I guess this thread is aimed at Burt primarily. I know all the internet stuff available, I think. What do people have to add? He seems to have been quite a formidable fighter, strong punching action fighter. What else?
By all accounts a hard puncher and a very tough man. From the same place that would breed Tyson and Bowe. Goes on to say: Must've been a massive puncher, even past prime Tony Canzoneri was ****ing nails. Canzoneri claimed he was fine, although the report I read said that everyone felt the ref' made the right call (Canzoneri was down a couple of times) Armstrong in his penultimate year, laid waste to Davis. He out dirtied Zivic Wiuld like to know more, I've heard bits and pieces about him over the years (like how he died) but don't know how he was genuinely ranked/perceived as a contender.
This is from Rosenfeld with a mixture of the original radio commentary on Davis-Zivic. Bummy started , featuring his left jab. They fell into a clinch. Cavanagh struggled to separate them. He immediatley warned Zivic to watch the butting. Davis was the aggressor, but Zivic held him off with his left. Daves landed a left below the belt. Then he folllowed up with another left hook to the face. Zivic countered with a right to the jaw. It's a rough fight. And they're going at itand hammering away. A left hook and a right drop Davis for a second. But he gets up right away. Zivic moves in. Another right to the jaw, a right uppercut, another righ uppercut and another right to the body by Zivic, and another right ta the jaw, and left and right into the body. A right uppercut to the jaw tilted Davis's head back. But he stays close to Zivic, and crowds Zivic into Davis's own corner. Davis then jabbed with his left and landed a right uppercut to the chin. Only a minute and a half is gone, and they're going to it. Davis is in trouble here, a good deal of trouble. Zivic moved in with a right to the body. They battled, in Zivic's corner now. Fritzie launched a pair of hard right uppercuts. Davis looked worried and his mouth was red. But he met the Pittsburgher with a pair of left hooks to the body. Zivic's answer was two hard rights, and the referee again warns Zivic for using his head. It's a rough fight, and a tough fight. Action aplenty in the foist round. Round 2 They fight along the ropes*. The referee warns Davis to keep his punches up. It's a wild battle Davis backs Zivic into the ropes, Zivic complains he is hurt by the low blows. Davis pumps another left very low. A very low left. The referee wasn't there to watch that one. Another low left by Davis. That's four in this round. Once more, he'll be thrown out...The referee warned 'im. Zivic ken hardly stand...Davis did land another low left. It was so hard it lifted Davis's foot ofthe ground. The referee is in there close. He's not saying anything. There's bedlam around the ringside The referee had apparently missed the last two punches under the belt. Here's another left. The referee walks in there...Another low one by Davis. Haven't seen a round like this for years! The crowd is standing up. Everyone. There's another low one again! Another one! Another! The referee grabs 'im! And stops the fight. A DQ!. And they're fighting again! And Davis kicks his man! They're punching away. The police are in the ring! Everyone's in there! *At this point, unoticed by Taub, Zivic apparently laced Davis, badly, in both eyes. Zivic is supposed to have admitted as much later on in order to help Davis get his liscence back
An old timer told me from firsthand, The nite Fritz fought Bummy, all hell broke loose in the subways. The bookies wouldn't cough up the dough. Them was the days!
S,where to start ? Al Bummy Davis was a tough kid from a neighberhood that was home to a mob enterprise called Murder Inc. in Brownsville, NY. Their business was "killing for the mob". Al Davis came from this tough enviroment. He started his career koing just about all his opponents, including koing the past prime Tony Canzoneri in 1939, for Canzy's only ko loss in his last fight. Davis, who my dad took me to see when I was a tyke fought from an orthodox position,but developed a left-hook with great power for a lightweight. His most famous war was with the esteemed Sir,Fritzie Zivic, master of the thumb and other dirty tricks. So after Zivic gave Bummy Davis several thumbs, Davis hit Zivic South of the border and was disqualified. Later on I saw Bummy Davis flatten a10-1 favorite Bob Montgomery in the first round with deadly left-hooks. We in the audience went crazy. So a couple of weeks later,I saw Al Davis matched with a prime Beau Jack at MSG. In the first round Davis smashed his left hook onto Beau Jack's chin shaking Beau up but, Jack recovered and won the one sided decision. I saw Al Davis about a month or so before he was killed in a bar he just before sold. Four gunman robbed the bar and Davis facing four gunmen flattened 3 of them and was shot in the throat by the 4th gunman. Fatally wounded Davis chased the gunman in the street, but collapsed and died a hero. Not a great all around fighter, but had toughness and the finest lefthook I have seen..Cheers
Stoney, a little tidbit : When i was a kid ,my older cousin Sonny took me to see the new Brownsville sensation Al Bummy Davis train at Charl, whose leaderey Beecher's poolroom ang gymnasium in Brownsville, NY. My dad and my uncle, great fight fans told my cousin and I to be very quite,and keep our mouths shut. Why ?Because that gym was a hangout for some gangsters of "Murder Inc" fame whose infamous leader Lepke Buchalter, was on the lam from the police. We agreed and when we arrived at Charley Beechers gym[ Beecher was an oldtime lightweight], we went past the pool tables to the gym in back. Entering the gym I saw the ring with men with big cigars in their mouths',wearing large Fedora hats, watching Al Davis boxing in the ring. Needless to say my cousin and I were deathly silent, after my dad warning us of the killers and mobsters surrounding us that afternoon at Charley Beechers gym, so long ago. P.S. W C Heinz wrote a great story about Al Bummy Davis ,and those times...
Thank Burt. Just out of curiosity, how the hell old are you? If you were 18 in 1945, you would be 85 right now, I guess. You gots your faculties, I will say that. I want some of what you're eating. And go write a damn book about this ****.
S, I can't tell you my age , but the candles cost me more than my birthday cake ! No I ain't THAT old. Started very early, and i hope to pack it in when I'm very LATE...:hi:
