I was an up and coming contender who was severely kod and hospitalized in a hospital where I pulled through. One year later I was kod badly and died in the SAME hospital , by a fighter who fought the man who hurt me one year before...Who am I and my 2 opponents who also fought each other .?
Very good E. Yes it was Jimmy Doyle a WW contender who was kod badly by Artie Levine in Cleveland, and was put in intensive care in St Vincent Charity Hospital, in Cleveland. Doyle eventually recovered and resumed his career. One year later, Doyle was flattened by a peak Ray Robinson and never resumed consciousness and died soon after in the very same hospital, St. Vincent Hospital in Cleveland where he was after Artie Levine ko'd him one year before. Later on Artie Levine came within a whisker of knocking out Ray Robinson, when after flooring Robby, the referee WALKED Artie Levine to a neutral corner, returned to the floored Robinson and then started the one count, giving Ray extra time to clear the fog in his head and later on stop Artie Levine... Incidentally, a short time before Doyle died at the hands of Robinson, I saw a PALE looking Jimmy Doyle sparring at Stillman's gym...I recall how sickly looking he appeared. No color in his face...I am sure now that he should never have fought after his brain hemorrhage, after the Ko at the hands of Artie Levine, about one year before...
Wow....Absolutely fascinating. I remember reading how Levine came close to KOing Robinson but not how the ref walked him to a neutral corner before starting the count. Wonder how boxing history might've been rewritten had he did what he was supposed to that night. Thanks Burt.
Thats a sad and tragic part of the Jimmy Doyle story you wrote of Burt. It makes me wonder if his family didn't press him to quit or if in supporting them he had to continue. I was only hurt badly once but it made me aware of how dangerous a hard punch to the head can be. Doyle was riding a 24 winning streak over decent opposition going into the Levine bout and was well ahead going into the 9th round where he was stopped after going down for the 3rd time. One has to wonder if the ref missed how badly hurt he was. He resumed his career with 5 wins over modest fighters before being stopped by Robinson.
Never saw Jimmy Doyle fight, but saw him spar a few rounds at Stillman's gym before the ill fated Robinson fight in Cleveland. Besides looking pale, Doyle was a standup straight boxer I recall. Later on I would learn one of Doyle's mentors was the great defensive heavyweight Jack Johnson. Tragic that Jimmy Doyle was allowed to fight again after his brain injury at the hands of the 10 lb heavier Artie Levine, whilst 50 years later Joe Mesi, an unbeaten heavyweight was banned from fighting again ever, after a brain injury suffered in a bout...Such is fate T.