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The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia -- Title Claimant

William "Gorilla" Jones

BORN   May 12 1906; Memphis, Tennessee (Some sources report May 4 1910)
DIED.. January 4 1982; Los Angeles, California
HEIGHT 5-9 (Some sources report 5-6)
WEIGHT 147-160 lbs
MANAGER Stephen "Suey" Welsh

Jones was a talented boxer who was clever and quick and used a good jab accompanied by stiff punches; Freddie Steele once said that Jones was the "cleverest fighter I ever fought"; He was never knocked out and during his career, he won the NBA Middleweight Championship of the World

The "Gorilla" defeated such men as Tommy Freeman, Hamilton "Ham" Jenkins, George Nichols, Bucky Lawless, Wesley "K.O." Ketchell, Frank Rowsey, Pal Silvers, Arturo Schaekels, Jack McVey, Izzy Grove, Oddone Piazza, Tiger Thomas, Meyer Grace, Al Mello, Clyde Chastain, Henry Firpo, Paul Pirrone, Young Terry, Sammy Slaguther, Young Stuhley, Frankie Hughes, Tait Littman, Eddie Murdock, Johnny "Bandit" Romero, Pete Meyers, "Young" Johnny Burns, Fred "Dummy" Mahan, Jack Sparr, Nick Testo and Billy Angelo

1924
Nov 17 Sam Bruce                  Memphis, Tn                         L  8

1927
May  3 K.O. Kelly                 Akron, Oh                          ND 10
May 27 K.O. Kelly                 Akron, Oh                          ND 10
Dec  7 Jeff Baulknight            Cleveland, Oh                       W  6

1928
Jan  2 George Moore               Akron, Oh                          KO  5
          -Some sources report 1/27/28
Jan 26 Young Saylor               Marietta, Oh                       ND 10
          -Some sources report 5/17/28
Feb  6 Arvin Spence               Cleveland, Oh                      KO  1
          -Some sources report 5/04/28
Feb 20 Joe Feldman                Cleveland, Oh                      KO  1
          -Some sources report 4/10/28
Feb 23 Black Fitzsimmons          Barberton, Oh                      KO  3
Mar  1 Sailor Maxwell             Canton, Oh                         KO  4
Mar 16 Allen Beatty               Akron, Oh                          ND  6
          -Some sources report "KO 10" on 5/29/28 at McKeesport, Pa
Mar 28 K.O. Kelly                 Akron, Oh                           W 10
          -Some sources report 3/29/28
Apr  9 Ben Spively                Marietta, Oh                       KO  4
          -Some sources report 4/27/28
Apr 12 Buck McMillan              Canton, Oh                         TK  2
Apr 26 Harry Williams             Akron, Oh                          TK  4
          -Some sources report "KO 3" vs "Jim Williams" on 7/18/28
May  7 Mickey Fedor               Akron, Oh                          TK  7
          -Some sources report "KO 5" on 6/18/28
May 14 "Lowell" Bobby Brown       Cleveland, Oh                       L  8
          -Some sources report "L 10" on 6/01/28
Jun 26 Billy Alger                Akron, Oh                          ND 10
          -Some sources report "W 10" on 8/14/28
Jul 13 "Lowell" Bobby Brown       Cleveland, Oh                      TK  2
          -Some sources report "KO 3" on 7/25/28
Jul 17 "Sergeant" Sammy Baker     Cleveland, Oh                      ND 10
          -Some sources report 8/29/28
Aug 15 Tommy Freeman              Cleveland, Oh                       W 10
          -Some sources report "ND 10" on 9/13/28
Sep 18 Bobby LaSalle              Cleveland, Oh                      ND 10
          -Some sources report "W 10"
Oct  2 Billy Leonard              Akron, Oh                          KO  1
          -Some sources report 10/05/28
Oct 11 Walter "Heavy" Andrews     Erie, Pa                            W 10
          -Some sources report 10/12/28
Oct 19 Bucky Lawless              Erie, Pa                            W 10
          -Some sources report "ND 10"
Oct 25 Bucky Lawless              Erie, Pa                            W 10
Nov  2 Jimmy Finley               Akron, Oh                          ND 10
          -Some sources report "W 10"
Nov 16 Pal Silvers                New York, NY                        W  8
Dec 28 Tony Viccarelli            New York, NY                        D 10

1929
Jan  8 Arturo Schaekels           Cleveland, Oh                      KO  1
Jan 14 Arturo Schaekels           Buffalo, NY                         W 10
Feb 15 Jack Murphy                Erie, Pa                           KO  4
Feb 18 Bucky Lawless              Buffalo, NY                         L 10
Feb 25 Nick Testo                 Holyoke, Ma                        LF  5
Mar 11 Joe Zelinsky               Springfield, Ma                    KO  1
Apr  2 George Fifield             Akron, Oh                          KO  1
Apr  9 Tommy Freeman              Cleveland, Oh                       D 12
May  3 Al Mello                   New York, NY                        W 10
May 17 Izzy Grove                 New York, NY                       TK  6
Jun  3 Al Mello                   Boston, Ma                         TK  6
Jun 14 Jack Palmer                Chicago, Il                        KO  5
Jun 25 Jack McVey                 Boston, Ma                          W 10
Jul 16 Bucky Lawless              Cleveland, Oh                       L 12
Aug  1 Battling Groves            Memphis, Tn                        KO  3
Aug 12 Pete Myers                 San Francisco, Ca                  KO  5
Aug 20 Fred "Dummy" Mahan         Los Angeles, Ca                    KO  6
Oct  9 Jack Horner                Akron, Oh                          KO  2
Oct 21 Jackie Fields              San Francisco, Ca                   L 10
Nov  8 Jack Sparr                 San Diego, Ca                       W 10
          -Some sources report "KO 4"
Dec  4 Nick Testo                 Akron, Oh                          KO  6
Dec 13 Jackie Fields              Boston, Ma                         NC  7

1930
Jan  1 Billy Angelo               Philadelphia, Pa                    W 10
Jan 17 Floyd Hybert               Holyoke, Ma                        TK  3
Jan 27 Izzy Grove                 New York, NY                       KO  7
          -Some sources report "KO 6"
Feb  7 Eddie "K.O." Roberts       San Francisco, Ca                   D 10
Feb 14 Wesley "K.O." Ketchell     San Francisco, Ca                   W 10
Mar 14 Meyer Grace                Akron, Oh                          TK  3
          -Some sources report "KO 4"
Mar 17 Jock Malone                St. Paul, Mn                       ND 10
Apr 14 Gene Cardi                 Wheeling, WV                       TK  7
Apr 22 Roy "Tiger" Williams       Dayton, Oh                          L 12
May 12 Bucky Lawless              Holyoke, Ma                         L 10
May 26 Vincent Forgione           Pittsburgh, Pa                      W 10
Jun  2 Henry Goldberg             West Springfield, Ma                W 10
Jun 25 Vincent Forgione           Cleveland, Oh                       W 10
Jul 18 Bucky Lawless              San Francisco, Ca                  KO  9
Aug  8 Manuel Quintero            San Francisco, Ca                   D 10
Aug 15 Hamilton "Ham" Jenkins     Denver, Co                          W 10
Sep  4 Harry Smith                Long Island City, NY               NC  9
Sep 15 "Cowboy" Jack Willis       Canton, Oh                          W 10
Oct 23 Harry Smith                New York, NY                        L 10
Nov 10 Meyer "Abe" Lichtenstein   Rochester, NY                       W 10
Nov 28 Jackie Brady               Erie, Pa                            L 10
Dec 26 Clyde Chastain             Akron, Oh                          KO  4

1931
Jan 13 "Young" Johnny Burns       Oakland, Ca                        TK  7
Jan 23 Chick Devlin               San Francisco, Ca                   D 10
          -Some sources report 1/28/31
Jan 30 Mike Hector                Stockton, Ca                        W 10
Feb  6 Frank Rowsey               San Francisco, Ca                  TK  8
Feb 17 Herman Ratzlaff            Portland, Or                        W 10
Mar 11 Buddy Gorman               Oakland, Ca                         W 10
Apr 14 Paul Pirrone               Cleveland, Oh                       W 10
Apr 28 Hamilton "Ham" Jenkins     Kansas City, Mo                    ND 10
          -Some sources report "W 10"
May 25 Bucky Lawless              Chicago, Il                         L 10
Aug 25 Tiger Thomas               Milwaukee, Wi                       W 10
Sep 17 Clyde Chastain             Milwaukee, Wi                      TK  6
Oct 21 Johnny Roberts             Akron, Oh                          KO  3
Nov  3 George Nichols             Milwaukee, Wi                       W 10
Nov 19 Frankie O'Brien            Milwaukee, Wi                       W 10
Dec 11 Henry Firpo                Milwaukee, Wi                       W 10

1932
Jan 25 Oddone Piazza              Milwaukee, Wi                      TK  6
         -NBA Middleweight Championship of the World
Mar 14 Frankie O'Brien            Holyoke, Ma                        LF  8
Mar 31 Chuck Burns                Akron, Oh                          KO  3
Apr  7 Bud Saltis                 Green Bay, Wi                       W 10
Apr 26 Young Terry                Trenton, NJ                         W 12
         -NBA Middleweight Championship of the World
Jun 11 Marcel Thil                Paris, Fr                          LF 11
         -NBA Middleweight Championship of the World;
          IBU Middleweight Championship of the World
Aug  9 Jack December              Cleveland, Oh                      KO  2
Aug 29 Kid Leonard                Davenport, Ia                      ND 10
          -Some sources report "W 10"
Oct  3 Johnny Peppe               Atlantic City, NJ                   W  8
Nov 24 Jackie Purvis              Akron, Oh                          KO  3
Dec  1 Willie Oster               Davenport, Ia                       W 10
Dec 26 Tommy Freeman              Pittsburgh, Pa                      D 10

1933
Jan 13 Hayden "Young" Stuhley     Clinton, Ia                        KO  4
Jan 30 Sammy "Kid" Slaughter      Cleveland, Oh                      KO  7
          -NBA Middleweight Championship of America
Feb 21 Rosy "Kid" Baker           Indianapolis, In                    W 10
Feb 28 Willie Oster               Toledo, Oh                         KO  3
Apr 19 Ben Jeby                   Cleveland, Oh                      NC  6
Jun 30 Babe Marino                San Francisco, Ca                  KO 10
Jul 18 Wesley "K.O." Ketchell     Los Angeles, Ca                     W 10
Jul 28 Vearl Whitehead            San Francisco, Ca                   LF 10
          -Some sources report "Los Angeles, Ca"
Aug  8 Vearl Whitehead            Los Angeles, Ca                     D 10
Aug 25 Harold Hoxwood             Salt Lake City, Ut                  D 10
Sep  2 Manuel Victoria            Tijuana, Mex                       KO  7
          -Some sources report 9/03/33
Sep 15 Johnny "Bandit" Romero     San Diego, Ca                      KO  3
Sep 21 Billy Papke Jr.            Pasadena, Ca                       KO  8
Oct  6 "Indian" Mike Payan        San Diego, Ca                       W 10
Oct 12 Lou Bertman                Phoenix, Az                        KO  2
Oct 27 Eddie Murdock              San Diego, Ca                      TK 10
Dec  5 "Sailor" Frank Remus       Seattle, Wa                        KO  6

1934
Jan 16 Tony Poloni                Los Angeles, Ca                     W 10
Feb  9 Max Maxwell                San Diego, Ca                       D 10
Feb 23 Harold "Dutch" Weimer      San Diego, Ca                       L 10
May 22 Freddie Steele             Seattle, Wa                         D 10
Jun 18 Emilio Martinez            Denver, Co                          L 10
          -Some sources report 6/19/34
Aug 21 Oscar Rankin               Los Angeles, Ca                     L 10

1935
Sep 17 Freddie Steele             Seattle, Wa                         L 10

1936
Jan  1 Tait Littman               Milwaukee, Wi                      KO  1
Jan 27 Tait Littman               Milwaukee, Wi                      TK 10
Aug  5 Art Taylor                 Phoenix, Az                         D 10
Dec  4 Mickey Bottone             Milwaukee, Wi                      KO  1

1937
Jan  1 Freddie Steele             Milwaukee, Wi                       L 10
          -NBA Middleweight Championship of the World;
           Middleweight Championship of the World
           (as recognized by New York state)
Jan 29 Frankie Battaglia          Milwaukee, Wi                       D 10
Apr 13 Vernon "Battling" Nelson   Omaha, Ne                          KO  4
Jul    Frankie Misko              Sioux City, Ia                     KO  5
Aug  9 Tommy Freeman              Council Bluffs, Ia                  W 10
Oct 27 Andy "Kid" Miller          Sioux City, Ia                      W  8
Dec 15 Bob Turner                 Akron, Oh                           W 10

1938
Jan 12 Frankie Hughes             Akron, Oh                           W 10
Jan 19 Tiger Carsonia             Louisville, Ky                     KO  2
Feb 16 Johnny Davis               Akron, Oh                          KO  8
Feb 23 Jack Moran                 Akron, Oh                           W 10
Apr  4 King Wyatt                 Fort Wayne, In                      D 10
May 10 Eddie "Babe" Risko         Akron, Oh                           L 10
Jun  9 Alabama Kid                Dover, Oh                           L 10

1939
Jan 24 Angelo Puglisi             Seattle, Wa                         W 10

1940
May 29 Vern Earling               Kellogg, Id                         L 10


*** The Following Bouts Are Reported But Not Confirmed ***

1932
Dec  5 Manny Davis                Manche, Nv                         WF  6

1937
Nov 23 Alabama Kid                Springfield, Oh                     L 10


Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization

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