While in Florida, Beau contracted to battle Bob “Bobcat” Montgomery (1919–1998) in his first title defense. The 15-round title affair was scheduled for Monday night, May 21, 1943, at Madison Square Garden. Like Beau, Monty, as Montgomery was often called, hailed from the South, growing up in Sumter, South Carolina. He now lived in Philadelphia with his wife and son.
Montgomery had a fascinating journey to the title bout. In 1933, Bob was washing dishes at the Broad & Market in Philadelphia. Currently, he was working as a blacksmith’s assistant at the Sun Shipyards in Chester, Pennsylvania. In his spare time, Montgomery often boxed and worked out at the Madison Athletic Club on Girard Avenue. One day when he was sparring at the Athletic Club, Bob met up and coming African American boxer Johnny Hutchinson. Hutchinson took Bob in and shared some of his ring skills with him. He also introduced him to his manager, Frankie Thomas. Thomas immediately saw boundless potential in Montgomery and quickly added him to his stable of fighters.
As a 24-year-old boxer, Montgomery had more experience than Beau. Monty debuted his career on October 13, 1938, knocking out Young Johnny Buff in Atlantic City. He already had 27 bouts under his belt before Beau even debuted at Valley Arena. Bob won the Pennsylvania State Lightweight title in 1940 and had a professional record of 50–6–3. He also had outpointed the world lightweight champion Lew Jenkins, in a nontitle fight in 1941. Monty was soft-spoken and one of the most charming fighters of the day. He had fast hands, a good chin and moved around well in the ring. Monty’s weaknesses were that he tended to brawl, instead of box, and struggled with consistency.
Against common opponents, both Beau and Bob had beaten Young Johnny Buff and George Zengaras. Bob had won his one bout with Chester Rico, whereas Beau had one victory and a draw with Rico. On the other hand, Beau had won two fights with Tommy Speigal, whereas Bob had lost his match with Speigal.
To prepare for his title defense, on May 1, Beau and his entourage arrived at Joe Murchio’s Cloudland Camp located in the Ramapo Mountains, a forested section of the Appalachian Mountains in southern New York. Other boxers, such as Joe Louis, frequently used the camp for training. Beau’s first several days were spent gaining energy. He took in the fresh air and sunshine as he did a little fishing and hiking. Then, on May 4, Beau began training. “The 22-year-old Negro with the Indian profile jogged six miles through the rose-tinted mists beside the slumbering lake,” wrote Jack Cuddy. “It was his first roadwork at Joe Murchio’s Cloudland Camp—the training resort where Sgt. Joe Louis groomed for many title battles.”1 Beau trained hard during the day and relaxed in the evenings, engaging in one of his favorite pleasures, spearfishing. At night, he would head out to the lake with flashlight and spear in hand. While wading through the water, Jack looked for fish, and when spotted, he speared them with a quick thrust of his spear.
In Philadelphia, Montgomery was training hard as well and was in peak condition and full of confidence. “I can beat him. I know it,” Monty said. “I figure he doesn’t like good, solid body punches and I’m going to keep throwing rights to the body.”2 Beau also felt upbeat, coming into the fight riding a 15-victory streak. Although both fighters weighed 135 pounds, Montgomery was 5'8" tall and had a two-inch reach advantage. The contest marked only the second time Beau had appeared in a fifteen-round match, and his first one just went three rounds. This bout would go all fifteen rounds.
Beau Jack (left) and Bob Montgomery shake hands before the bout. Others pictured include fight promoters Chick Wergeles (back row, left) and Mike Jacobs (front row, left) and Frankie Thomas (front row, right), c. 1943 (courtesy John DiSanto, Philly Boxing History Collection).
The evening proved to be another great success for Mike Jacobs. It was his 35th championship fight at Madison Square Garden. Fans poured out to see Beau defend his title. Although the paid crowd was 18,843, an over-capacity crowd of more than 20,000 boxing fans crammed into Madison Square Garden to witness Philadelphia’s “Bobbing Bobcat,” a 12–5 underdog, challenge Jack for the lightweight title. The stage was set for a real duel pitting Montgomery, the more experienced, sharp-hitting boxer, and Jack, a rough, mauling, light-hitting youngster. The gate of $94,500 pleasantly surpassed Jacobs’ expectations.
The crowd was roaring as the fight began. Beau immediately swarmed Montgomery, throwing flurries of uppercuts to his body and head, staggering the taller man. Landing punches squarely on Monty’s chin, Jack overwhelmed him. The challenger appeared as if he was going to crash to the canvas from a hard right uppercut, but Montgomery rallied in the last minute with several rights to the champ’s head, opening a cut over his left eye. So furious was the battle that both combatants continued slugging each other after the bell. It took Referee Arthur Donovan to pry them apart. While Beau won the first round, Montgomery continued to settle down, taking the second and third rounds, smashing left hooks to Beau’s body and landing hard rights on the champion’s head. The fourth round was scored even. Beau stormed back to win the fifth and sixth rounds using daunting left jabs and uppercuts.
In the seventh round, Beau began to slow as the effects of the Bobcat’s damaging body punches took their toll. Montgomery, on the other hand, picked up his pace and continuously forced the action. The challenger was landing his straight right at will, and Jack just couldn’t seem to dodge its thunderous power. With Beau’s nose and mouth acutely bleeding and his temple swelling up like a tennis ball, it became apparent that Montgomery was steps away from taking the title from Beau. “Jack fought on desperately and gamely, bleeding profusely from nose and mouth and with a balcony of bruises over his left eye that almost prevented vision,” wrote Jack Cuddy. “The left side of Beau’s temple also swelled until it seemed that his head was lop-sided. And a large mouse rose beneath his right eye.”3
Bobbing and weaving from his crouched position, Monty determinedly pursued Beau, admonishing him with solid left hooks to the body and rights to his head. In the eleventh round, Montgomery bashed Jack with a right to the chin that turned him sideways, dropping the champ to the canvas. Although knocked down, only Beau’s gloves touched the canvas, and no count was given. Jack mounted a desperate attempt to retain his title in the twelfth and scored well with lefts to Monty’s face. By the thirteenth round, however, Beau could scarcely see. Both of his eyes were nearly swollen shut from Montgomery’s consistent pounding. The lump over Jack’s left eye looked larger than a baseball. Monty cornered Beau against the ropes in the fourteenth round, belting him with punches. Beau wilted but refused to go down. Montgomery coasted through the last stanza.
As the two fighters stood in the center of the ring, the decision was announced. Referee Arthur Donovan gave Montgomery ten rounds, Beau three, and called two even. Judge Bill Healy gave Montgomery nine rounds to six for Beau, and Judge Marty Monroe gave Montgomery ten rounds and Beau five. By unanimous decision, Bob Montgomery captured the New York lightweight world championship. Monty was ecstatic as he rushed over to Beau and gave him a joyous hug.
Ring announcer Harry Balogh raises Bob Montgomery’s arm in victory, March 5, 1943 (Associated Press).
Montgomery fought a smart fight and paced himself well for the 15-round bout. In just his second bout lasting more than ten rounds, Beau simply ran out of gas. In elation, Garden fans descended on the new champion in his dressing room. Just five months after being crowned the lightweight champion, Beau had been dethroned by Bob Montgomery.
Following the fight, the combatants conversed about their ring battle. Montgomery acknowledged Beau’s gameness in the ring. “That was the toughest fight I ever had,” Montgomery said. “He’s a good man, but not half as tough as I expected. He hurt me in the first round, but never after that.”4 Bob also disclosed his key to victory. “He kept dropping his left and I punched right over it,” declared Monty. “He’s easy to hit but hard to bring down.”5 Jack likewise complimented Monty, “He’s a fine fighter,” Jack admitted. “Yes, he hurt me several times.”
Commentators immediately began to debate the fight’s outcome. Why had Beau lost his first title defense? Did he lack stamina? Was Montgomery simply the better boxer? Beau and his camp provided several explanations. First, Chick Wergeles asserted that Jack injured his hand in the third round when he landed a right to Montgomery’s head. He reiterated after the fight, Beau’s hand was twice its normal size and he had to cut Beau’s boxing glove off his left hand. Wergeles, however, shared an additional explanation. He blamed the loss on Beau’s handlers. “They kept telling the Beau to back up and stay away,” said Chick. “That ain’t the way he likes to fight.”6 The tactic had worked in his last fight against Henry Armstrong but not with Monty.
Chick Wergeles and Lou Stillman of Stillman’s Gym furnished yet another, albeit more humorous explanation. Grinning, Stillman said it was the first time Beau did not train at his gym for a major fight. Regrettably, “Hercules” Wergeles concurred, asserting that Joe Murchio’s Cloudland Camp had not been a good place for Beau to train for his contest with Montgomery. “He liked the country life so much that he rowed and fished so often it used up all his energy,” explained Chick. “He stayed up nights, fishin’ with a big spear and hip boots. Stabbed the fish with them, too—the spear not the boots, I mean. That learned us. No more country life for him. He needs a stuffy gym. Fresh air can kill a guy, you know, if you get too much of it.”7 No more training in the country for Jack. On top of fishing, Chick mentioned that Beau had stumbled over a rock and hurt his knee a week before the fight.
The next day, Beau dropped by the Twentieth Century SC to pick up his check for $32,076. Monty, on the other hand, received $14,033 for his efforts. Chick Wergeles had done his job as Beau’s manager. Beau returned to Augusta for a much-needed breather. Before long, he would get another shot at the title. A rematch was imminent as Chick had cleverly inserted a clause into the fight contract requiring a mandatory title rematch within 60 days.
Irrespective of the loss, Beau’s popularity continued to grow. Beau was handsome. His jaw was square and his smile broad and comforting. He had olive brown skin and was a flashy dresser, often wearing plaid jackets, posh ties, and fedora hats. Jack received mountains of fan mail, especially from the ladies. Random females often wrote claiming they were his sister or mother and to please send them some money. “It’s funny,” Chick said, “but they never forget to mention dough.”8 Several days after the loss to Montgomery, Beau received a letter from a female admirer from Christianville, Virginia. She wrote, “I prayed for you every day before the Montgomery fight, but I guess I said the wrong words.”9 Remarkably, unlike many other letters Beau received, it did not include a marriage proposal or request for money.
Larry Amadee Hired as Beau’s Trainer
A month later, a determined Beau Jack started his campaign to reclaim the lightweight title. Chick Wergeles also made some changes in Beau’s handlers. Wergeles hired Larry Amadee as Beau’s new trainer. “After we lost to Montgomery,” Wergeles said, “we fired Beau’s old handlers, and the syndicate told me to go out and get the best trainer in the business. I told them we wanted Amadee, who’d worked with Joe Louis, so they said, ‘Go the limit,’ and we got Larry.”10
Hailing from New Orleans, Larry Amadee (1899–1978) was a man of dignity. As a trainer, he had already worked with three world champions: Gorilla Jones, NBA middleweight champion (1925); John Henry Lewis, light heavyweight champion (1935–1938); and Joe Louis, heavyweight champion (1937–1949). Amadee would also work with Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) and Honey Bratton during their amateur careers.
Journalist David Condon of the Chicago Tribune praised Larry’s skill at motivating his fighters. “When Larry was talking to the young, one-on-one, man-to-man, he had a most intent audience,” insisted Condon. “He inspired by his concern, his skill, and his pride.”11 Richard Calisch, who was training with Amadee at the same time as Beau, also applauded Amadee. “Larry Amadee was a black man who took all comers for what they were worth as men and as fighters. I never heard him criticize anything about a man but his jab or his uppercut.”12 He ended every training session with the same words. “See you Thursday. Don’t smoke no cigars and don’t get in no fights.”13 Jimmy DeAngelo was hired as a supporting trainer.
Beau was in Washington, D.C., for his next fight, a scheduled ten-round bout with Maxie Starr on June 21, 1943. A Native American boxer from the Edgewood Arsenal, the inexperienced Starr’s record was 1–2–2 in his short three-month professional career. The “stress-free” match was intended to get Beau back in the right frame of mind after losing his title crown.
Baseball game at old Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., c. 1909–1932 (Library of Congress).
The venue for the bout was Griffith Stadium. Opened in 1911 as National Park, the stadium was astonishingly constructed in three weeks to replace American League Baseball Park II, which had burned to the ground. It was renamed Griffith Stadium after the owner of the Washington Senators of the American Baseball League (ABL), Clark Griffith. With capacity seating for 27,410, the stadium was home to the Washington Senators of the ABL and the Washington Redskins of the NFL. Located on the campus of Howard University, the stadium was eventually demolished in 1965.
As expected, it wasn’t much of a bout. Beau smothered Starr with a hard, right-hand attack, thumping Starr to the canvas twice in the first round and repeatedly driving him into the ropes. In the fifth stanza, Beau knocked Starr to the canvas twice before finishing him off in the sixth. After Beau landed a flurry of straight rights to Starr’s jaw sending him once again to the canvas, Referee Eddie Lafond halted the fight one minute and 55 seconds into the sixth round.
Newspaper reports came out several days later announcing that Beau had remarkably earned $120,837 in his six months as a prizefighter. Apparently, Beau was in the money, and he proudly acknowledged it. “I have nearly $100,000 held for me by my board of directors and I haven’t touched one cent of it. That’s what I call my farm fund.”14 When he retired from boxing, Beau wanted to have a hog farm like his Uncle Jesse.
Beau set two main goals in July. He was not only determined to recapture the lightweight crown from Bob Montgomery, but he was also receiving tutoring so that he could pass the literacy test to enter the Army. Beau enthusiastically sought to serve his country with the same passion as he exhibited inside the ring. Reportedly, he had been rejected by the Army twice before, because he could not read or write.
Although Beau only had a second-grade education, through the years, he gained confidence. The once soft-spoken and shy bootblack became a confident and outspoken young man who knew his own mind and didn’t mind speaking it. Beau had even taken a liking to playing practical jokes. One of his favorites was to sprinkle salt into his sparring partners’ waters.
In late June, Beau stepped up his competition to prepare for his rematch with Montgomery. He signed to fight Johnny “Blackjack” Hutchinson of Philadelphia. Credited with finding Bob Montgomery, Johnny and Bob were stablemates. Hutchinson had a professional record of 65–20–8 and recently defeated formidable opponents Bobby Ruffin (56–16–10) and Carmine Fatta (49–11–4). Many observers proclaimed that Hutchinson packed a deadlier punch than Montgomery.
The contest was scheduled for July 19 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Opened in 1909, Shibe Park was home to two major league baseball teams: the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League and Philadelphia Phillies of the National League. The Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL had also recently moved to Shibe Park. Constructed by Ben Shibe, a leading owner of the Philadelphia Athletics, the 35,000-seat stadium was located in North Philadelphia.
It was a beautiful evening with temperatures in the low 80s. A large crowd of almost 17,000 fans showed up for the fistic affair between Jack and Hutchinson. Beau had a one-pound weight advantage at 135¼ pounds; whereas Hutchinson had a one-inch height advantage.
Amidst the roar of the crowd, the fight began. Jack easily won the first two rounds as he belted Johnny with windmill punches. In the third round, Johnny seized the momentum going to work on Beau’s body. Then, a fight broke out in the fourth round. Both men stood toe to toe pelting each other. As the opening bell sounded for the fifth, a resolute Beau came out strong and took control of the battle, using a long-range attack and landing numerous powerful right uppercuts, leaving Hutchinson cut and bleeding. Beau came out solid again in the sixth, hitting Hutchinson’s head repeatedly with his famous right-handed bolo punch.
With Hutchinson bleeding from his nose, mouth and left eye, Referee Irv Kurchner stepped in with 59 seconds left in the sixth round and halted the brutal beating. Beau scored an easy sixth-round technical knockout, as well as $18,500 from the gate of $50,057. It was the largest Philadelphia gate since Joe Louis knocked out Gus Dorazio on February 17, 1941.
Beau would not fight again until October 4. Although he was scheduled to fight Lulu Costantino in Cleveland on August 26, 1943, it was called off after Costantino suffered an ear injury during his prior bout with Chalky Wright. Meanwhile, Chick continued working with Montgomery’s manager Frankie Thomas to lock down a contract and date for the rematch. Following negotiations, Beau’s rematch with Montgomery was scheduled for September 10. Frankie Thomas, however, sternly insisted there would be no title fight on the 10th unless Beau signed a return match agreement. Chick and Beau agreed.
After initial training at the Christian Street Y.M.C.A., Bob left for New York to join Beau for final preparations at Stillman’s Gym scheduled to begin on Labor Day. On Sunday night, however, Montgomery began to have severe pain from an impacted wisdom tooth, leading his camp to postpone the upcoming rematch. The new date was set for October 4. However, on the 17th of September, Montgomery again backed out, asserting that his jaw had taken more time than expected to heal. Therefore, Monty hadn’t had adequate time to train. The fight was rescheduled for a second time, this time for November 19.
Given the delays, Chick Wergeles scheduled Beau a tune-up match on Monday, October 4 with Bobby Ruffin (1921–1996). Ruffin, of Long Island, stood 5'7" tall, had a record of 60–17–11, and had only lost one of his last eleven fights. Ruffin’s father, Teddy Hubbs, a veteran of more than 200 fights, served as his manager. Expressing concern, commentators thought Beau was taking an unnecessary gamble by meeting such a formidable foe. If Jack lost, he could potentially lose his chance at the title. In a tune-up fight for his rematch with Bob Montgomery, why would you take on a significant lightweight contender? Beau had everything to lose and nothing to gain. A headline in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle read, “Beau Jack Gambles in Bout with Ruffin.”15 The oddsmakers, however, approved of Beau’s gamble. They had little regard for Ruffin and listed him as an 8 to 1 underdog. To prepare for the bout, Beau trained at Stillman’s Gym, finishing preparations with three rounds of sparring with middleweight Freddie Graham. Ruffin prepared for the fight at Bey’s Camp in Summit, New Jersey.
On fight night, New York City was buzzing. Not only was Jack at Madison Square Garden, but it was the eve of the World Series in New York between the Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals. A crowd of 14,449, including actress Lana Turner and singer Frank Sinatra, were among the fans gathered at the Garden to witness the match between Jack and Ruffin. Also sitting ringside to observe Beau was the lightweight champion, Bob Montgomery. The gate was $43,429.
The night did not start out well for Jack. First, he came in overweight. Although the fight was contracted for 136 pounds, Beau weighed in at 140½ pounds, his heaviest fight weight to date, versus Ruffin’s 135½ pounds. Beau blamed his failure to make weight on an injury to his right knee suffered during training that prevented him from doing sufficient road work. As a result, Ruffin’s team insisted on a larger cut of the gate. Ruffin received another one and one-quarter percent of the net gate, bringing his total receipts to 22½ percent and reducing Beau’s to 30 percent. Next, there was an argument over who would utilize which dressing room. The two camps settled that by flipping a coin. In a moment of success, Beau won the coin toss. As the fighters entered the ring, however, Beau wore a heavy support and bandage on his injured right knee. It had been rumored that Jack injured his right knee, but Dr. William Walker pronounced him fit and did not find a problem with Beau’s knee during his pre-fight examination.
Ruffin immediately took advantage of Beau’s injury, landing hard body punches within minutes after the opening bell. Throwing caution to the wind, Ruffin took charge of the fight, electing to stand toe to toe and slug it out with Beau. He piled up points by throwing jabs and effective counter punches. Ruffin’s speed and flurries of left jabs and rights, as well as his defensive ability to avoid Beau’s damaging blows, had the former champion bewildered. Bobby kept sticking his left jab in Beau’s face and always moved to Beau’s right, forcing Jack to pivot on his injured right knee. Beau attempted a late comeback, gashing Ruffin’s left eyebrow in the ninth and rallying furiously in the 10th. The crowd loved the action and continued their howling appreciation after the final bell.
The decision went to the scorecards. Although the Daily News scorecard had Beau the winner, winning seven rounds to Ruffin’s two rounds, and the Associated Press scorecard had the fight even at five rounds apiece, Referee Frankie Fullam and Judges Sam Robinson and Jim Gearns scored the contest in favor of Ruffin, seven rounds to three. In an astonishing upset, Ruffin outpointed Beau on the official scorecard to earn a unanimous decision.
After the verdict was announced, Ruffin ran over to the lone sportswriter who had picked him to win and threw kisses to him. Chick’s comment after the fight summed up the evening. “We won the toss, but that’s the only thing we won all day.”16 Talking to Jack Cuddy after the fight, Beau cited several reasons for his poor performance. First, his right knee injured in training and bandaged for the bout had prevented proper training for months. Evidently, Beau suffered a twisted tendon in his right knee during training. Second, he came in overweight at 140½ pounds, the heaviest of his career. Finally, he was rusty from the lack of competition.
Irrespective of his defeat, Beau’s title rematch with Bob Montgomery was still on go. Promoter Mike Jacobs explained that the title bout between Beau and Montgomery had been under contract for months and both fighters had posted $1,500 forfeits. Moreover, but for Montgomery’s postponements, Beau would not have fought Ruffin and suffered defeat.
Before resuming his training for his upcoming rematch with Bob Montgomery, Beau went home to Augusta for a couple of weeks. He needed to get mentally prepared for the title match. Beau also received treatments for his injured right knee. Ruffin had taken advantage of his injury and Beau wanted to be at his physical best for Montgomery.
1. Jack Cuddy, “Beau Jack Begins Training,” Republican and Herald, May 4, 1943, 8.
2. Ted Meier, “Up-Again-Down-Again Bob Montgomery Figures Body Attack Will Lead to Victory in Championship Battle,” Indianapolis Star, May 9, 1943, 41.
3. Jack Cuddy, “Montgomery Mauls Jack for Decision, Title,” Democrat and Chronicle, May 22, 1943, 15.
4. Ibid.
5. Haskel Cole, “‘Jack Easy to Hit’—Bob Says,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 29, 1943, 18.
6. “Beau’s Boss Is Hot Under Collar,” Cincinnati Enquirer, May 27, 1943, 17.
7. Arthur Daley, “Sports of the Times,” New York Times, November 19, 1943, 27.
8. Bill Westwick, “The Realm of Sport,” Ottawa Journal, May 7, 1943, 20.
9. “Boxing,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 24, 1943, 14.
10. Harold Parrott, “Jack’s Something New Added by Trainers,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, November 20, 1943, 6.
11. David Condon, “It Was a Much Too Quiet Farewell for Larry Amadee,” Chicago Tribune, October 14, 1978, 3.
12. Richard Calisch, “Don’t Smoke No Cigars; Don’t Get in No fights,” Chicago Tribune Magazine, November 13, 1977, 56–57.
13. Ibid.
14. “Beau Jack’s ‘Farm Fund’ Held in Trust,” Dothan Eagle, July 15, 1943, 10.
15. “Beau Jack Gambles in Bout with Ruffin,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 26, 1943, 25.
16. Hugh Fullerton, Jr., “Sports Roundup,” Freeport Journal-Standard, October 5, 1943, 7.