BoxRec

Everyone thinks of guys like Jimmy Bivins or Lloyd Marshall who should have got a title bout but everyone forgets 157-22 Tiger Jack Fox. He was a tough guy and I am suprised he never got a title shot against louis. I know he fought in exhibitions against louis but never in a real fight. Does anyone know why???? and was Tiger Jack Fox a good fighter who deserved a shot?????

Unless Im mistaken Fox got a shot at the vacant LHW title against Melio Bettina and was knocked out.

yes, 3 feb 1939 at the Garden. The ref, Eddie Josephs, stopped the fight in the 9th of 15 rounder

I've done quite a bit of research on Fox and I think Matt Tegan has as well. All said and done if all of his bouts can ever be uncovered, I have little doubt that he will be the all-time knockout king, which he is pretty close right now as the record that I have for him at the moment stands at 198-24-11 (134 KO), but it is still incomplete and is missing probably around 30 to 50+ early bouts, or more, so his knockout total may well reach up to around 175. The late Tim Leone, who used to be director over the IBRO did a lot of great research on Fox also. From what I have, Fox did win the New York State World Light Heavyweight Title by out-pointing Al Gainer and then lost it to Melio Bettina the next year by TKO, but Fox came into that bout injured as he had been stabbed by a women only a very, very short time before the bout, but did not want to cancel the fight and of course in hindsight he should have. I don't think he would have been any trouble for Louis, but he could certainly punch and often beat men much larger than himself!

I think the fight with Al Gainer was an eliminator, with the winner to face Bettina, not a title fight. Prior to his fight with Bettina, Fox had told the Spokane papers that he wanted to face Louis in a title bout after he beat Bettina.

Had he won, I assume that the Garden would have put him in with another Heavyweight to build a matchup with Louis. But since Billy Conn was starting to get hot around that time, he may have been put in with Conn for the LH Title. Conn should have been able to outbox Fox, if he didn't make the mistake of standing in front of him. Without beating Bettina though, Fox at no point in time deserved a title shot at Louis. In the mid-40's, he was really only knocking out third-raters. He was still crafty and could punch, but he couldn't take much punishment.

All of Fox's undiscovered fights are probably back in 1925-34. He actually settled down to a degree and quit the barnstorming once he got in Spokane, he told the Spokane Chronicle that he felt it was time to make a push for the title in 1935, and that he was going to try to do it out of Spokane. The depression had also begun to damage the boxing scene in the Mountain states where Fox liked to hang out prior to coming to Spokane, by the mid-30s. Salt Lake City, Boise, Denver, and Montana all had long dry spells clear until after World War II ended. Even boxing in Spokane was only kept alive by Fox and later Joey Dolan, until after the war.

Fox also could be an incredibly boring fighter, as his fight with Bettina shows. He only fought in spurts, clowned, and needed an opponent that cooperated with him, to look entertaining. His whole arrival on the West Coast, first in Portland, was brought on because he was thrown out of Eastern Idaho for goofing off with Bombo Chevalier. The same thing happened to him in October 1934 in Portland and Oakland and basically got him thrown out of those towns too. Even Spokane fans got sick of him around 1946, and he was "retired" by the local promtoer until they needed someone for the Joe Louis exhibition.

The Spokane papers reported that Fox was competive the first time he fought Louis in an exhibiton. He fought out of his low crouch, and at least prevented Louis from beating him up. Louis handled him easy, a few days later in Seattle though.

funny thing is I believe louis had trouble with great boxers after seeing his conn and walcott, pastor fights.

but after analyzing more u can say he had trouble with guysthat were crowders or in a crouch. Louis himself said he had one flaw that no one knew about and he didnt like to be crowded. whether that comment is bullshit or not i can see why he said that.
at the beginning of his career he had toruble with adolph wiater a crowder and he even made louis bleed giving louis a good fight that went the distance. now another one of AL WEILLS fighters arturo godoy fought in a crouch and gave louis problems in the first fight and it was a split decision. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF CHARLEY GOLDMAN TRAINED GODOY ALSO???? and louis also had trouble with tommy farr. not too sure on this one, DID TOMMY FIGHT IN A CROUCH OR WAS HE A CROWDER???? also in the first schmelling fight max was in a crouch.

I STILL BELIEVE ITS THE SLICK FAST BOXERS THAT GAVE HIM TROUBLE./

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:funny thing is I believe louis had trouble with great boxers after seeing his conn and walcott, pastor fights.

but after analyzing more u can say he had trouble with guysthat were crowders or in a crouch. Louis himself said he had one flaw that no one knew about and he didnt like to be crowded. whether that comment is bullshit or not i can see why he said that.
at the beginning of his career he had toruble with adolph wiater a crowder and he even made louis bleed giving louis a good fight that went the distance. now another one of AL WEILLS fighters arturo godoy fought in a crouch and gave louis problems in the first fight and it was a split decision. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF CHARLEY GOLDMAN TRAINED GODOY ALSO???? and louis also had trouble with tommy farr. not too sure on this one, DID TOMMY FIGHT IN A CROUCH OR WAS HE A CROWDER???? also in the first schmelling fight max was in a crouch.

I STILL BELIEVE ITS THE SLICK FAST BOXERS THAT GAVE HIM TROUBLE./

Tommy Farr wasn't a crowder. He was a highly skilled boxer, in the mold of Gene Tunney.

Tiger Jack Fox was a very good fighter, although he didn't always seem to take his fights seriously enough. He beat Maxie Rosenbloom, as well as Jersey Joe Walcott, although Walcott was way before his best and very inexperienced at the time.

As for Arturo Godoy, he was managed by Al Weill, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was trained by Charlie Goldman, who generally came with the package.

Walcott actually said years after he retired that Fox was the best fighter he ever faced . . . extreamly difficult to box.