Harold Johnson, A overlooked champion

Harold Johnson, light-hevyweight champ

When we look at rankings f top champions,
the name HAROLD JOHNSON is often
missing from the equation except for
the Penn State boxing crowd of "Philly".

Harold
 lost the title to Willie Pastrano in what 
some called a big upset of 1963

JOHNNY KILBANE, featherweight champion

Amazing Kilbane: by Brian Zelley

The family Kilbane web site  to
remember the long term featherweight
champion Johnny Kilbane
http://www.johnnykilbane.com  (see web s

Great Kilbane stories:
From "Cyber Boxing Zone"
author: Mike Casey:
"Irish Jewel of Cleveland:
The Great Johnny Kilbane"
http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/news/archives/00004120.htm

°* When we understand, that Johnny won the title
from one of the greats, Abe Attell  and kept it into
the twenties. For Johnny, he is often overlooked due
to champions like  Jack Demsey and Benny Leonard
as well as George Dixon, Abe Attell and Jimmy Wilde.

Marty Servo -A Forgotten Champion

Marty Servo - Boxer

The Boxer Marty Servo: by Brian Zelley

                         Marty Servo and Charley Goldman

Marty Servo won the title with a victory over
Freddy (Red) COCHRANE. But relinquished
the title after an injury.

                       Servo makes the cover of "The RING"

Sadly, Marty died before he was 50 due to cancer.

THE CHAMPION BOXERS: BEFORE MUHAMMAD ALI THERE WAS WILLIE PASTRANO

THE CHAMPION BOXERS: BEFORE MUHAMMAD ALI THERE WAS WILLIE PASTRANO: WILLIE PASTRANO,  MASTER OF BOXING SKILL: by Brian Zelley As I look back into the past, I remember 1972 and the time  heavyweight Dan Wr..

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Johnny Bratton - Forgotten welterweight champion

Johnny "Honey Bear" Bratton: by Brian Zelley

Bratton's ring record, per Box Rec
Johnny Bratton - Boxer Ring Record
http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/bratton.htm

See the Cybersite for well presented record and narrative.

1953: Training for the title shot against 
the world welterweight champion
Kid Gavilan in a bout that went the distance
According to public records Bratton was a
popular fighter that always did his best.

Johnny Bratton won the NBA welterweight title

with a victory over Charley Fusari in 1951 Johnny lost it to Kid Gavilan

In 1953, Bratton faced Gavilan

for the world title and went the full 15 rounds.

Sammy Mandell - the overlooked lightweight champion

Sammy Mandell, the forgotten champion

                                                               Sammy Mandell - Boxer

Sammy Mandell won the lightweight title
with a victory over Rocky Kansas in Chicago.
Then came victories over Barney Ross and
Tony Canzoneri.

Sammy lost te title to Al Singer in 1930.

Some greats before Mandell included
Joe Gans, Freddy Welsh and 
Benny Leonard. Post Mandell and Singer
were Canzoneri, Ross, , Ambers and Armstrong.

THE CHAMPION BOXERS: The Champion boxers

THE CHAMPION BOXERS: The Champion boxers

The Champion boxers

Hogan Kid Bassey, a forgotten champion

Hogan Kid Bassey:
"The Forgotten Featherweight":
 - by Brian Zelley

*  In a ranker listing of 30 champions which
include the likes of Willie Pep, Sandy Saddlrt,
Davey Moore and 27 others, the name
Hogan Kid Bassey is nowhere to be found.

On the "Boxing Scene" site the top 25 include
Willie Pep, Abe Attell and Henry Armstrong 
in the top three. Davey Moore was No 24,
but Hogan Kid Bassey  is nowhere to be found.

        Nat of "The RING" and the champion Bassey

In a site called "Hub Pages", the tops include
WilliePep, Salvidar Sanchez, henry Armstrong
and Sandy saddler in the top four but you won't
find the name Hogan Kid Bassey listed.

The Champion
Hogan Kid Bassey won the featherweigh
t title in 1958 with a vicory over Cherif Hamia
Hogan lost the title to  Davey Moore in 1959.

Carmen Basilio - the overlooked champion.

 Basilio, A Forgotteb double champion: by Brian Zelley

Carmen Basilio would turn pro in 1948 with a
victory over Jimmy Evans.  And over seven years he would face many opponentsincluding names such as Chuck Davey, 
Kid Gavilan, Lew Jenkins and Billy Graham

Carmen Basilio, 1955

In 195 Carmen would win the welterweight 

title in a victory over Tony DeMarco Carmen

wud also have three bouts with Johnny Saxton.

* In 1957 Basilio would earn the middlweight

crown with a victory over the reat SugarRayRobinson.

Carmen Basilio

After dropping the title back to Sugar Ray,

Carmen would continue to fight until

the early sixties facing

Gene Fullmer, Gaspar Ortega and Paul Pender.

Camen Basilio - Boxer0Ring record per Box Rec

Harold Dade - The Forgotten Champion

Harold Dade, the forgotten champion:
"the bantamweight champion for a
brief moment in time. Life for Harold was
also brief. But, we can never forget about
this ring warrior who should be remembered
for his amateur achievements and being
called bantamweight champion of the world.

by Brian Zelley

                                                Harold Dade - Boxer  Rin ecord per Box Rec

* When we look at he ring record, on the surface,
 Harold Dade appears to be just an average boxer,
but for a moment in time the two time Chicago
Golden gloves champion was the bantamweight
champion of the world briefly in 1947.


* Harold would have many of his early fights
In California and he won the title from capable
champion  Manuel Ortiz, but in a rematch, 
Ortiz would regain the crown.

The Middleweight muddle of forgotten champions

The Forgotten Middleweights: by brian zelley
* Being a middleweight champion between
 Mickey Walker and Sugar Ray Robinson
left many of them below the greatness light.
But, they were a talented bunch of
ring warriors

* For the Pacific Northwest fans, they would
remember the likes of Freddie Steele
and Al Hostack.  For a while Freddie
lived in California but spent most of his time
in Tacoma. One of his boxing influences
was Tod Morgan also from Washington state.



                                 v
                                                              Al Hostak - Boxer (Box Rec record list)

                

                               

Al Hostack

Cerferino Garcia

Ken Overlin

Freddie Steele

Solly Krieger

Solly Krieger

Gus Lesnevich and Freddy Mills, Forgotten Champions

Gus Lesnevich and Freddy Mills
Forgotten Light heavyweight
Champions: by Brian zelley



Gus Lesnevich - Boxer
Gus Lesnevich, champion

Gus from New Jersey began his pro journey 

in 1934, and his first big win was against

Lou Brouillard, but his first big loss was

to the great Billy Conn.  A victory over

Tami Mauriello cemented his claim as

world light heavyweight champ

In 1946, he defeated Freddy Mills

but would lose the title

to Freddy in 1948.

Freddy Mills, champion
* After winning the title from Gus in 1948,
the Bournemouth, Dorset fighter would
 drop the title to classy Joey Maxim. 

photo from Box Rec, profile image.

Terry Allen - Forgotten Champions

Terry Allen, forgotten champions

                                                                                                                                                Islington's barrow boy:                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                Terry Allen - Boxer 
                                                               (ring record per Box Rec)                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                            
   Born Edward Albert Govier, and took a friends 
name for boxing.  Early fights fought in Islington.
* Terry won the title in 1950 with a victory over
Honore Pratesi, but lost the title to
Dado Marino in Honolulu.
                                                                                     

Paul Pender and Terry Downes, Forgotten Champions

Pender and Downes:
Forgotten Middleweight Champions: by Brian Zelley

                                        Terry Downes

                                                            Paul Pender - Boxer

Curtis Cokes, a forgotten champion

A Texas Star, Curtis Cokes: by Brian Zelley

                     Welterweight Champion, Curtis Cokes
* Curtis won the vacant title with a victory over
Manuel "Manny" Gonzalez following Emile Griffith's
vacating the tile following his middleweight title win
over Dick Tiger.

                                     Manuel Gonzalez

Cokes would drop the title to boxer Jose Napoles.

Denny Moyer - light-middleweight champion

Denny Moyer, a forgotten champion: by. Brian Zelley

Denny Moyer -  Ring record per Box Rec

  

                                            Denny Moyer,
                                 light-middlweight champion
Denny Moyer, of Portland Oregon, won the 
vacant title in October 1962 with a victory over
Joey Giambra. He would drop a bout to Ralph Dupas.

Denny made his pro debut in 1957 with a bout 
againsst Jimmy McCoy. He faced some top boxers:
Johnny Saxton, Gaspar Ortega Don Jordan,
Paddy DeMarco, Virgil Akin, Emile Griffith,
Sugar Ray Robinson and Joey Archer.
               

Introduction to Forgotten Boxing Champions

The Forgotten Champions: byBrian Zelley

* Review any old boxing magazine or read any old boxing poll

and some past champions often get overlooked or ignored for

a whole heapof reasons.

For Heavyweights, a select few are remembered

but some often overlooked include:

James J. Corbett, Marvin Hart, Jack Sharkey,

Max Baer, Floyd Patterson and Jimmy Ellis.

Many light heavyweights get lost between the
heavyweights and the middleweights be it
a Jim Slattery, Maxie Rosenbloom, Harold Johnson,
Gus Lesnevich, Freddy Mills, and Willie Pastrano.

Many a fine middleweight champion slips in the
popularity polls or are overlooked:

                                      Terry Downes

Randy Turpin

George Chip, Mike O'Dowd, Lou Brouillard, Turpin
Al Hostack, Ken Overin, Bobo Olson, Terry Downes,
Paul Pender, Alan Minter and Fred Apostoli.

                                   Lou Brouillard

And we can't forget Joey Giardello

From flyweight to welterweight, there are many lost in the shuffle:Curtis Cokes,  Al Singer,  and many more.
such as Wallace Bud Smith.

And how many remember Islington's own Terry Allen

My story

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