With doug.ie's question from last week in mind, how about this one: Which boxer took the shortest time to capture a world crown (recognized by BoxRec), following a 1st-round ko defeat?
Without going onto boxrec to look, I would surmise Oscar Albarado. He was riding quite the crest when he was stopped in 1 by Dino Del Cid. He then took out Del Cid in 2 (I saw both fights) and about a year later stopped Wajima in 15 for the title. Offhand I can't think of anyone who did it quicker after suffering the loss.
With Boxrec's determination to ruin what should be a 'World title', I am guessing McKenzie's title reigns would count. So maybe the five month gap between the Del Valle defeat and beating Benavides might be in with a shout?
Bob Montgomery? Edit: I know he was KO'd by Bummy Davis in one, and subsequently won the lightweight championship, but I don't know the span of time between the two events without checking boxrec.
Yep, that's our man :good Amazingly, just 2 weeks after being blasted out inside a round by Al "Bummy" Davis, Montgomery regained the lightweight title by outpointing Beau Jack. By the way... for these types og questions, it's not "cheating" to consult BoxRec to check something out!
B, I was at both fights at MSG with my dad. I remember the sensational upset when in 1944 the neighborhood idol Al Bummy Davis, who was a 10/1 underdog flattened the terrific Bobcat Bob Montgomery in the very first round with Bummy's famous left hook...We in the crowd went nuts at this great upset...Bummy had the hardest left hook thrown from an orthodox stance [left hand extended] I have ever seen...About 2 or so weeks later Montgomery decisioned his bitter rival and my favorite action fighter Beau Jack ,to win the LW title... My dad and I would go about every Friday night to see the great fights they had those long ago days....My favorite quintet of top lightweights those days were Ike Williams, Beau Jack, Bob Montgomery, Sammy Angott who fought each other time and again. Ah I miss those days....
Yes, I can imagine, it must have been quite an upset! With a title shot against Jack coming up just 2 weeks later, Montgomery must have thought this was gonna be an easy, no-hassle win. Boy, was he wrong! Burt, this makes me wonder... was Davis not seen as a highly dangerous puncher at the time? I mean, he was the only man to ever stop Tony Canzoneri and had also ko'd Tippy Larkin (ok, maybe not the strongest chin in the world!)... so he seems an odd opponent to choose as a "safe" warm-up, just before an important world title fight?
B,a few points...Yes Bummy Davis the neighborhood "toughie", was considered to have the best LW left-hook since Chicago Charley White of the roaring twenties. His brothers were hoodlums and Bummy was also vilified for koing an old Tony Canzoneri, in Canzy's last fight...But he could HIT... As far as why would Bob Montgomery fight the dangerous left-hooker ? Because Bob Montgomery was considered a class above Bummy Davis, thus the 10/1 odds favorite.. Besides those days, fighters fought every 3 weeks or so as Montgomery did as well as Beau Jack, Ike Williams, Sammy Angott...All these guys I saw numerous times...In fact a short time later Bummy Davis fought the non stop Beau Jack hoping to repeat what he did against Montgomery...I remember in the very first minute of that fight Davis landed a powerful lefthook on Beau Jack's chin,and the partisan crowd went nuts, but the powerful Beau Jack shook it off and won every round from Davis, because SPEED KILLS and the prime Beau Jack with his fusillade of left hooks, uppercuts, bolo punches, right crosses etc, all thrown at a furious pace ,had speed to spare...Beau Jack even outsped and outpunched a still potent Henry Armstrong also at MSG... B, I might be nostalgic at times, but for a good reason, there were so many top fighters with so much boxing clubs, that the top fighters had to be great to rise to the top...
Thanks, Burt... it's always interesting to get a perspective from someone, who was actually there at the time!
