Theboxing Biographies Newsletter Volume 4- No 13 20 June , 2009
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
1 TheBoxing Biographies Newsletter Volume 4- No 13 20 June , 2009 www.boxingbiographies.com If you wish to sign up for the newsletters ( which includes the images ) please email the message “NEWS LETTER” [email protected] The newsletter is also available as a word doc on request As always the full versions of these articles are on the website Harlem Tommy Murphy Name: Harlem Tommy Murphy Career Record: click Alias: Harlem Nationality: US American Birthplace: New York, NY Hometown: New York, New York, USA Born: 1885-04-13 Died: 1958-11-26 Age at Death: 73 Stance: Orthodox Height: 5' 5½″ Manager: Johnny Oliver Manager: Charles Joseph Murphy, his brother Harlem Tommy Murphy was champion near- champion of boxing. Too heavy for the featherweight class and too light for the lightweights. Murphy developed into the toughest work-horse in both classes. Champions steered clear of him until they lost their titles, Willie Ritchie being the only one to give Harlem Tommy a crack at his crown. But the chance came too late. Murphy was in the yellow of his fighting days when he battled Ritchie for the lightweight championship, April 17, 1914, in San Francisco, and lost in 20 hard- fought rounds. 2 Murphy fought only once more after that, then hung up his gloves ending a checkered career of 12 years of hectic battling. Some ex-champions who felt the thud of Murphy's jarring fists were George Dixon, Young, Corbett, Abe Attell and Ad Wolgast. ATTELL FIGHT TOUGHEST Attell met Murphy twice while still champion, but in ten round no decision affairs. After Abe was shorn of his crown, he fought two 20-ronndcrs with Murphy, losing one, the second ending in a draw, the goriest fight in ring history. This, he says, was his toughest fight. Grueling was the word for most of Tommy Murphy’s contests and Lady Luck always looked the other way when it came to the breaks. Murphy just missed winning the lightweight championship from Ad Wolgast, Willie Ritchie beating him to it. Wolgast was to fight them both, chose Ritchie first and lost on a foul. So Murphy's immediately succeeding draw and triumph over Ad in 20 rounds each meant nothing so far as titular honors were concerned. TERRY SCORES KNOCKOUT After he knocked out George Dixon in two rounds in Philadelphia, Sept. 20. 1905, Murphy was matched to fight Terry McGovern there four weeks later. The club was packed to overflowing when the men entered the ring. Hundreds were turned away. Murphy outclassed McGovern in the first minute, knocking Terry down twice with clean shots to the chin. The last time Terry got up and parked a wild haymaker on Tommy's lantern jaw and it was all over. Lady Luck had again frowned on the Harp from Harlem. Thomas Emmett Francis Murphy, 5ft 5 ½ , blue-eyed, brown haired and lantern-jawed, was born in Harlem section of New York, April; 13,1885, of Irish American parents. Today Harlem Tommy Murphy is a successful insurance agent in Brooklyn, teaches boxing to trainees at Fordham and New York universities. He learned from bitter experience that it's a fine thing to have something laid by for a rainy day. 4th August 1912 Once Again Murphy Get Worst Of Decision Harlem Tommy Had Abe Attell All In, Out and Down, but Jim Griffin Couldn’t See It That Way. FOR the second time in six months Harlem Tommy Murphy showed that he was the master of Abie Attell over at Coffroth's Eighth street arena yesterday afternoon after he had waded through twenty fierce rounds with the one-time featherweight champion. "The Honorable Jim Griffin" (so introduced by Billy Jordan, but we know not why) raised both his hands in the air at the end of the twentieth round, which was to signify that he thought the contest an even thing. 3 The Honorable Jim might have thought that the contest was a draw, but there were few in the house that thought with him. Of course the clique that made Attell a ten to six shot had a long belch coming that Abie was the winner, but the fair minded fan that wanted the best man to win could not have seen anybody "but Tommy Murphy the winner. Tommy Murphy fought Able Attel at his own game and beat him. In the in fighting Tommy was best. At long- range he was best and he landed the beat and cleanest blows. Able was a real general and had great skill and a keen knowledge of the fighting game. Murphy was aggressive andhad the true fighting spirit, all of which offset the talent of Attell. Murphy, too, fought 'a clean, stand-up. square fight. He did not resort to foul tactics as did Attell in many of the rounds. From his corner came no rants or belching at those spectators that were pulling for Abie, as happened in the other corner. Of course, what the seconds and spectators did had no bearing on the fight.only the difference is worth the mentioning. Then Able showed the un-sportsmanship in the twentieth round when he backed Murphy to the ropes and held him there. He did this by reaching his arm over Murphy's body and grasping the rope with his hand. All the time he rained blow after blow with the right hand into the body of Murphy and all the while Griffin was pulling that hand loose. TAKE NO CREDIT FROM ABE. Because others who were there only to see fight and with desire that the best man win didn't agree with the Honorable Jim and the fellows that failed to cash, It don't mean that Abie didn't do well. He did do well. Abie Attell is still a grand little miller and there are many, many aspirants for fame and glory in the roped arena that had best stay away from Attell. He hasn't the old time dash and vim that made him the conqueror of them all, but he is still game and tricky and his countering, blocking, side stepping and ducking of Murphy's blows was a revelation to the fans. Attell has not shot his bolt nor is he a member of the Down and Out Club. But he isn't a contender with Murphy if yesterday's fight is a judge, for Tommy Murphy trimmed Abie just about as easy as he did last March and he trimmed him just as easy as he did "One Round Hogan”, even if it was one of those famous decisions that sometimes crop up in a pugilistic contest. 4 ATTEL STARTED WELL. With the clang of the bell Abe started well and right away began ripping in body punches as well us a few that landed hard and flush on the face and head. Perhaps a minute had gone when a little fleck of red showed on the white lips of the Harlemite. While the men were running around a buzz was in the air of the appearances of Abe and Tummy. The Harp looked long and angular with muscles taunt, while the Hebrew showed that he had tried well to be fit and it was that fitness that saved his goose. Around the ring went the two men. Sometimes Murphy landed and sometimes Abe, but with little or no damage. Abe, though, was worrying Tommy and had the best of the two rounds. Then came the third and the turn of the tide and from then on with an exception here and there it was all Murphy and a yard wide. He ripped and tore at Abe and soon had Attell’s face like the raw beef steak the scribes pen about, while a steady stream of blood flowed from Abe's mouth that Spider Kelly and Ben Smith could not stop. Murphy never stopped in his efforts to punish Abe. In the infighting he did most of the damage and each time the bell rang Abe smiled a smile of relief and hobbled to his trainers. MURPHY IS STEADIEST. Harlem Tommy maintained a steady pace at all times while Abe cut loose in flashes and they were weak flashes at that. Blows that Abe landed on the body and which caused lots of the fans to think were hurting were too quickly spent to do damage and then Murphy didn't take them flush, but from a distance. Now and again it locked as if that left hook was damaging but it really did nothing to jar Tommy except in the eighth and again in the fourteenth. As we looked at Abe and remembered the Abe of old and the time he had spent in training for this match, it is evident that the old warrior is on the down grade. His blows went home time and again and prettily he landed them, but the steam, the good old steam, was at low gage. MURPHY HAD A BAD HAND. Coming back from the fight Murphy showed us his left hand and then he showed us why he hadn't boxed so much and so often at White's place in training with it. The member was swollen, 5 badly swollen. Not a fresh swelling, but one that had been there for three or four or more days. That was why that left hand wasn't used as effectively as before and Abe should be glad of that, else he would have been licked even worse than he was. It was a great big crowd, a far better crowd than the promoters thought, that witnessed the mill and they went away in a measure satisfied with the show.