Jeff Chandler: Educate me

Don't know if I am bright enough to educate anyone on here, but Joltin' Jeff is one of my favorite Philly Phighters ever!

He has a lanky build and maximized his height and reach to great effectiveness. A silky smooth boxer, made even more impressive if you realize he didn't start fighting untill the age of 20 and only had 2 amatuer fights that I am aware of. A great counter puncher with a high workrate and a was not lacking in power although he was not a power puncher by any stretch.

He has had several fights by which you can gauge his ability. Baby Kid Chochalate if you can find footage, Solis I & II, Lujan, Murata I II & III, Muniz II, and my favorite Gaby Canizales...Gaby dishes out a ton of body punishment and jeff claims this is the only fighter to ever hurt him and took him to places that he had never been.

Reigned from 80-84, and was likely the best bantam around at that time. A shame that he and Lupe Pintor could not come to terms as the fight would have enhanced the winners legacy greatly (my pick would be Chandler). My understanding is that Don King who managed Pintor wanted rights to Chandler if he won, and neither Chandler or his team was interested in that proposal. Chandler was undefeated when he lost a narrow to Oscar muniz, but kep in mind that Chandler accepted the fight on 2 days notice. He claims he would normally have turned down the fight due to not having trained but couldn't turn down the $100,000 payday. After this jeff gave Oscar his shot at the title and stopped him in 7 (some sources say 6). After the 2nd Muniz fight he was diagnosed with catarcts but chose to fight Sandoval anyway...during that fight which he lost he suffered a detached retina and never fought again.

For my money he is a top 10 BW, most would probably say 13-20..H2H I like his chances against anyone, and with the exception of Panama Al would feel comfortable with his chances.

Just my take!

 

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Touching Gloves
With..."Joltin"
Jeff Chandler

by Dan Hanley


Back in the early '80s, when national TV was feeding our addiction to the leather-slinging sort, there appeared on the scene what amounted to a Saturday-afternoon staple. The event became predictable enjoyment. The appearance of an almost introvert trainer, followed by a pixie of a manager whose pigtails flailed over and hither as she cheered the entrance of her charge, a 5-foot-7 bantamweight who bore a lean frame and a disdainful scowl. And again, predictably, what followed was pure fireworks.

HANLEY: Jeff, first of all let me congratulate you on your recent induction into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.</B>
CHANDLER: Thank you, Dan. It makes it feel like all the hard work was worthwhile.

You were born and bred in Philly, were you not?
Yes I was. Lived here my whole life.

It's well known that you didn't have much of an amateur career. What was it, two fights?
That's right. In fact, I had my first fight on a Monday, winning on a second-round KO, then wrapped up my amateur career that Friday, losing a three-round decision to Johnny "Dancing Machine" Carter.

Your amateur career lasted a week?
Well, I figured Carter had been fighting for years and I came so close to beating him in my second fight that I didn't see the point in hanging on. So I turned pro at 18.

Did you hook up with the O'Neills immediately?
No, but they were always at the fights, and I got to know them when they'd come over and talk to me. My manager at the time was Arnold Giovenetti. And around '77 Arnold had an "accident"...and died. I heard Arnold may have been into a few things. But Willie and Becky O'Neill would always be there to watch me fight -- and I was usually the walkout bout -- so when they would always hang around to the end, I knew they were sincere. And you know, I couldn't ask for better people to look out for me.

At this stage you were primarily fighting in the Blue Horizon or the Spectrum. What was the difference between the two?
The Blue was like a neighborhood arena. Small, very blue-collar, tremendous audience, and the way it was designed, you could almost touch the fighter. The Spectrum, on the other hand, was grand. You dressed up for a fight at the Spectrum.

Your 16th fight was your first step up in class, when you fought Davey Vasquez, who had been in with several world champs. Tell me about this fight.
When you've made it to the Davey Vasquez level, you're looking to get whupped if you're not prepared. And I appreciated the opportunity and won a 10-round decision.

It wasn't long before you fought for your first title, the vacant USBA bantamweight title against Baby Kid Chocolate. How did this unfold?
This fight was inevitable. We were both from Philly, both making a name for ourselves at 118, we were both watching each other's progress, and we'd both pass along something to the media but not to each other. So it grew into a grudge match. By the time the fight was signed, we wanted each other bad.

Was it much of a fight?
I thought he was going to jump on me early and try to take me out of my game, but he was relaxed, took it easy and...really helped me out. I stopped him in nine.

You also picked up the NABF title against Javier Flores and beat former title challenger Andres Hernandez. But still, was it a bit of a surprise when you got the call for the shot at the title against Julian Solis?
Hell, yes! We had been trying to land a title shot, first against Carlos Zarate, then Jorge Lujan, but they weren't listening. So when we got the call for Solis, it was a surprise. See, I was not one of the top-rated guys, I was like number eight or nine in the rankings, so I don't think Solis' people were doing their homework, because they couldn't have chosen a more hungry opponent.

Who was promoting you at this time?
My promoter was J. Russell Peltz. It was Peltz who would use me when no one else would. I'll tell you a story. Frank Gelb's promotional team wouldn't touch me, but when he got Tyrone Everett his title shot against Alfredo Escalera, they made me Everett's chief sparring partner -- yet told me to go to California if I wanted to fight.

That would have been in '76. They threw a four-round bantamweight in with a world-class junior-lightweight? They threw you in hard, didn't they?
Everett beat on me good in preparation for that fight. [Laughs] After the fight I yelled at him, "Why didn't you jump on Escalera the way you jumped on me?"

Getting back to the Solis fight: How did it unfold?
Solis was very fluid, had a good defense, and made me work overtime throughout that fight. He was so hard to hit. But when I nailed him in the 14th, it was like I suddenly couldn't miss.

Your first title defense was against a man whom would not defend against you. Tell me about your fight with Jorge Lujan.
Jorge Lujan was in line and was the mandatory challenger. He took a great punch and had been doing this for quite a while. He made me work hard, especially down the final stretch.

You were a 15-round fighter. What do you think of reducing championship fights to 12 rounds?
I don't like it! There's a whole lot of regular guys that can go 12-rounds. Championship fighters go 15 rounds.

Your next title fight was against Eijiro Murata over in Japan, which was a draw. I have to tell you, I was surprised. He seemed to be all arms, with big slapping punches. Was he that difficult?

He was so awkward and fought so dirty. He showed me low blows and head butts all night. I had to grow up real quick in this fight. He showed me a whole new game, which is why I fought and knocked him out twice more. Because he made himself an enemy that night.

You were doing everything right as the champ, including giving the former titleholder a rematch. Your second fight with Solis appeared so much easier the second time around.
I was really maturing as a fighter and, to tell the truth, Solis brought nothing new to the table. Same plan as before. I had a much easier time, and this was with a bad back going into the fight. I mean, it was so bad that Willie had to tie my shoes for me that night.

In early '82 you took on the man who gave you your amateur loss. Tell me about your title defense against Johnny "Dancing Machine" Carter.
Ooh, I was licking my lips for this one.

I take it we're talking bad blood?
Very bad blood. The city was divided over this one. We had gone to the same school, knew the same people. I had friends rooting for him with money in their hands betting on him. They felt very strongly about this fight and so did I.

My God, this was a neighborhood war.
Yes it was, and I wanted my win back. The plan was to lay back and make Johnny fight. The first two rounds, Johnny's catching me with good punches while I was waiting for some instruction from my corner, but Willie's not talking to me. The 10-second buzzer goes off for the third round, I stand up and finally, Willie slaps me on the ass and says, "Go get 'em, champ!"
That's when you turned it on?
Now I'm making Johnny fight, and he ain't the "Dancing Machine" anymore. I took him out in six.

 

Part II

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I'd compare him somewhat to a more offensive orientated Hopkins(though they don't have similar looking styles) in his versatile,very good at most things, not flashy or great at many approach.Then again most seem to see 'Nard as a mercurial masterboxing defensive genius so maybe that take will be of little use to you.

Good height and reach, tough, top-notch stamina.well-schooled, rounded offensive skills(inside and out) with solid power and an unspectacular but serviceable defence.Liked to clown and present himself as a target ala Michael Nunn at times.

Fought solid competition as well, so we can get a good handle on him.Personally i've never been as high on him as some that see him as the class of post-Zarate Bantamweight, but i don't have too much bad to say about him.Just a really good A level Bantam.

 

Wow, great thread and great posts by PhillyPhan and Lora. Not sure how much more I can add. You're right Addie, despite his frame, Chandler could be a very good operator on the inside.
Chandler and Johnny Carter were actually schoolmates and I believe amateur rivals. Chandler wasn't a fast starter. Carter could look like a world beater for a few rounds and then would fade. I have his fight against Oscar Muniz and he started very fast but faded and I have him losing closely.
I'd certainly point to the Murata trilogy. Murata was a very good fighter who also had a draw with Pintor. Chandler handled Murata successively easier in the 2nd and 3rd fights. He handled Solis much easier in a rematch. One of those guys you didn't want to fight a 2nd time.
An interesting fight if you can get ahold of it is with Hector Cortez. Chandler fought him at 122, had him down 3 times and won a wide decision. Cortez fought Azumah Nelson in his next fight at 126 and went the distance with Nelson (and gave him a tougher fight).
I rate Chandler highly. I've always picked him over Pintor but it's razor close for me. They both needed that fight for one of them to vault in the upper echelon at 118.
Don't judge Chandler off the Sandoval fight, he was severly faded.

 

Bump.
Jeff Chandler is someone I'm currently trying to look more into but based on some highlights he looks really good so far. Any fights that you can recommend, particularly his most impressive showings? And who does he remind you boxing style wise?

 

I think philly had it covered in the above posts. Though I don't think he beats Pintor.