There have been occasional threads on the impact of WWII on boxing in the United States. I stumbled onto this article by James P Dawson in the New York Times of 12-28-1944. It gives some insight, perhaps counterintuitive, into a very complex issue. There is also a glimpse into Nat Fleischer's methods of record keeping-excerpts: RISE IN 1944 IN BOXING ACTIVITY MORE RINGMEN IN COMPETITION AT GREATER NUMBER OF CLUBS Notwithstanding the grim business of war, boxing promoters throughout the country had more talent to draw this year than had been at their disposal for more than a decade. To the number of 4,382, boxers were active. They had more centers of activity too, for the number of boxing clubs operating in this country through 1944 exceeded that of last year. The authority for this information is THE RING, a boxing magazine. Publisher Nat Fleischer emphasizes the quantity of the material, although deploying to a large extent the quality. He attributes the increased number to the influx of boxing fans to defense work areas. The number of boxers, despite the demands of the draft, is attributed to desertions from the amateur ranks by boxers about to be drafted. The article places the number of professional boxers killed in service at 131. The list of amateur casualties is larger, including missing in action and prisoners of war. All told 402 boxers have been discharged from service during the year, most of them resuming their boxing activities. (*a list is given, including Ray Robinson, Jimmy Bivins, Ike Williams, and Ken Overlin). To determine his ratings, the twentieth such list since the custom was instituted back in 1925, Fleischer referred to 2,026 fighters' records in his personal index, ignoring 2,356 boxers whose competitive activity did not merit consideration.
