Fred Fulton LKO-9 Jack London- Did this fight really happen?

[My2Sense]

This fight is listed as happening on April 27, 1917 in New York, NY on both boxrec's and cyberboxingzone's records. Myself and others at another site were questioning whether or not this fight actually happened, and what evidence/information there was about it.

I've looked through the NY Times archives and haven't found a single article that mentions the fight ever happening, which I find very surprising as it was a local fight featuring a top HW contender, and presumably must have been a shocking upset if it happened. There's a news report on Fulton's previous fight, and every other fight for the remainder of the year (even ones out of state), so I find it downright bizarre that there wouldn't be a report on this fight.

But what really makes me question the existence of the fight most of all is this report I found from the Times, dated April 22, 1917 - a mere five days before the fight is alleged to have taken place:

"Fred Fulton, the Minnesota heavyweight, who until a few weeks ago was regarded as a likely contender for championship honors, has broken away from his manager, Frank Force, and in the future will have his pugilistic interests guided by Mike Collins, who was Fulton's former manager. The big Minnesotan has announced his intention of trying to obtain a return bout with Carl Morris, but says that he will never again box in this city."


How is it that Fulton is declaring that he will never again box in NY if he already has a fight scheduled there just a few days later?


If anyone has any light to shed on this, it would be greatly appreciated.

[delisa]

Yes, I doubt that bout happened.

London was an amateur in early 1917 fighting under batt levinsky. His June bout with Hawkins was a big step for him -- and there is no mention of him beating Fulton.

[John]

I have edited the bout