Young Kloby

Name: Young Kloby
Alias: Tommy Corcoran
Birth Name: Thomas Kloby Corcoran
Hometown: Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA
Birthplace: Keeseville, New York, USA
Died: 1968-11-15 (Age:80)
Pro Boxer: Record

Young Kloby (Tommy Corcoran) had an unusual professional career. He began in 1905 and boxed until 1909, fighting good quality opponents, but unable to win consistently. He then entered the army and served a 10-year hitch until 1919. The following unverified record of his boxing during this long interim appeared in the Lawrence (MA) Evening Tribune on Monday, July 28, 1919.

1910 Oct. 4- Johnny Waltz, Glenwood Springs CO, W Points 10.

1911 July 16- Kid Banks, Glenwood Springs, W ko 3 (or 5?). Aug. 29- Eddie Josselyn, Glenwood Springs, W ko 4.

1912 Sept 12- Joe Tipman, Salt Lake City UT, W ko 3. Aug. 1- Owen Moran, Venice CA, Exhibition 4. Oct. 4- Johnny Pacato (Picato?), Oakland CA, No decison 10.

1914 Sept 26- Willie Ritchie, Detroit MI, Exhibiton 4. Oct. 1- Rex Stuart, Kansas City MO, W ko 3. Oct. 4- Chick Bolden, Kansas City, W ko 3. Oct. 12- Harry Williams, Kansas City, W ko 9. Nov. 18- Harry Ferns, Kansas City, W ko 7.

1917 Sept 1- Johnny Fallon, Boxford (France?), W Points 4. Sept 12- Joe Donnelly, Boxford, W Points 4. Oct. 15- Johnny Philman, St. Nazaire FRANCE, W Points 4. Dec. 10- Gene Lajoie, Coetquidan FRANCE, W Points 4.

1919 Jan. 12- Billy Hamilton, Mayet FRANCE, W Points 4. Feb. 12- Billy Mulvey, Mayet, W ko 6. Mar. 18- Gene Lavoie (Lajoie?), Mayet, W Points 12.

In 1919 Kloby returned to the ring in his hometown of Lawrence, Massachusetts. He scored a couple of sensational knockouts over good opponents, Phinney Boyle and Charley Parker. In August he stopped Eddie Shevlin, an excellent fighter. At this point controversy entered the picture. Kloby took on Eddie Fitzsimmons, a highly regarded opponent who was managed by Dan Morgan. Morgan was reputed to be ready to "do business" when the price was right and perhaps it was "right" this time. The Boston Globe reported that the fight had a suspicious look to it. Fitzsimmons seemed to be "pulling" his punches; then he appeared to foul Kloby who went down and made a dramatic scene of being in severe pain. The referee gave the fight to Kloby on a foul. Fitzsimmons's loss did not damage his position as a title contender.

All of this may have been by way of setting up a betting coup and a big gate for a fight between Kloby and a more notable opponent, the great Johnny Dundee. Kloby and Dundee met in Lawrence on October 13 and Dundee proved to be much too clever for the New Englander, even though outweighed by many pounds.

Kloby was involved in some further controversy, although his part was probably an innocent one. First, he got a very bad decision over clever Paul Doyle on December 3, 1919. In March 1920 he was matched with Young Muggsy, a crude fighter who was being built up into a drawing card in Boston. Kloby dispatched Muggsy in two rounds and that was pretty much the end of Muggsy's fame. Kloby had seven more fights and retired after losing to Shevlin in a return bout, July 4, 1921.

On August 12, 1922, Kloby returned to the rind to box an exhibition with Jack Dempsey in the Lawrence MA baseball park.

Kloby died in Reading, Massachusetts.