By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

A fighter than has been lost in the shuffle in boxing has to be top welterweight contender Chuck Davey.

An amazing boxing master who was a four-time NCAA champion at Michigan State, he completed an amateur career of 93 victories in 94 fights.

Born October 1, 1925 in Detroit, he was a southpaw that won 45 of 50 fights in his professional career from 1949 through 1955. He was 16-0 in 1951 with 10 knockouts and was ranked the #1 welterweight contender.

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By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

Irish-American Paddy Duffy was the first world welterweight champion.  He was born in Boston on November 12, 1864, just six years after the birth of  another great Irish-American, heavyweight champion, John L. Sullivan.

Duffy started his career in 1884 at the age of nineteen, with a knockout win over Skin Doherty.  He would go on to win his first four bouts before fighting three straight six-round draws with Paddy Sullivan. In that same year, he would lose his only professional fight, a second round knockout set back to Jack C. McGee on December 19, 1884.  In 1885 he had only two fights, both knockout victories and both in Boston.

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By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

I can’t recall any Australian boxer, other than Jeff Fenech, Kostya Tszyu, and Johnny Famechon, that captured the hearts of people Down Under as did Les Darcy; he was the first.

Born in Woodville, New South Wales, on October 31, 1895, he began his boxing career as an amateur at the young age of fifteen. A year later, in 1910, he began a outstanding professional career.

He won his first sixteen fights before challenging a seasoned veteran, Bob Whitelaw, for the Australian welterweight title in 1913.  Darcy lost a twenty-round decision but, in a rematch the following year, he knocked out Whitelaw in five rounds.

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By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

Television has brought many fights into our homes over the past 70 years, and the number of those bouts is impressive.

Here’s a look at the first world championship fights to be televised in each of the eight major weight divisions back when most of us weren’t even born … now that is amazing!

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By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

Young Corbett III was born Rafelle Capabianca Giordano in the Province of Protenza near Naples, Italy on May 27, 1905. His family emigrated to the United States when Corbett was only a couple of months old, settling in the Pittsburg area.

In 1909 the family moved to Fresno, California and that is where Corbett grew up. As a kid he attended local schools, sold newspapers and shined shoes.

At a young age he took up boxing at a local gym under the guidance of Buzz Martin, a professional boxer.

In the Fall of 1919 at the age of 14 and weighing 90 pounds, Corbett made his professional debut.  After his first five bouts he had a disappointing ring record of 1 win, 2 losses, and 2 draws, with one bout ending in a 4th round knockout loss. This did not discourage Corbett who fought as a southpaw. He fought almost on a monthly basis for the next 13 years, a total of over a 100 fights, against mostly average fighters with the most notable being Filipino great Ceferino Garcia whom he beat twice, both by 10 round decision.

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By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

The memory of a fighter that has disappeared in the boxing minds of today is that of George Chaney.

A fine record of eighty-six knockouts in a sixteen year career was an outstanding feat in itself, giving him the nickname “KO”.

Chaney was born in 1893, in Baltimore, Maryland of Irish decent. In his career he weighted 118 to 135 pounds and fought in the bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight divisions. He stood 5 feet, one-and-half    inches, his professional career started in 1910 and ended 1925.

His southpaw style was as good as any boxer, which included hard hitting from either hand.

He fought the best that were around in his day which included Charley Goldman, Billy Herman, Al Delmont, Phil McGovern, Kid Williams, Young Britt, Johnny Dundee, John Kilbane, Rocky Kansas, Abe Attell, Lew Tendler, Philadelphia Pal Moore, Willie Ritchie, Danny Kramer just to name a few.

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By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

There is a boxer that nobody ever talks about these days. A boxer who seems to have been lost in the fog of time, but whom I rate as one of the finest to ever come out of Chicago! His name is Jimmy Barry. He was known as “Little Tiger” and this 5-feet-2 Irish kid was as good as they come.

Born on March 7, 1870 he started his professional boxing career in 1891, winning 27 straight without a loss, with 18 of those wins coming by knockout.  On December 5, 1893 he knocked out Jack Levy in 17 rounds to win the “100 pound Championship of America”.

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By David Martinez / dmboxing.com

When people ask me “who was the toughest and roughest boxer never to win a championship”, although I can think of many, my first response is Owen Moran.

Born in Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom on October 4, 1884, he was one of England’s finest that fought as a flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight. His nickname was “The Fearless”.

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