Stub Nelson

Promoter and Matchmaker

Nelson originally had been a sportswriter in Tacoma, for the Tacoma News-Tribune. In early 1936, he was hired by Portland boxing promotional company, All Sports, Inc., to serve as their matchmaker. All Sports, had fired their previous matchmaker Bobby Evans, after Evans had promoted a string of mismatches.

Nelson left All Sports in the summer of 1936, and went out on his own as a promoter briefly, before teaming up with 24 year-old Don Owen, the son of Portland's top wrestling promoter Herb Owen. Nelson and Owen brought in several big name fighters to face off against local favorites. The top bouts were:

• Henry Armstrong vs. Elmer (Buzz) Brown
• Mike Belloise vs. Al Spina
• King Levinsky vs. Leo Lomski

Nelson quit promoting in December 1936, and Owen continued on his own, briefly. Nelson would return in November 1937, in the position of matchmaker for the Portland boxing commission, after another wrestling promoter Steve McPherson failed to have success. Nelson's most successful main event fighter was Midnight Bell. Bell eventually left for Seattle, and became Freddie Steele's sparring partner in preparation for his fights with Solly Kreiger and Al Hostak. Without Bell, Nelson stopped putting on shows in April 1938.