Fight:192583
Holly Mims 154 lbs beat Willie Troy 156 lbs by KO at 2:59 in round 8 of 10
- Date: 1953-03-04
- Location: Uline Arena, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- Referee: Ray Bowen 65-52
- Judge: Joe Bunsa 64-65
- Judge: Harry Dwyer 59-64
Holley Mims really deserves his title of spoiler. The Washington middleweight did it again last night when he upset here-to-fore unbeaten Willie Troy, Washington.
Mims left no doubt about the verdict. He knocked out the lanky Troy with a sharp right to the chin at 2:59 of the eighth round. Troy had been a 7-to-5 favorite to win his 20th straight fight.
From now on, Mims may find it tougher than ever to get fights.
Ever since he beat Johnny Bratton twice in 1950 and gave Sugar Ray Robinson a good battle in 1951, Mims has had trouble finding opponents. He managed to get only five fights last year, and last night’s bout was the first since his upset triumph over Lester Felton in November.
The fight staged as a benefit for the St. Sophia Church building fund, drew a crowd of 3,174. The end came with surprising suddenness late in the eighth round. Referee Ray Bowen’s count of ten and the bell ending the round came practically together, and many customers thought Troy had been saved by the bell. The official time was 2:59, however, only one second before the round ended.
It was a really fine fight throughout, and on two of the scorecards Troy was ahead going into the eighth. Judge Joe Bunsa had Troy leading 65-64 in points and four rounds to three, and Judge Harry Dwyer had Troy 64-59 and 5-2 in rounds. Referee Ray Bowen was off in the other direction, with Mims owning a big 65-52 margin and five rounds to two.
Both fighters gave out punishment and there were few clinches to slow down the fight. Mims adopted a sliding-back style, jabbing away and occasionally bouncing up with hard flurries. The advancing, long-armed Troy usually caught Mims once or twice a round on the ropes or in a corner, and when he did catch him he found a tiger.
Mims was willing and able to fight his way out of these holes, and those flurries along the ropes gave the crowd a great treat. It was one of those flurries in a corner that led to the finish.
Troy caught Mims in Troy’s corner and pounded him almost to the floor. But Mims fought back and knocked Troy away. As Mims went after Troy, he caught him with a sharp left hook and followed with a solid well-aimed right to the jaw. Troy folded and couldn’t quite make it by the count of 10. (By George Huber, ringside reporter, Evening Star, Washington, D.C., March 5, 1953)