Luke,,,,, January 1973 (What happened after January 1973 thru June 1973) Heavyweight Rankings * - Joe Frazier-----------January 22, 1973 - Frazier gets KO'd in 2 by George Foreman, loses Heavyweight Championship 1 - Muhammad Ali--------February 14, 1973 - Decisions Joe Bugner over 12 -- March 31, 1973 - is upset by Ken Norton over 12. 2 - George Foreman------January 22, 1973 - Wins the Heavyweight Championship by Knocking out (KO 2) Joe Frazier 3 - Jimmy Ellis-----------February 21, 1973 - (KO 2) Bob Felstein -March 6, 1973 (TKO 1) Joe Tiger Harris - March 16, 1973 (KO 1) Charlie Harris ------------------------May 5, 1973 - (KO 5) Rico Brooks-- June 18, 1973 - Is 'upset' by (L KO 1) Earnie Shavers 4 - Ron Lyle-------------February 9, 1973 - Is 'upset' by Jerry Quarry (L Dec 12) --April 14, 1973 - Decisions Bob Stallings in 10. ------------------------May 12, 1973 - (W Dec 10) Gregorio Peralta -- June 11, 1973 - (W Split Dec 10) Wendell Newton 5 - Floyd Patterson------February 15, 1973 - Unofficialy retires from professional boxing 6 - Ernie Terrell----------February 19, 1973 - Knocks-out Bill Drover (KO 1) for 7th-Straight win on the 'comeback trail'. ------------------------June 23, 1973 - (L Dec 12) Chuck Wepner by a 'horrible decision' 7 - Jerry Quarry---------January 5, 1973 - Wins by (RTD 7) over Randy Neumann -- February 9, 1973 -'Upsets' Ron Lyle over 12. 8 - Joe Bugner----------January 16, 1973 - Decisions Rudi Lubbers over 15 --February 14, 1973 -Lost in 12 to Muhammad Ali 9 - Al 'Blue' Lewis-------January 22, 1973 - Decisions Charlie Reno over 10 --March 1, 1973- Is upset by Jack O'Halloran over 10. 10-Mac Foster----------April 11, 1973 - Knocks-out Sam McGill (KO 9) -- May 3, 1973 - Knocks-out Charles Williams (KO 10) -----------------------June 30, 1973 - (L Dec 10) Bob Stallings Note: Between January 1, 1973 and June 30, 1973 - '8' pf the Top '11' Heavyweights lost a bout. Only George Foreman and Jerry Quarry did not lose. Floyd Pattterson retired. 6-months before the June 23, 1973 Ernie Terrell vs. Chuck Wepner bout for the National Americas Heavyweight Title -- nobody besides New Jersey liquor stores, bars, lounges, private clubs and small-time boxing arena's had even heard of Chuck Wepner, or regarded him as even a Top 30 Heavyweight contender. Ernie Terrell, on the other hand, the f34 year-old former WBA Heavyweight Champion (1965 - 1966), has won 7-Straight on the 'comeback trail' since December 1970. Terrell, had scored a 'major upset' when he Knocked-out (KO 6) #5 Heavyweight Jose Luis Garcia in Venezuela - in October 1972. Ernie, had also been promoting his own boxing shows, and was doing fine on the 'small scale'. Now with a record of 46-7-0 (21 KO's), Ernie was setting his sights on a possible bout with new Heavyweight Champion, George Foreman, for a possible September 1973 bout in Japan, or January 1974 bout in Ernie's home-base of Chicago. The only thing Ernie had to do, was keep winning over 'club-fighting journeyman' (ie; Bill Drover and Chuck Wepner).
Luke,,,,,,, With the Heavyweight Division in a 'muddle' in 1973 , by way of the many 'upsets' A Road to a Championship fight could be 'bought',,,,,,, Take Chuck Wepner,,,,,, Nothing more than a 'club-fighting tough-guy' from Bayonne, New Jersey - with proper connections. At one-time, in 1970, Chuck was being mentioned as a possible challenger for Joe Frazier's Heavyweight Championship, but a June 1970 'brutal beating' by the fists of 'Old Man' Sonny Liston and subsequent (TKO 10) loss ended that 'fantasy'. Chuck, enroute to 5 losses in '7' bouts (1969 thru 1971) and '4' by stoppage, was now a 'cannon-fodder' for up-and-coming heavyweights. After losing a 'close decision' (L Dec 12) to Top 20 Ranked Randy Neumann (17-1-0) in December 1971, a 'newly rejuvinated' wins 'threee-in-a-row', including reversing a decision loss over #17-Ranked Randy Neumann (19-1-0) in April 1972, by winning a 12-Round Decision. By June of 1973, connected Manager Al Braverman manages to get the 34 year-old 'club-fighting brawler' Chuck Wepner to 25-9-2 (9 KO's), and Ranked #20. Though many do not believe Wepner's Top 20 World Rating, the 'mess-in-the-heavyweights' allows Chuck to sneak in almost undetected. On the 'Championship Front', George Foreman, who has not defended his Title since 'blasting-out' Joe Frazier on January 22, 1973 - is looking for an 'easy' non-mandatory first title defense, usually afforded new Champions. Foreman has September 1973 in his sights, either in Japan (where they are willing to pay big bucks) or in his home base of Texas. Enter, Willie 'The Beard' Gilzenberg, a 72 year-old former wrestling/boxing promoter from Essex County, New Jersey, with 'long-time' connections, and a 'shady past'. Gilzenberg, along with Al Braverman (Chuck Wepner's Manager) 'concoct a plan'.
The Plan,,,,,,,,, Create a 'bogus Heavyweight Title' Called 'The National Americas Heavyweight Title' Install a 34 year-old former heavyweight Champion, Ernie Terrell as the Top-rated challenger for the newly created crown. Terrell 46-7-0 (21 KO's) is legitimately the #5 Rated Heavyweight in the World by all accounts in June of 1973. The #2 Challenger for the National Americas Heavyweight Title, non other than 34 year-old Bayonne, New Jersey resident Chuck Wepner 25-9-2 (9 KO's) - regarded as the #20 Rated Heavyweight in the World. The winner of this bout, scheduled for 12-Rounds, will have a 'name title' to hang on themselves, which should possibly help one of the fighters secure a shot at the World Championship held by George Foreman. The National Americas Heavyweight Title is nothing more than a 'phony postcard' created by promoter Willie 'The Beard' Gilzenberg. With his connections, Gilzenberg is able to secure a June 23, 1973 Saturday Night date at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City (seat capacity; 14,000), and with a few back room dealings, Gilzenberg is able to get his old friends at WOR-TV (based out of Seacaucus, New Jersey) to televise the bout in the 'Tri-State area, and put up money to help Willie Gilzenberg off-set his promotional costs for the fighters and etc. To secure a bout with Ernie Terrell, Gilzenberg signs the former Champion up for $50,000 plus 10% of the 'live gate'. Gilzenberg also guarantees Terrell that if he wins (which he should), that he would do everything in his power with his connections, to help Terrell secure a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship versus George Foreman, or a bout versus former Champion Joe Frazier (both bouts for a September 1973 date). On the Chuck Wepner side, Manager Al Braverman (a close friend of Willie Gilzenberg) - more-or-less has a guarantee of a future shot at the World Heavyweight Championship, providing his fighter Wepner defeats Ernie Terrell. Braverman and Wepner agreed to a smaller fight purse of $15,000, just to get the ball rolling for this promotion. While looking for Top-Rated Heavyweight contenders to venture to New Jersey to fight Chuck Wepner, Al Braverman was 'only' looking for light-punching/name guys (ie; Ernie Terrell). To Referee the bout, install one Harold Valan (a 56 year-old Brooklyn, New York based referee and boxing judge). The fight, though 'billed' as a Heavyweight Championship, will have no judges scoring the bout, the fight will only scored by the Referee, Harold Valan. Also, there are no 'primary officials' of this bout, other than Willie Gilzenberg, the promoter. As for the bout, Ernie Terrell pretty much controlled the 12-Round fight from the out-set, scoring repeatedly with his left jabs, and neautralizing any effective punching by the 'light-punching New Jersey brawler'. After 12-Rounds, the boxing press (12 observers) all had Ernie Terrell as the convincing winner. and by most accounts, 9-3-0 in rounds. The Associated Press (10-2-0), United Press International (9-2-1) and Ring Magazine (9-3-0) all scored it for the former Champion, Ernie Terrell. When the ring announcer called attention to the 5000+ attended spectators and announced the following, "Referee Harold Valan, scores the bout 7-5-0 for the winner and new National Americas Heavyweight Champion,,,,,,,,,,,,,Mr. Chuck Wepner' - The Convention Hall erupted in boo's, and cries of 'fix' and 'sham'. And, the WOR-TV television switch-board lit-up like a Christmas Tree with all of the telephoned-in complaints of the 'hometown decision'. Chuck Wepner, raised both of his arms, as if to think he had won something big. Ernie Terrell, just looked 'astonished' at the horrible decision, and his trainer Sam Solomon gasped and gave Harold Valan a 'dirty look' then said to Valan, 'how much did they pay you'. Harold Valan, mind you, is the same Referee and 'lone-scoring official' that handled the 1968 Jimmy Ellis- Floyd Patterson WBA Heavyweight Championship bout held in Sweden. Also, Mr. Valan had referee'd several of the Chuck Wepner bouts previously. 5-Days earlier in New York City, Harold Valan was the Referee for the Jimmy Ellis vs Earnie Shavers 'Knock-Out Surprise'.
John Maff 36, I did alot of research back in the day,,,,,,,,,regarding Al Braverman and his Heavyweight Fighters - Chuck Wepner and Jose 'King' Roman. After the 'horrible decision' in the Ernie Terrell vs. Chuck Wepner 'National Americas Heavyweight Title' in June 1973 in Atlantic City, New Jersey - Ernie Terrell claimed 'the fix was in', so Terrell would be knocked out of the way for a World Heavyweight Championship bout with George Foreman. All of Ernie Terrell's claims were correct, but New Jersey State Athletic Commissioner Abe J. Greene did nothing but 'give lip service' when looking into possible allegations of a 'fix'. Though Chuck Wepner had won, the result of the win was 'tarnished' - and Wepner was by-passed as a September 1973 Title Challenger. In the meantime, enter Al Braverman's other Heavyweight - Jose 'King' Roman, a 26 1/2 year-old Puerto Rican fighting out of Florida. Jose Roman had 'slipped' into the drivers seat of Challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship for September 1973, thanks to the 'right connections'.
apart from the shrewd Ted Broadribb, Top Manager, & Jack Solomons, Top Promoter partnership, who were the British mob/boxing underworld in the 30s & 40s. I know the Board depended heavily on 'fees' from said promotions too, but there must have been some British Gangsters then too. Or were this lot them?
