A week after his discharge from the Army, Jack was back training at Stillman’s Gym, firmly resolved to gain another crown. Beau, however, had to deal with the weight he gained while in the Army. He weighed 150 pounds, 15 pounds over his normal boxing weight. Should he enter the welterweight ranks or should he try to slim down and pursue another lightweight title? Ultimately, Beau decided to turn his attention to the welterweight title.
Jack’s trainer, Sid Bell, was pleased with Beau’s growth during his time in the service. “The Army,” Sid remarked, “did something for him. He’s more responsive and confident.”1 “Beau,” said Bell, “runs every morning and works out tirelessly. When he was on furlough from the Army he always headed to the gym to work out with the boys.”2 Bell also divulged that Beau had developed an authoritative, looping right-hand punch.
As usual, Chick Wergeles was on top of his game, plugging publicity for Beau as soon as he was discharged. Chick dramatically boasted “the Battler is back,” explaining that he called Beau the “Battler” because he was always battling when he was in the ring. “We ain’t afraid of anybody,” Wergeles asserted with the typical boasting of a fight manager. “We’ve always fought them all as they come and never asked any questions.”3 Chick was happy to have his “million dollar” prizefighter back.
Ecstatic to resume boxing, Beau pledged to box with the same high level of fervor that he had before he entered the Army. At twenty-four years of age and with a record of 52–9–3, Jack was ready to resume his boxing career. In his first contest, Mike Jacobs was exuberant to have his money-maker back as well. He scheduled Beau to battle the winner of the November 9 match between Tony Janiro and Johnny Greco. Greco defeated Janiro, winning two of their three consecutive bouts. Afterward, however, Greco announced that he would not fight again in 1945, due to tax issues with Canada and the United States.
Determined to have his “million dollar” boxer back in the ring producing fat gates as he had before entering the Army, Jacobs scrambled to find a new opponent. Jacobs completed his task quickly, signing Willie Joyce (1917–1996) to meet Jack at Madison Square Garden in a ten-round welterweight battle. Having not fought in over a year, Beau trained strenuously for six weeks to prepare for his upcoming bout. As training camp came to a close, Sid Bell assertively boasted Beau was ready to go and was up for the challenge with Joyce.
Contrary to Beau, Joyce was one of the busiest fighters of 1945, having fought fifteen contests. They weren’t pushover fights, either. Joyce defeated Morris Reif, Chalky Wright, Bobby Ruffin and Ike Williams (twice). From Gary, Indiana, 28-year-old Joyce sported an impressive record of 64–15–8. He was a formidable southpaw with a great jab and was in contention for a title fight with NBA champion Ike Williams.
Regardless of his ring rust, the bull-shouldered Georgia bootblack came into the December 14 contest as a two to one favorite over his adversary. Beau had dropped six pounds during training and weighed in at 144 pounds, 7½ pounds heavier than Joyce. Nonetheless, it was the heaviest Jack had tipped the scales in his career. Joyce weighed in at 137½ pounds and stood a half inch taller. Producing a gate of $70,071, 16,231 boisterous fans assembled to see Beau’s first post–Army match, expecting a thriller.
Happy to be back in Madison Square Garden’s ring and before the fans, Beau came out with reckless abandon at the opening bell, throwing leather from all directions. Joyce errantly tried to out-slug the “Dixie Dynamo” but to no avail. Beau, the aggressor throughout the fight, pounded a hook on Joyce’s forehead, knocking him into the ropes. Joyce wasn’t done yet. He came back to win the second round on points, effectively catching Beau as he rushed in with his left jab. Joyce again made the mistake of trying to brawl with Jack in the third round. Beau won the brawl, throwing his famous bolo punch and swinging from the hips with both fists, but Joyce did manage to open a gash above Beau’s right eye.
Joyce changed his strategy in the fourth and put on a boxing clinic. He landed two powerful right counters and persistently utilized Beau’s gashed right eye as target practice for his left jab while tenderizing Beau’s stomach with hard rights. At the end of the fifth, Willie caught Beau with another stiff right to the jaw. Jack retaliated in the eighth round, landing a hard left hook on Joyce’s chin, temporarily bashing him into a groggy daze. Immediately, Joyce began retreating to survive Beau’s blitzkrieg. Beau, however, was too tired to finish his man off. Joyce rallied in the ninth and then stormed through the tenth round, hammering a fatigued Beau. The aggressor throughout the contest, Beau landed the harder punches, but Joyce landed more often. Willie also did not receive the battle scars as Beau did. Jack’s face was puffed and he was bleeding from his forehead and mouth as the fight ended.
It was a challenging contest to score. When the scorecards were announced, Judges Jim Hagen and Frank Forbes each gave Beau seven rounds, and Joyce three. Referee Benny Leonard gave Jack seven, Joyce two, and called one round even. Beau won an easy unanimous decision. The animated crowd, on the other hand, enthralled by Joyce’s final two rounds, thought he should have been awarded the decision. Dissatisfied, they raucously booed the decision for over five minutes. Press scorecards underscored the closeness of the match. The United Press scored the fight even with each fighter winning four rounds and scoring two rounds even. James P. Dawson of the New York Times scored the fight eight rounds to two in favor of Jack.
While not pleased with the decision, Joyce developed a deep respect for Jack. After his painful loss, Willie proclaimed, “Beau Jack is the greatest distance fighter I ever saw. He is like an express train; keeps coming all the time and never gives one a second’s rest.”4 Joyce was not alone in his praise of Jack. Virtually every fighter that faced Beau Jack developed respect for him. A couple of weeks later, Beau would earn the respect of yet another opponent, Morris Reif.
Mike Jacobs scheduled his “million dollar fighter” to open the 1946 boxing season at Madison Square Garden. Southpaw Morris Reif (1923–2013), aka Isidor Reif, was Beau’s opponent on January 4, 1946. Reif, “Brownsville’s Blond Bomber,” was a Jewish slugger known for his punching power, knocking out 16 of his 24 opponents since leaving the Navy. His left hook was particularly destructive. In his last fight, Morris knocked Vic Costa out in the first round with a short left to the jaw and boasted a 42–8–1 record. Jack’s powerful adversary had a three-pound weight advantage, weighing 146½ pounds and stood at 5'7" tall.
Irrespective of Reif’s power, Beau entered the ring as a heavy favorite. Sportswriter Tommy Holmes of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle critically explained that although Reif was a “beautifully built welterweight who hits like a heavyweight,” he disappointingly moved around the ring like a slow heavyweight.5 Morris did not have the quick feet of a typical welterweight. The Garden’s “Golden Boy” fight produced a gate of $73,280 from the 14,871 pugilists who came to witness the action. The bout was also broadcast on Gillette’s Cavalcade of Sports, ABC, and WKIP.
“Georgia’s brown buzz-saw” was ready for the welterweight challenge. The competitors came out like wildcats raring to go. Morris looked good for the first minute, forcing the action with brutal left hooks to Beau’s body and head, but Reif made a fatal mistake. Morris landed a low blow, hurting Beau. Beau became infuriated. Before the end of the round, Beau exacted revenge, knocking Reif down with a right hook to his jaw. Reif jumped back up after a one-count and rallied in the first part of the second round, stopping Beau’s attack with left hooks to the ribs and liver. While Reif landed some respectable punches and hurt Beau with a savage left body hook, he lacked the enthusiasm to do any real harm. Every time Reif landed a meaningful blow, Jack came storming after him with every punch in his cache. Beau also ducked many of Reif’s notorious left hooks, making him miss repeatedly. Jack “battered and badgered” Reif through the first three rounds.
In the fourth, Beau checked Morris with an imposing right to the chin and then a fierce right to his abdomen. Unfortunately for Reif, he was not quick enough to counter Beau’s swarming attack. Not giving his man any rest, Beau followed up, banging his opponent with both fists, then throwing a grazing left hook to Reif’s temple and an explosive right to his solar plexus to knock Reif out two minutes and one second into the fourth round.
Commentators were critical of Reif after the fight. “Reif’s wallop and gameness just aren’t enough,” wrote Tommy Holmes, “when he is in there with a bit of class like Beau Jack.”6 Storied ring philosopher James Johnston summed it up well. “If Reif,” said Johnston, “writes down ‘boxer’ as his occupation in his income tax report, he is liable to Federal prosecution. If he is a boxer, I am a wooden Chinaman.”7 Reif just kept walking straight into Beau’s destructive force. Beau confessed afterward that he needed to knock Reif out quickly because he felt himself rapidly tiring.
Beau had now won both of his both of his post–Army bouts. No doubt, boxing fans were just as eager to see Jack in the ring after the Army as before. The combined attendance for his two matches was 31,102. Keeping “Uncle” Mike happy was the combined purses of $143,351.
Jack’s 23rd bout in Madison Square Garden was on February 8 in a highly anticipated match against the hard-hitting Montreal welterweight “Jolting” Johnny Greco (1923–1954). The muscular, dark-haired Canadian began boxing at age seven, had a professional record of 46–6–3, and had won seven of his last nine bouts. The main criticism mounted against Greco was that he had been inconsistent throughout his career, thus, reluctantly earning the nickname “the elevator.” As usual, both fighters trained for the bout at Stillman’s Gym. Before the ring battle, promoter Mike Jacobs sweetened the pot, announcing that the winner would get a potential match with welterweight titleholder Marty Servo. Scaling 142 pounds to 145½ for Greco, Beau was a three to one favorite.
Irrespective of his newly earned nickname, Greco was prepared. As the opening bell sounded, both men came out punching hard, hoping to score a knockout. Using a vicious body assault, Greco backed Beau up, cornering him against the ropes, where he unleashed flurries of punches. “Bouncing” Beau dished out his own style of punishment in the second with quick lefts and a series of uppercuts to Greco’s jaw, leaving the Canadian with blood oozing from his mouth. Striking constant hooks to the body and right hands to the head, Greco forced Beau to cover up in the third, as the two warriors battled back and forth on the ropes. Then Johnny slammed a thunderous right-hand punch to Beau’s midsection, forcing Beau to clutch. After finding his range in the fifth, Beau began setting Greco up, flicking his left jab and then reeling off bolo punches, pounding his head and bloodying his nose. Johnny’s bloody nose then became target practice for Jack’s jabs. Beau also earned the sixth round by landing his famous right-hand bolo punch to Greco’s chin. By the seventh round, it appeared that both fighters had run out of gas. The crowd even started booing as they yelled for more action. Nevertheless, Greco’s stronger physical strength and Beau’s superior physical condition made for a close fight. Mauling and pounding Beau with body shots, Greco managed to take the tenth round.
After ten rounds of action, the outcome went to the scorecards. Referee Rube Goldstein scored the fight five rounds for Jack, three rounds for Greco, and two even. Judge Frank Forbes called it five rounds for Greco, four rounds for Jack, and one even. Finally, Judge Marty Monroe saw the fight dead even at five rounds apiece. Announcer Harry Balogh announced the match a draw. It was the fourth draw for both fighters.
In his post-fight comments, a demoralized Greco claimed he injured his left hand in the third round. Beau, on the other hand, praised Greco’s ability and strength. “Ah always do mah best,” he said, “but Greco is a strong boy. Ah’m a good spoh’t and however the judges call it is all right with me. Ah only hope we can put up a good fight in a return match.”8 The rematch would not happen for several months.
It was a spectacular night for Mike Jacobs. Although the gate of $148,152 was a little less than he predicted, it was the third-highest gate in the Garden’s history, and a new indoor attendance record was set with 19,941 fistic fans cramming into the seats. Moreover, it was the highest gate for a non-heavyweight contest, with only two heavyweight bouts drawing a larger gate. It broke the previous record for non-heavyweights, set in Beau’s fight with Al “Bummy” Davis, which topped out at $132,823. Ringside seats went for $20 each. In less than three months since his return to boxing, Jack had attracted a total of 51,043 fans and a combined gate of $291,503. He was a box office phenomenon.
Beau’s fourth draw, however, raised concern on cauliflower row and in Beau’s camp. Given that Jack ran out of gas in the seventh round, apprehension was expressed about his endurance. Chick Wergeles bluntly stated: “He wasn’t quite right. He needs a rest.”9 Accordingly, the following day, Beau announced that he was going take a couple of months off to rest.
Back to Georgia went Beau. He would not fight again until the end of May, almost four months later, when he met Greco in a rematch. As usual, Jack and Bowman worked at the Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters Tournament held April 4-7. It was the first tournament following a three-year hiatus due to World War II. In a shocking upset, Herman Keiser won the Green Jacket by one shot over Ben Hogan.
Happily, Beau kept busy shining shoes and waiting on golfers at the clubhouse. Beau commented, “As long as I can get around on my feet, I’ll be right here. This is where I love to be.”10 Bowman estimated that Beau shined over “2,000 pairs of brogans” during the Masters Tournament, including the shoes of Lord Byron Nelson. The golfers were excited as well as they conversed with Augusta’s prizefighter. When he wasn’t being beckoned into service, Beau snuck in some practice chipping on the golf course.
In the clubhouse, Jack enthralled members with his boxing narratives. Sometimes, they gave Beau a little advice. One of those members was Gene Tunney, former world heavyweight champion (1926–1928). “I was shining Mr. Gene Tunney’s shoes last week and he told me something about my left jab.” Beau said proudly. “He told me to keep it shorter, not to reach out so far with it.”11
Before long Beau headed back north to prepare for his rematch with Johnny Greco, scheduled for May 31, 1946. Their previous bout had ended sluggishly, disappointing the fans. Maybe that was the reason the crowd of 11,407 was much smaller than predicted, producing a gate of only $66,922. Although “Money Bags” Jack was the favorite to take Greco all week, at fight time, he was an 11–10 underdog.
Similar to their last match, both fighters came out slugging. Greco opened the first round, charging across the ring at his foe and cornering Beau. Greco then hammered Beau against the ropes and attempted to take him down with a long right-hand punch. Astonishingly, Beau took everything “Jolting” Johnny threw at him. Once Greco subsided, Beau took over the reins, charging Greco and pounding him across the ring. With his windmill attack at full speed, Beau took the early rounds. However, by the fourth, Johnny’s punishing body punches slowed Jack down. Greco’s strategy seemed to be working, but Greco tired himself out and began to clutch. Jack punished the retreating Greco in the fifth and sixth with hard body shots.
The Montreal mauler had a better seventh when he was again able to reach Beau’s body. However, in the eighth, Jack hurt Greco with a hard left hook to the jaw. As the final bell rang, the fight went to the scorecards. Unlike their last bout, this fight produced a decisive winner. Beau earned a unanimous decision, winning eight of ten rounds and emerging as a serious contender for the welterweight crown.
As in his first meeting with Greco, Beau’s camp was again worried about his stamina. This marked the second fight that Beau waned midway through the contest. Many fistic commentators began to wonder whether Beau’s best days were behind him.
Irrespectively, Chick Wergeles continued his publicity blitz, touting Jack in the media. When it was announced that Sugar Ray Robinson had suffered a broken hand and could not fight in his scheduled welterweight title match with the champion Marty Servo, Chick advocated for Jack to be substituted for Robinson. “What a bout that would be,” exclaimed Chick. “It would have the fans jumping and howling their heads off. It would be gigantic, a natural. The boys are the same size—the same weight and the same height and everything. It would be the perfect match.”12 Of course, this would give Beau another title bout. However, the match between Robinson and Servo was rescheduled for August 1 and Chick’s request was denied.
Next, Beau entered the ring at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C., to earn a decisive decision against a previous adversary. He met welterweight Sammy Angott for the second time on July 8, 1946. Angott was thirty-one years old and returning from his third loss to Sugar Ray Robinson. Both men weighed in at 145 pounds. Since their last meeting, Beau was 7–1–1, while Sammy was 5–5–1. A year and a half earlier, the two boxers fought to a draw. The outcome this time would be different. Beau gave Angott a brutal whipping.
Beau established the tone of the fight, whacking Angott with flurries of punches that sent the former lightweight champion to the canvas in the second and third rounds. The only bright spot for Angott was in the fourth round when he thumped Beau through the ropes. Beau jumped back in so quickly, however, no count was given. Having suffered repeated punishment from Beau’s right hand, Angott quickly tired and was booed by the crowd for clinging on to and clutching Beau in the sixth. Not to be deterred, Jack threw several dozen looping rights, plastering Angott. Angott’s only reaction was to complain that Beau hit him with kidney punches, but his appeal was to no avail. Moreover, similar to their first fight, Angott claimed he had suffered a hip injury from Beau’s low punches. Angott refused to answer the bell for the seventh round. “My hip and leg feel paralyzed,” argued Angott.13 It was the first time in Angott’s storied career that he was unable to finish a fight. Beau, on the other hand, scored his second KO since being discharged from the Army.
Sammy Angott rushes Beau Jack through the ropes in the first round at Griffith Stadium, July 8, 1946. The referee is Marty Gallagher (ACME Telephoto).
The crowd of 10,353 produced a gate of $41,028. Due to Angott’s failure to come out in the seventh round, asserting hip and back injuries, the District of Columbia Boxing Commission initiated an investigation and held up Angott’s purse, pending x-rays. The next day, however, the Commission released Angott’s purse of $6,987.39. For his efforts, Beau received $10,869.28.
Abravaya the “Miracle Man”
Unbeknownst to many, Beau was still having trouble with his right knee. That is until he met Asher Abravaya, the fighters’ “Miracle Man.” Asher was knowledgeable in physiotherapy and had mended numerous “dislocated digits, sprained hands, twisted knees, turned ankles charley horses and various other ailments that beset fighters in training or battle.”14
Jake LaMotta was one of Abravaya’s previous success stories. Following an injury to his right hand, LaMotta, a number one middleweight contender, suffered persistent pain from even light punches. He kept his injury concealed but had visited doctors and chiropractors without success. After a seven-minute session with Asher, Jake astonishingly said his hand felt brand new. Asher worked with numerous other boxers at Bobby Gleason’s gym in the Bronx, “healing” such boxers as Sugar Ray Robinson and Eddie “Red” Cameron. Interestingly, Bobby Gleason’s real name was Peter Gagliardi, but he changed his name to appeal to Irish boxers and fans.
Beau needed Asher’s magic touch. After suffering through undisclosed pain in his right leg for over a year, Beau decided to seek help from the “Miracle Man,” meeting him at Gleason’s gym. Similar to LaMotta, Jack had not found adequate relief from doctors. “For more than a year, I couldn’t put all my weight on my right leg,” disclosed Beau. “I didn’t dare let anyone know but this was worrying me plenty. Doctors couldn’t seem to help. One day that skinny Turk went to work on my leg and it hasn’t bothered me since.”15 Following Abravaya’s treatment, Beau pronounced his leg was fully healed. Beau’s right knee, however, would cause him more trouble shortly.
In July, fight promoter Goldie Ahearn offered Beau a $15,000 guarantee to tangle with Bronx welterweight Danny Kapilow (1921–2010). Kapilow, a tough southpaw boxer, came in with an impressive 46–6–6 record. Although he lost his previous fight against Willie Joyce, it was a contentious outcome. The Associated Press actually scored Kapilow the victor, six rounds to four rounds. The offer was accepted, and the ten-round bout scheduled for Tuesday, August 19 at Griffith Stadium. Jack returned to Washington, D.C. for his second consecutive bout. Danny had a two-inch height advantage and weighed 145 pounds to Jack’s 143¾ pounds.
A severe rainstorm accompanied by damaging wind arrived on Monday night before the fight. The weather was so terrible in the region, baseball games in Boston and New York were canceled. Nonetheless, the Kapilow bout went forward. Even though the inclement weather limited the crowd, 10,000 rain-drenched fans braved the weather to witness the clash.
After the fighters received the referee’s instructions and touched gloves, Beau bounced out of his corner ready to battle. Aggressively and consistently, he scored his bolo punch, knocking the curly haired Kapilow down for a no count at the end of the sixth round. Beau controlled the action throughout the contest and bloodied Kapilow after opening a gash above his left eye. Jack emerged from the rain-soaked stadium with a unanimous decision.
Jack was moving up in the welterweight division, having won five of his six bouts. On top of the division sat Marty Servo, who rose to the top on February 1, 1946, by knocking out Freddie “Red” Cochrane. Unfortunately, Servo’s title was taken away from him when he refused to defend his title against Sugar Ray Robinson. In Servo’s last fight, a nontitle bout, Rocky Graziano knocked him out after battering Servo senseless. Marty Servo subsequently retired, vacating the welterweight title.
To fill the vacant title, the NYSAC requested two of the top welterweight contenders, Tippy Larkin or Beau Jack, to meet Walker Smith, Jr., aka Sugar Ray Robinson (1921–1989) in a title bout. Hailing from Vidalia, Georgia, the 5'11" Robinson boasted a 51–1–0 record, having beaten opposition such as Sammy Angott, Fritzie Zivic, Henry Armstrong, Jake LaMotta, and California Jackie Wilson. On September 26, the NYSAC wired Beau’s manager Chick Wergeles and Tippy Larkin’s manager to be ready to accept terms to battle Robinson within twenty-four hours. Commission Chairman Eddie Eagan told the managers that the Commission would award the vacant title to Robinson without a fight if neither one of them took the fight. “Failure on your part” to accept the match, Eagan told the managers, would lead the Commission to “take appropriate action by bestowing the championship on Robinson.”16
Notwithstanding his eagerness to compete for another title, Jack refused to take the fight. As Chick explained in a statement to the Commission, Beau was not primed for such a battle. “After all, Jack has had a very limited experience as a welterweight,” stated Wergeles. “He needs a few more bouts under his be[l]t in this class before he challenges Ray Robinson, who is conceded by all to be the top man in the welterweight division.”17 Instead, Chick, on behalf of Beau, requested Robinson be crowned as the champion of the vacant weight class. “Robinson long has been denied what really belongs to him,” stated Chick, “and should be awarded the title without any further argument.”18 Tippy Larkin, the junior welterweight king, also turned down the fight. Eventually, the Commission found a taker in Tommy Bell, also managed by Chick Wergeles. Robinson defeated Bell on December 20 to become the new welterweight king.
Beau was back in the ring on October 22, 1946, at the Armory in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he faced 22-year-old Buster Tyler, a virtually unknown fighter. Buster was born in Miami, Florida, but called Atlanta, Georgia, home. He had a record of 27–8–0 but had lost two of his last four fights. Beau was a five to one favorite and considered a leading contender for a shot at the welterweight title. A crowd of 3,100 assembled at the Armory to witness the fight, producing a gate of $7,600. It was the smallest crowd for a Beau Jack fight since he won his first title.
In the first session of the ten-round bout, it appeared both contestants were eager to brawl. However, with seconds left in the round, Beau connected with a right-hand bolo punch, sending Tyler spinning through the ropes. The bell tolled, ending the round before the count of three. Saved by the bell, Tyler was carried to his corner, where Pete Reilly, a second in his corner, administered oxygen to him from his portable oxygen tank. Revived, Tyler won the next five rounds with masterful boxing. Beau managed to put him down for a no count in the second round, but Tyler relied on speed and resourcefulness and won the round. He was simply out-boxing Beau.
Jack got back on track in the seventh round, and in the eighth, he smacked Tyler with a bolo punch, flooring him for a nine count. Clinching and holding, Tyler weathered the storm. Buster came back to win the ninth round and hold Jack even in the tenth. By the conclusion of the fight, Beau’s left eye was virtually reduced to a slit due to swelling inflicted by Tyler’s tenacious and effective right jabs.
Referee Paul Cavalier scored the fight five rounds for Tyler, three for Jack and two even. Beau was simply out-boxed and couldn’t handle Buster’s astonishing speed. In a huge upset, Tyler became a leading welterweight contender overnight. Following the fight, Tyler’s manager Sammy Aaronson admitted, “Under old methods without the oxygen, Tyler couldn’t have answered the next bell” for the second round.19
Although the fans and commentators were pleased with the decision, Chick Wergeles was irate. The next morning, he appealed to the New Jersey State Boxing Commission, requesting that they suspend referee Paul Cavalier for incompetence and implored them to reverse the decision. The appeal was turned down.
Beau was visibly upset and anxious to overcome his distressing defeat. His next opponent, Johnny Bratton of Chicago, appeared to be a good victim. The bout was scheduled for November 15 at Chicago Stadium. It was Beau’s first match in Chicago. Opened in 1929 at the cost of $7 million, Chicago Stadium was the largest indoor arena in the world with seating for 25,000 spectators. It had already hosted three Democratic National Conventions and two Republican National Conventions. Chicago Stadium was also the site of the first NFL playoff game between the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans.
Nineteen-year-old Bratton had secured the right to fight Beau by pulling off a major lightweight upset over Willie Joyce. However, Bratton hurt his right hand during the furious action in the third round of his bout with Joyce on October 31. Doctors expected Bratton to be out of action for at least a month. Thus, Willie Joyce, who lost the split decision to Bratton, was designated as Beau’s opponent for the November 15 bout. Less than a year earlier, Beau had boxed his way to a unanimous decision over Joyce.
Beau arrived in Chicago on Monday, November 11 to begin preparations for the fight. Instead of getting off of the train at Union Station where reporters and photographers were eagerly waiting for him, Beau decided to dodge the press. He departed at Englewood Station, checked into his hotel, and went to the movies. Addressing the angry crowd at Union Station, Chick Wergeles simply said, “Get all the pictures of him you want tomorrow in Ringside loop gymnasium.”20
Both combatants completed their preparations and sparring at Ringside Loop gymnasium. Jack looked impressive and was in excellent physical condition. His speed made Joyce look slow. Johnny Bratton, Beau’s original opponent, sat in on one of Beau’s sparring matches and expressed no respect for the former Georgia bootblack. “He’s flatfooted and too wild. Joyce will hit him and any one Joyce can hit he will beat.”21
The next day, as Beau engaged in his last sparring session with Gene Buffalo before the fight, Jack bounced off the ring ropes, twisting his left knee. His knee buckled, and he slipped and fell. The pain was so excruciating Beau had to be carried from the ring. Following x-rays of his knee, Dr. Mitchell Corbitt, the physician for Chicago Stadium, proclaimed that Beau had fractured his left kneecap. The injury would prove to be a pivotal point in Beau’s career.
Beau was flown to New York, where he was admitted to Norwalk Hospital on November 15. Norwalk physician Dr. Ralph Padula was called on to perform the surgery. Twelve days later, as Beau was being discharged from the hospital, Dr. Padula announced that the operation had been “extremely successful” due to a new treatment he utilized, eliminating the necessity of using wiring. “Beau Jack,” stated Dr. Padula, “should be able to resume training in January.”22 Beau went home to Augusta to rest. Beau’s upcoming fight with Tony Janiro scheduled for January 3, 1947, was also postponed.
1. “‘Beau Is Back’ by Pap,” Argus-Leader, December 17, 1945, 3.
2. Ibid.
3. Oscar Fraley, “Beau Jack Gains Weight and His Boss Loses Some Worrying About It,” Dunkirk Evening Observer, January 2, 1946, 10.
4. “Bob Montgomery Favors Beau Jack as New Champion,” Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News, July 8, 1948, 23.
5. Tommy Holmes, “Beau Jack Figures but Could Be Hit,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 3, 1943, 13.
6. Tommy Holmes, “Scatter Shot at the Sports Scene,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 7, 1946, 13.
7. Ibid.
8. Tommy Holmes, “Garden Fight Good—But Not for $20,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 9, 1946, 6.
9. “Beau Jack to Rest Before Next Battle,” Augusta Chronicle, February 10, 1946, B3.
10. “Nations Top Golfers Set for Opening in Augusta,” Florence Morning News, April 4, 1946, 5.
11. Ibid.
12. Whitney Martin, “Sports Trail,” Daily Press, July 2, 1946, 10.
13. “Angott Paid Off for Beau Jack Bout” Harrisburg Telegraph, July 10, 1946, 15.
14. Ned Mills, “Bonesetter Fixes Lamotta’s Hand and Beau Jack’s Leg to Be Miracle Man of Fighters,” News Herald, August 1, 1946, 14.
15. Ibid.
16. “Beau Jack, Tippy Larkin Told to Fight Robinson,” Morning News, September 27, 1946, 35.
17. “Jack Spurns Bout, Says Robinson Rightful Champ,” Post-Standard, September 28, 1946, 10.
18. Ibid.
19. “Reilly’s Oxygen for Tyler Gives Beau Jack the Air,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 23, 1946, 19.
20. “Newsmen Fume as Beau Jack Goes to Movie,” Chicago Tribune, November 12, 1946, 26.
21. Frank Mastro, “Beau Jack Jars Spar Mates in 4 Round Drill,” Chicago Tribune, November 13, 1946, 34.
22. “Beau Jack’s Knee Operation Success,” Dunkirk Evening Observer, November 27, 1946, 11.