Bob Fitzsimmons as a middleweight, re-evaluated
Posted: 03 Mar 2018, 20:13
For the most part, people largely seem to rate Bob Fitzsimmons off of his fights as a heavyweight, against much larger men, and to some extent as a Light Heavyweight as an old man.
His early record is pretty shakey, perhaps unmotivated, perhaps just green. Only including fights in America (where he seemed to find his form), and only against notable fighters when he was a middleweight, his wins come down to:
Billy McCarthy
Jack Dempsey
Black Pearl
Peter Maher
Jim Hall
Joe Choynski
Dan Creedon
Billy McCarthy
I can't find any contempory reports of this. But Fitz seems to have been pretty dominant from the various accounts, possibly choosing to put on an exhibition rather than go for the stoppage.
Accounts conflict. I see either a police stoppage, or McCarthy quit at the end of the 9th (possibly to avoid police intervention).
Hard to find much info, but regarded as a top middleweight, Middleweight champion of Australia. I saw one article refer to him as a former champion of the world.
Jack Dempsey
Not really a boxing match so much as a 13 round demolition job with as many knockdowns.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 2247&hl=en
He was a bit small, but also legendary, probably the top P4P fighter of his day
http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/A ... pareil.htm
Harris Martin AKA Black Pearl
Lasted the four rounds as agreed, but was overmatched
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d ... lack+pearl
Not quite the top tier, but a solid fighter. Claimed the black middleweight title in his career, as well as middleweight champion of the northwest.
http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/blackpearl.htm
Peter Maher
Of course Fitz would go onto KO in a round for heavyweight honours, however this is his first first. A cagey start from Fitz on the defensive for the first 5 rounds. Fitz then landed heavilly and gave out a one sided beating, wearing out Maher he couldn't get up for the next round after the 12th.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... itzsimmons
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... itzsimmons
I don't feel I need to say anything about Peter Maher.
Jim Hall
Jim Hall had some moments, but was never on top and always on the back foot, and was taking a beating for much of it, especially the final round, clinched a lot, before quiting on his stool after the 5th.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... itzsimmons jim hall&searchLimits=
Fitzsimmons had a loss to Hall in Aus, but Hall achieved more than that. A notable win over Ted Pritchard, the British middleweight and heavyweight champion. Also had the better of Choynski, albeit in a light 4 round exhibition
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... m=choynski jim hall&searchLimits=l-decade=189
Joe Choynski
Officially a draw, but really a stoppage, and occasionally listed as such. Fitz dropped him 3 times, then police interveened.
had
http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Bob_F ... e_Choynski
Fought as a Heavyweight or L.Heavyweight, but weighed little more than a middleweight. Most famous for KOing a young Jack Johnson, by which point Joe was probably past his best. Also lasted the full 20 rounds with Jeffries. Massive puncher, sometimes rated even higher than Fitz by contempories.
Dan Creedon
Can't find any detail beyond Creedon being KOed in the second round, presumably one sided.
Would later make a claim to the world Middlweight title, and was the Middleweight Champion of Australia. Possibly most notable for beating Jem Smith who had been considered a top heavyweight, and was Heavyweight champion of England. Creedon was dominant and KOed him 2 rounds https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... chTerm=dan
Edit: Also had notable wins over Frank Childs and Frank Craig. Also beat DIck Moore, who at the time held any (dubious) claims to the middleweight title LaBlanche could have made, before losing to Fitzsimmons.
His early record is pretty shakey, perhaps unmotivated, perhaps just green. Only including fights in America (where he seemed to find his form), and only against notable fighters when he was a middleweight, his wins come down to:
Billy McCarthy
Jack Dempsey
Black Pearl
Peter Maher
Jim Hall
Joe Choynski
Dan Creedon
Billy McCarthy
I can't find any contempory reports of this. But Fitz seems to have been pretty dominant from the various accounts, possibly choosing to put on an exhibition rather than go for the stoppage.
Accounts conflict. I see either a police stoppage, or McCarthy quit at the end of the 9th (possibly to avoid police intervention).
Hard to find much info, but regarded as a top middleweight, Middleweight champion of Australia. I saw one article refer to him as a former champion of the world.
Jack Dempsey
Not really a boxing match so much as a 13 round demolition job with as many knockdowns.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 2247&hl=en
He was a bit small, but also legendary, probably the top P4P fighter of his day
http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/A ... pareil.htm
Harris Martin AKA Black Pearl
Lasted the four rounds as agreed, but was overmatched
https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d ... lack+pearl
Not quite the top tier, but a solid fighter. Claimed the black middleweight title in his career, as well as middleweight champion of the northwest.
http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/blackpearl.htm
Peter Maher
Of course Fitz would go onto KO in a round for heavyweight honours, however this is his first first. A cagey start from Fitz on the defensive for the first 5 rounds. Fitz then landed heavilly and gave out a one sided beating, wearing out Maher he couldn't get up for the next round after the 12th.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... itzsimmons
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... itzsimmons
I don't feel I need to say anything about Peter Maher.
Jim Hall
Jim Hall had some moments, but was never on top and always on the back foot, and was taking a beating for much of it, especially the final round, clinched a lot, before quiting on his stool after the 5th.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... itzsimmons jim hall&searchLimits=
Fitzsimmons had a loss to Hall in Aus, but Hall achieved more than that. A notable win over Ted Pritchard, the British middleweight and heavyweight champion. Also had the better of Choynski, albeit in a light 4 round exhibition
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... m=choynski jim hall&searchLimits=l-decade=189
Joe Choynski
Officially a draw, but really a stoppage, and occasionally listed as such. Fitz dropped him 3 times, then police interveened.
had
http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Bob_F ... e_Choynski
Fought as a Heavyweight or L.Heavyweight, but weighed little more than a middleweight. Most famous for KOing a young Jack Johnson, by which point Joe was probably past his best. Also lasted the full 20 rounds with Jeffries. Massive puncher, sometimes rated even higher than Fitz by contempories.
Dan Creedon
Can't find any detail beyond Creedon being KOed in the second round, presumably one sided.
Would later make a claim to the world Middlweight title, and was the Middleweight Champion of Australia. Possibly most notable for beating Jem Smith who had been considered a top heavyweight, and was Heavyweight champion of England. Creedon was dominant and KOed him 2 rounds https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/arti ... chTerm=dan
Edit: Also had notable wins over Frank Childs and Frank Craig. Also beat DIck Moore, who at the time held any (dubious) claims to the middleweight title LaBlanche could have made, before losing to Fitzsimmons.