Boxing Blog – TSS Tidbits

Today in Boxing History: Tony Canzoneri Beats Johnny Dundee

On this day in 1927, Tony Canzoneri beat Johnny Dundee by unanimous decision to win the vacant New York State Athletic Commission World Featherweight Title at Madison Square Garden.

Canzoneri was less than two years old when Dundee fought his first professional bout. By the time the two faced each other, Dundee had held the junior lightweight title twice and the featherweight title once. Canzoneri had only been a pro for a little more than two years. However, Dundee was way past his prime and had not fought for more than a year. He had also weighed 140 pounds a month before the fight and had struggled to make weight.

Dundee entered the ring to huge applause, but that quickly diminished when the opening bell sounded. Canzoneri was so dominant that the Associated Press accused him of pulling his punches, and the crowd screamed for more action throughout the fight. The AP also said that many spectators left the Garden at the end of the seventh round. When the fight ended, Dundee was booed and the judges awarded Canzoneri with the decision.

It would be the last significant bout Dundee would fight before retiring in 1932. Canzoneri went on to also win titles at lightweight and junior welterweight.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 at 12:05 am and is filed under Aaron Tallent, Boxing News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.