This content is protected 1. A left hook floored Janiro in the first closeup view of the fight. Gavilan. 2. Little action. But that can be a good thing. It forces hardcore boxing fans to pay attention to less obvious things. For instance, Gavilan drags his right leg, due to a torn ligament (not something you can figure out from watching the fight). Gavilan. 3. Christ, will Tony Janiro ever stop feinting. He's driving me nuts. He's ineffective at long range against Gavilan, and he's unappealing inside. Gavilan. 4. Janiro went down early from his right knee ig? A left hook staggered Janiro. Gavilan threw a right hand that didn't even land, and Janiro fell into the turnbuckle. Gavilan actually threw nothing afterwards, but Janiro fell again. A series of left hooks and right uppercuts kept Janiro consistently off balance and backing up. Janiro was in no particular trouble when the ref stopped the fight, but considering Janiro's bad knee, I guess there is no reason to let it go on. Verdict: Considering all of the films of Gavilan there are, this one did not stick out to me, and so I see no reason to bother with it. There's just nothing about it that sticks out to me, though it's not dreadful to watch either.
Your evaluation is spot on. No real reason to seek this one out. So many better Gavilan performances on film. Far more interesting is this take on Janiro from the September, 1950 issue of The Ring by Ted Carroll. "Tony Janiro, the doll-faced fisticuffer from Youngstown, Ohio. . . With Tony it has been a case of being too good-looking for his own good." "'Give me a homely fighter every time,' muses Manager Eddie Walker. 'The girls won't leave them good-looking guys alone. They're only human and it drives you nuts.'" "Janiro has a pink and white complexion, baby blue eyes, curly blond locks and a kiddish grin. Add to these a Fancy Dan fighting style and you have a perfect foil for feminine attraction." If I remember, In Raging Bull ol' Jake was jealous of Janiro. Certainly a different reason for failing at boxing, but if you are going to fail this is a better reason than most. Thanks for posting.
