Fighter of the Year of 1927

Cheers, everyone.

For this edition of the "Fighter of the Year" series, I invite you to this travel back to the old year of 1927. This was the year before "Ring" magazine first gave their "Fighter of the Year" award (1928), and so we must step up and give the crown ourselves to its fair owner. In my opinion, this was another golden year in World Boxing History and I'm excited to see who you consider the best in these 12 months of great fistic action.

Due to the limit of characters, I will divide this post in 2.

Let's take a look, shall we?


Tiger Flowers: 15-1-3;
It's absolutely mandatory that I start this list with the great Theodore Flowers.
Sadly, this was the last year of his amazing life but he saved some of the most brilliant and unforgettable moments of his legendary career for the bare end.
Flowers only loss of the year was against Leo Lomski, who beaten the legendary Tiger on points in late January. The 3 draws were against Chuck Wiggins and against no other than Maxie Rosenbloom (twice).
In another year of extraordinary activity, the great Georgia Deacon started his last travel in the fistic game by beating the great Tut Thompson by KO in 3. He then outpointed another great in Luigi Buccassi, a.k.a. Lou Bogash, proceeding to beat the tough Chuck Wiggins twice before their draw.
Not happy enough, this religious Tiger went on to outpoint Jock Malone before Jock himself convincingly beaten Rosenbloom and then, in "Artillery Park" he outgunned the tough and great Pete Latzo.
His last win was a 4th round stoppage over Leo Gates just four days before he passed the Setting Sun in that November in a similar way that of his great rival, the mythical Harry Greb.

Tommy Loughran: 10-0-0;
In a year with nothing but wins Tommy conquered the World Light Heavyweight Title from the Irish "Bold" Mike McTigue. Just 2 months later, Loughran successfully defended his "light heavy" crown against the great Jimmy Slattery.
In this perfect year, the Phantom of Philly also scored wins over the likes of the great knockout sensation Young Stribling, the talented, tough and top contender Johnny Risko, the durable Tony Marullo (twice) and against the seasoned Pat McCarthy.
He talked the talk and he walked the walk.

Joe Glick: 12-5-0-2;
The two No-Contests of the year happened against Benny Bass (Glick punched Bass in the lower section in the third round) and Cowboy Eddie Anderson.
The five losses happened against Benny Bass himself (twice), Petey Mack, Mickey Chapin and against the great Tod Morgan in a Super Featherweight World Title fight. Glick lost the fight with another foul (14th round), right when he was ahead on points and close to be crowned the new Champion of the World.
The dozen wins were achieved against the likes of Freddie Mueller, the great Andre Routis (not once but twice), the incredibly tough Michael Posateri a.k.a. Mike Dundee, the great and legendary Johnny Jaddick, the Peshastin Phantom Doc Snell and the absurdly tough and resilient Jack Bernstein.
A great year for Joe, almost enshrined with the World Title.

Tod Morgan: 2-4-0;
Although Morgan's record doesn't look good at first sight, the 2 wins he got this year were both successful defenses of his Super Featherweight World Title. The first of those happened in May in Canada against Vic Foley, being the 2nd of course, against Joe Glick at the Madison Square Garden in December.
The 4 losses happened against Phil McGraw and against the top contenders Stanislaus Loayza, Doc Snell and Dick Honeyboy Finnegan.
Again, one might say that nothing of this looks that special but Bert Morgan Pilkington's year record of 1927, has 2 successful title defenses written in gold, which allowed the warrior from Dungeness to end the year the same way as he start it, as the king of his weight class.

Sergeant Sammy Baker: 11-2-0;
In an impressive career full of ups and downs, Peniel Roy Baker, most likely, had his best year in 1927. Not only that but the Sergeant also built such a tremendous yearly record that one should have him as way more than just a mere option for fighter of the year.
Baker's 2 losses were against Pete Latzo on points and to Asa Ace Hudkins also on points in their 2nd fight of the year.
Of the 11 wins, one should mention the victories over the same Ace that happened right in front of Charles Lindbergh, the win against the top contender Mushy Callahan, the also top contender Georgie Ward, another top contender in Eddie Roberts, another in Johnny Adams, still another in Billy Alger and finally against the super tough and savvy Oakland Jimmy Duffy, who had just reached his centenary of victories in his fistic career. Absolutely breathtaking.
Like a true sergeant, Sammy Baker really worked hard to make a living.

Asa Ace Hudkins: 10-1-0;
Like Sammy Baker, Asa's best year of his entire career was, most likely, 1927.
Speaking of the Sergeant, Hudkins's only loss of the year was precisely against Baker but it was properly avenged just 3 weeks later.
For his other victories, one should mention his win over the great Lew Tendler, the also great Bert Colima and against the top contenders, Billy Alger, Al Mello and Pat Corbett.
Now this is a year record of a proper Ace.

Jimmy McLarnin: 8-0-1;
Got a draw in a so called "hugfest" against Tommy Cello, just to avenge that result 5 weeks later. Of the remaining 7 victories of the year, one should mention the ones over Louis Kid Kaplan, Johnny Lamar, Lope Tenorio and Billy Wallace.
Another World Class year by the Baby Face, but again, what else should we expect from this crazy Irish?

Sid Terris: 9-2-0;
The world of boxing has its own share of artists but also a small portion filled with wizards. Sid, is clearly one of them and in 1927 this sorcerer on gloves distributed his own fistic magic through all over New York City, with great repercussions throughout the entire corners of the Fistiana.
The only two losses of the year happened in Queens against Hilario Martinez and in Brooklyn against Phil McGraw, by DQ.
Leaving Big Apple only once to smoke Babe Herman in 3 rounds in Cleveland, Sid spent the rest of the entire year in New York City beating tough cookies such as Phil McGraw himself (twice), Stanislaus Loayza, Billy Wallace and Ruby Goldstein. Ruby managed to drop Sid to a count of 9, but the wizard was able to get back up and knocked him out cold with a single punch in front of 40 thousand pairs of bulging eyes.
Abracadabra!

(cont.)

 

(cont.)

Dick Finnegan: 10-0-1-1;
Very well managed by Dan Carroll, this Honeyboy from Boston embarked in a winning ship during the entire year.
With two slight stains in his yearly record (although with no losses), Finnegan scored victories over the likes of Tod Morgan, Babe Herman, Billy Grime, Phil O'Dowd (by KO) and Jimmy Sacco.
He really stung like a bee.

Leo Lomski: 13-1-1;
The loss was on points to Joe Anderson in the very first day of the year. The draw was to Ernie Owens in the late Summer. In between, the Aberdeen Assassin scored 8 wins in a row, scoring another 5 in a row after that draw and before the twilight of the year.
Among the great warriors this popular fighter beat during 1927, there's the legendary and all time great Tiger Flowers, another legendary and all time great fighter in Maxie Rosenbloom, the top contender Tom Marullo, the great Charley Belanger, the tough Ray Pelkey and the rising star and top contender Yale Okun.
Speaking of Okun, Leo smashed him with a brutal body attack like New York had never seen in decades and that put him on a path to fight for the title. The beating was so mesmerizing that many on ringside considered him the best fighter in the country.
Tough to beat, tough to escape, tough to forget!

Benny Bass: 13-0-0-2;
In another great year of the Little Fish, this Ukrainian legend beat everyone that crossed ways with him in the ring, including Joe Glick against whom he scored two No-Contests.
From Joe Glick himself (that Benny beat twice), to Chick Suggs, Tommy Crowley, Mike Ballerino, Dominick Petrone and Johnny Sheppard, Benny Bass built an extraordinary body of wins during the entire twelve months. In such a year, the jewel in the crown could only be a World Title and Bass didn't allow such an opportunity to be drowned and he beat Red Chapman for the second time in the year to secure the Featherweight Championship of the World.
The ring was his Sea and like the Sea nothing could restrain Bass in 1927.

Young Stribling: 19-1-1-1;
22 fights! Let's cut this short.
The loss was to no other than Tommy Loughran, on points. The draw was to Chuck Wiggins and the No-Contest was declared in the fight against the unknown Leo Deibel, due to both fighters being arrested by the police over the suspicion that the fight was framed. The legendary Jack Johnson who was on Deibel's corner, was also arrested.
Now the good stuff: 19 wins of which 8 by way of knockout. Among the real tough fighters that the King of the Canebrakes beat during the course of this very busy year, there's the legendary Maxie Rosenbloom, Art Weigand, Tiny Jim Herman (whom by the way was a police officer born in Germany), the very same Chuck Wiggins, Jimmy Byrne, Harry Dillon and Lou Scozza, among many others.
Son of two vaudeville performers, William Stribling Jr. really knew how to perform under pressure.

Joe Dundee: 6-1-0-1;
If they called him Joe Dundee, then that really means that he was born in Roma, Itália and his real name was Samuel Lazzaro. Che Dio li aiuti.
The loss was to Johnny Indrisano and the No-Contest was declared in the fight against Pinky Mitchell.
Samuel scored wins of great importance during the year but none surpasses in importance and magnitude the victory over Pete Latzo for the Welterweight Championship of the World.
Although not yet fully accepted, he also successfully defended his World Title in his second fight of the year against Billy Drako just a month after he conquered the crown. Among the other fighters the great Romano beat, there's Meyer Grace, Eddie Roberts and Johnny Mendelsohn.
Bravíssimo!

Tony Canzoneri: 15-2-3;
In just the third year of his professional career, the legendary Tony Canzoneri already appears in these lists.
The first loss of the year was to Charles Bud Taylor, on points, in a fight for the Bantamweight Championship of the World. The second loss was to Cowboy Eddie Anderson by DQ.
One of the draws was also to Charles Bud Taylor in their first fight for the Bantamweight Championship of the World, being the other two against Joe Ryder and Vic Burrone.
Of the great amount of wins The Mechanic scored during the entire year, the one against the legendary and all time great Johnny Dundee for the Bantamweight Championship of the World, is by far the most important of all. Still, Canzoneri also beaten Charles Bud Taylor in their 3rd and last encounter of the year on December the 30. As if all this wasn't enough he also scored victories over the old foes Vic Burrone and Cowboy Eddie Anderson, Johnny Green, Pete Sarmiento and Ignacio Fernandez whom replaced no other than the very familiar Bud Taylor.
Tony Canzoneri would fight for another 12 amazing years, but in this year alone he did enough to be remembered forever.

Charles Bud Taylor: 10-2-1;
Speaking of the devil, let's dig into the yearly record of this all time great fighter.
The first loss of the year was to Joey Sangor and the second loss, as mentioned above, was to Tony Canzoneri in the last fight of the year. The draw was also to Tony Canzoneri in the first of the two World Title fights that they would dispute during the course of the year.
In twelve months filled with impressive and memorable victories, the Blond Terror from Terre Haute managed to beat Tony Canzoneri for the Bantamweight Championship of the World, the great Abe Goldstein, the tough Young Nationalista, another great in Chick Suggs, another tough fighter in Eddie Shea and he also managed to beat another real tough contender in Pete Sarmiento.
Known for his insane stamina, one just has to look at his 1927 record to understand that the great Bud was in fact...tailor made for success.

There are other great fighters with very good records this year such as Maxie Rosenbloom, Mickey Walker, Jackie Fields, Pete Latzo or Max Schmeling. I just selected those I consider to have a more pertinent yearly record for the discussion of Fighter of the Year of 1927.

I'm sure some names are missing in this thread, may God forgive me if you cannot.

Please, feel free to participate.

Peace

 

I totally respect the choice of Gene Tunney for fighter of the year of 1927. I didn't put his name in the list because I believe that all fighters above had a better overall year record than the one of the Fighting Marine. That said, he successfully defended the Heavyweight crown against an all time great in Jack Dempsey, and although that was his only fight of the year, it was one of those fights for the ages.
In the end of the day, what I really enjoy in these series is that I get the privilege to have you guys participating in all this.

 

That's a great idea for the next series. I have Rocky in my top 10 in all those 3 years but never higher than 3rd, and that was the case only in 1 of those 3 years.
Or '52 or '54 or '55...surely one of those 3 years will be my next one.

 

Thank you for your words, I really appreciate it.

I will continue with this series. In fact, I already have the next one in the oven.