salt Lake City KO4
May 20 -- Al Delaney, Salt Lake City W10
June 21 -- Al Delaney, Reno KO9
July 16 -- Pio Pico, Boise KO9
Dec. 4 -- Windmuill Pearce, Helena KO5

1941

Apr. 18 -- Yancey Henry, San Diego W10

1944

June 23 -- Jim Buckley, Spokane W10
July 4 -- Jimmy Casino, Spokane W10

1945

Mar. 10 -- George Ecks, Spokane KO1
Apr. 6 -- J.D. Turner, Spokane W10
May 11 -- Al Ware, Spokane KO9
June 22 -- Bobby Zander, Spokane KO by 7
July 20 -- Ted Lowry, Spokane W10
Aug. 21 -- Harold Blackshear, Spokane W10
Sept. 3 -- Bobby Zander, Spokane L12

1946

May 3 -- Domingo Valin, Spokane KO3
May 24 -- Leroy Evans, Spokane KO8
July 22 -- Windmill Pearce, Salt Lake City KO3
Sept. 13 -- Al Ware, Salt Lake City W10
Oct. 9 -- Walter Hafer, Las Vegas L10

1947

Jan. 27 -- Jack Flood, Vancouver NC3
June 13 -- Joe Louis, Spokane Exh. 4
July 11 -- Bill Peterson, Spokane KO5
July 30 -- Jerry McSwain, Spokane KO by 6

1948

Mar. 12 -- Paul Doyle, Spokane KO1
Apr. 30 -- Charley Eagle, Spokane KO5
June 8 -- Freddie Beshore, Spokane L10

1949

Mar. 12 -- Sonny Orrock, Wallace, Ida. KO5
Apr. 1 -- Ponce de Leon, Sand Point, Ida. Exh. 6
July 5 -- Dave Delaney, Anchorage, KO4
Aug. 18 -- Ponce de Leon, Sand Point KO5
Aug. 28 -- Kid Riviera, Coeur d'Alene, Ida., Exh. 4
Nov. 21 -- Billy Carter, Edmonton, Alta., KO4
Dec. 16 -- Dave Delaney, Edmonton, Alta., KO2

1950

Dec. 12 -- Jose Ochea, Twin Falls, Ida. KO by 2

Died April 6, 1954, Spokane, Wash.
_________________________________

FOND FAREWELL TO ARCHIE LONG PANTS

(New York Daily News, Sunday, December 13, 1998)

By Bill Gallo

Archie Moore is gone. Good ol' Archie, that pixie they called Mongoose. That
charmer of charmers of the prize ring some also called, Old Man Mose. Archie
Long Pants, was my favorite name for him. Whatever, what a guy this was!

This fight man with the tortoise-shell defense felt he could beat any man he
would ever face in the ring.

The fact is he pretty nearly did. Well, take away 17 he lost by decision and
the seven times he was knocked out plus two he lost on a foul and you still
come away with an incredible 199 wins.

Ol' Long Pants engaged in 234 fights, for goodness sake. Whoever did that? Not
even Fritzie Zivic -- who fought at the drop of a cigar ash -- entered the
ring more times. Fritzie, the ring cutie with that ironing board profile, had
230 total bouts. If Fritzie didn't put a thumb in your ear he'd put it in your
eye (accidentally, of course).

Archie was one who liked to kid newspaper guys. One time, at a training camp
he asked me why I referred to him as "Long Pants Archie." Thinking he was
serious, I told him it was simply because he liked to wear those oversized
trunks that went all the way to his knees. He smiled that big smile of his and
said, "I thought it's because when you watch me train, I'd be taking those
long, hard breaths -- you know -- long pants."

He won his last fight, knocking out one Mike DiBaise in the third round. This
was in Phoenix in 1963 and nobody realized it at the time but ol' Long Pants
was tossing punches at this kid at age 50.

Like Satchel Paige, Archie had fun concealing his age. Writers and fans always
wondered, how the hell old is he? He'd never tell and it's only now that we
know that at the end of his life he was 84.

When asked, he'd say: "Somewhere around the middle 30s, the late 30s or maybe
40-something."

When he was scheduled to fight Rocky Marciano for the heavyweight title on
Sept. 21, 1955, he put his birth date at Dec. 13, 1916. That would've made him
39 then. Later Archie owned up to being born in 1913 which is what the record
book now says.

It wasn't only his age that he confused the press with but where he originally
came from.

Archie, the Gypsy, once claimed he was born in Collinsville, Ill., yet his
mother, Lorena Reynolds, said he was born in Benoit, Miss. When asked where he
should be billed from, he'd answer, "Book me from the twin cities -- San Diego
and Toledo." Then came a laugh.

The thing about Long Pants was that he never thought that age and where you
came from were important. "If I start thinking about how old I am, I might
just go out and get myself a rocking chair," he'd say.

I remember that cool summer night he fought Marciano. This was a fight he felt
he could've won had it not been for the referee.

As recently as 1985 he was telling us how close he came to winning the title
that night. The talk went like this: "Marciano was supposed to come out and
get me right away but he didn't do that. He tried to box me in the first
round, but couldn't.

"In the second, it was different. Marciano swung with an overhand right, and I
pulled back a step . . . As I did that, I caught him with an uppercut, and he
went down. I could've followed up after that knockdown." He always blamed the
ref for that unfinished business with Marciano. For the rest of his life, he
insisted that the referee, Harry Kessler, kept getting in his way. A check of
the films disproves this but it was the way Archie truly felt.

The fight that night in Yankee Stadium was a dandy with 61,574 fans paying
almost a million at the gate. A toe-to-toe battle all the way, it took Rocky
nine rounds to knock out Moore but not before the underdog gave the champ the
fight of his career.

Archie, who had bragged that he'd win, had fought just as big as he had
talked. He was brilliant with his counter punching and used all his savvy to
confuse Marciano.

But Rocky was a block of strength -- and that eventually got to Long Pants.
Came the ninth round and Rocky pinned Archie against the ropes and pounded him
with punches every which way. Rocky never stopped; it was like he was taking a
sledge to an anvil. Archie slumped in the corner and was counted out.

There is one thing connected with this fight I'll forever remember. Just
before the bout started all parties were in the ring waiting for the
festivities to begin when there was a tremendous roar from the crowd. Both
Marciano and Moore seemed to acknowledge this burst of applause. But it wasn't
for them.

Joe DiMaggio, fight fan, had entered the stadium and headed for his ringside
seat.
__________________________________________

REMEMBERED FOR MORE THAN BOXING

(Associated Press, December 17, 1998)

By Bernie Wilson

SAN DIEGO -- Boxing's Archie Moore was remembered Thursday for more than just
his remarkable career.

"My husband set high standards for his children and for others," his widow,
Joan Hardy-Moore, said prior to a memorial service in his adopted hometown of
San Diego. "He was an extraordinary man who celebrated his life and lived it
well. We were fortunate to have him."

Moore was 84 when he died Dec. 9 in a San Diego hospice. He had heart surgery
a few years ago, and his health had deteriorated in the weeks before his
death. He spent 28 years of his life in the ring, a long career for any
professional athlete, especially a boxer. He held the light heavyweight title
for 11 years, and knocked out a record 141 opponents in 228 bouts.

He is the only fighter to go up against boxing mammoths Muhammad Ali, then
still known as Cassius Clay, and Rocky Marciano. He lost both fights.

He counted among his friends boxers George Foreman, whom Moore trained, Ken
Norton and Yvon Durelle, a Canadian who lost two memorable title fights to
Moore in the late 1950s. Biographer Mike Fitzgerald detailed Moore's life
during the memorial service, officiated by San Diego County Sheriff Bill
Kolender and attended by Durelle, local politicans and dozens of people who
were touched by his generosity over the years.

Born in Benoit, Miss., on Dec. 13, 1916, Moore was raised by an uncle in St.
Louis. As a child, he wanted to be a musician, but around age 15, during a
brief stay in reform school, he decided to become a boxer.

He started his professional career in 1935 and changed managers eight times
before retiring in 1963. He fought during a time when managers frequently took
advantage of black boxers and he would change when he felt he was being
exploited. He took a brave stand during the Civil Rights movement after
winning a fight in New York. He told a national television audience he was
donating a portion of his purse to the Freedom Riders, who challenged
segregation in the South.

Moore understood the risk of his decision, but also the opportunity to make a
statement, his widow said.

Moore was nicknamed "The Mongoose" for his quick moves in the ring, but also
"Ageless Archie" because there was always a debate over his age. Moore shaved
three years off his age when he first started boxing because family records
showed 1913 and 1916 as his year of birth. He finished his career with 194
victories, 26 losses and eight draws.

After his retirement, he appeared in several films including "Huckleberry
Finn," and on the television shows "Family Affair" and "Batman." He also
opened a restaurant, a gym, trained boxers and started in 1965 his "Any Boy
Can" program, which encouraged at-risk youngsters to stay away from drugs and
violence.

He was honored by presidents Eisenhower and Reagan for his work as a world
ambassador for boxing and the United States

Moore was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 at
Canastota, N.Y. Even in his later years, he had a sharp memory and liked to
illustrate his style by shadow boxing.

He lived modestly in San Diego in a home near Interstate 15 with a
distinguishing feature -- a swimming pool shaped like a boxing glove.

His body was cremated, and his urn will be displayed in a glass-fronted niche
in about two weeks at Cypress View Mausoleum.
_____________________________



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