Billy Conn
(William David Conn Jr.)
(the "Pittsburgh Kid")

BORN   October 8 1917; East Liberty, Pennsylvania
DIED May 29 1993
HEIGHT 6-1 1/2
WEIGHT 135-187 lbs
MANAGER Johnny Ray
TRAINER Freddie Fierro
RECORD 64-12-1 (15 KO)

Conn was quick and clever and an excellent boxer; He was particularly good at "reading" his man; He fought as a lightweight up through light heavyweight and took on many larger men as he moved upward; Billy won the Light Heavyweight Championship of the World during his career

Herb Goldman ranked Conn as the #10 All-Time Light Heavyweight; Conn was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1965 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990



Conn-Louis 1941 Fight Video Clip

Conn Training 1942 Video Clip

(Press the  button at the top of the screen to return)


1934
Jun 28 Dick Woodward              Fairmont, WV                      L  4
Jul 20 Johnny Lewis               Charleston, SC                   KO  3
Aug 30 Bob Dronan                 Parkersburg, WV                   W  6
Sep 27 Paddy Gray                 Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  4
Nov 12 Pete Leone                 Wheeling, WV                     LT  3

1935
Jan 29 Johnny Birek               Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  6
Feb 25 Ray Eberle                 Pittsburgh, Pa                    L  6
Mar 13 Stanley Nagy               Wheeling, WV                      W  4
Apr  8 George Schlee              Pittsburgh, Pa                   KO  1
Apr 25 Ralph "Young" Gizzy        Pittsburgh, Pa                    L  4
Jun  3 Ray Eberle                 Millvale, Pa                      W  6
Jun 10 Ralph "Young" Gizzy        Millvale, Pa                      L  6
Jul  9 Teddy Movan                Millvale, Pa                      L  4 
Jul 29 Ray Eberle                 Millvale, Pa                      W  5
Aug 19 Teddy Movan                Millvale, Pa                      L  4
Sep  9 George Leggins             Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  4
Sep 10 Johnny Yurcini             Washington, Pa                    W  6
Oct  7 Johnny Yurcini             Johnstown, Pa                     W  6
Oct 14 Teddy Movan                Pittsburgh, Pa                    D  6
Nov 18 Steve Walters              Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  6

1936
Jan 27 Johnny Yurcini             Pittsburgh, Pa                   TK  4
Feb  3 Louis "Kid" Cook           Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  6
Feb 17 Louis "Kid" Cook           Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  8
Mar 16 Steve Nickleash            Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  6
Apr 13 Steve Nickleash            Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  6
Apr 27 General Burrows            Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  6
May 19 Dick Ambrose               Millvale, Pa                      W  6
May 27 Richard "Honey Boy" Jones  Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  8
Jun  3 Richard "Honey Boy" Jones  Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
Jun 15 General Burrows            Millvale, Pa                      W  8
Jul 30 Teddy Movan                Pittsburgh, Pa                    W  8
Aug 10 Teddy Movan                Millvale, Pa                      W  8
Sep  8 Richard "Honey Boy" Jones  Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
Sep 21 Roscoe Manning             Pittsburgh, Pa                   TK  5
Oct 19 Charlie Weise              Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
Oct 22 Ralph Chong                Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
Dec  2 Jimmy Brown                Pittsburgh, Pa                   TK  9
Dec 28 Fritzie Zivic              Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10

1937
Mar 11 Eddie "Babe" Risko         Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
May  3 Vince Dundee               Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
May 27 Oscar Rankin               Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
Jun 30 Teddy Yarosz               Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 12
Aug  3 Ralph Chong                Youngstown, Oh                   TK  6 
Aug 13 Young Corbett III          San Francisco, Ca                 L 10
Sep 30 Teddy Yarosz               Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 15
Nov  8 Young Corbett III          Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
Dec 16 Solly Kreiger              Pittsburgh, Pa                    L 12

1938
Jan 24 Richard "Honey Boy" Jones  Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 12
Apr  4 Domenic Ceccarelli         Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
May 10 Eric Seelig                Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
Jul 25 Teddy Yarosz               Pittsburgh, Pa                    L 12
Sep 14 Ray Actis                  San Francisco, Ca                TK  8
Oct 27 Richard "Honey Boy" Jones  Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 10
Nov 28 Solly Krieger              Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 12

1939
Jan  6 Fred Apostoli              New York, NY                      W 10
Feb 10 Fred Apostoli              New York, NY                      W 15
May 12 Solly Krieger              New York, NY                      W 12
Jul 13 Melio Bettina              New York, NY                      W 15
           -Light-Heavyweight Championship of the World
Aug 14 Gus Dorazio                Philadelphia, Pa                 TK  8
Sep 25 Melio Bettina              Pittsburgh, Pa                    W 15
           -Light-Heavyweight Championship of the World
Nov 17 Gus Lesnevich              New York, NY                      W 15
           -Light-Heavyweight Championship of the World

1940
Jan 10 Henry Cooper               New York, NY                      W 12
Jun  5 Gus Lesnevich              Detroit, Mi                       W 15
           -Light-Heavyweight Championship of the World
Sep  6 Bob Pastor                 New York, NY                     KO 13
Oct 18 Al McCoy                   Boston, Ma                        W 10
Nov 29 Lee Savold                 New York, NY                      W 12

1941
Feb 27 Ira Hughes                 Clarksburg, WV                   TK  4
Mar  6 Dan Hassett                Washington, DC                   KO  5
Apr  4 Gunnar Barlund             Chicago, Il                      TK  8
May 26 Charles "Buddy" Knox       Pittsburgh, Pa                   TK  8
May     -Conn relinquished the Light Heavyweight Championship
            of the World
Jun 18 Joe Louis                  New York, NY                     LK 13
          -Heavyweight Championship of the World

1942
Jan 12 Henry Cooper               Toledo, Oh                        W 12
Jan 28 J.D. Turner                St. Louis, Mo                     W 10
Feb 13 Tony Zale                  New York, NY                      W 12
Oct 12 Joe Louis                  New York, NY                    SCH   
          -This bout was scheduled but cancelled

1942-1946
          -Conn served in the United States Military

1945
Oct 29 Bearcat Jones              Cleveland, Oh                    EX  3
Nov  7 Bearcat Jones              Kansas City, Mo                  EX  3

1946
Jun 19 Joe Louis                 Bronx, NY                         LK  8
          -Heavyweight Championship of the World

1948
Nov 15 Mike O' Dowd               Macon, Ga                        TK  9
Nov 25 Jackie Lyons               Dallas, Tx                       KO  9
Dec 10 Joe Louis                  Chicago, Il                      EX  6

Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization
 
Upcoming Fights Current Champions America Online Newsletter Back to Main Page

 

[Return to Top]