Tony Canzoneri was already a lock for the Corridor of Fame, to not point out an all-time nice light-weight when he entered Madison Sq. Backyard in Might of 1935 to face a fresh-faced Lou Ambers for the vacant championship of the world. The good Barney Ross had walked away from the 135 pound title to compete at welterweight and Ambers vs Canzoneri was the apparent pairing to determine the subsequent champion. However “The Herkimer Hurricane” was 5 years youthful and his elder had loads of exhausting miles on these frail-looking legs; the wiseguys pegged Canzoneri because the underdog.
So think about their shock when it was Canzoneri, not Ambers, who got here flying out of his nook on the opening bell, throwing deadly proper palms. He scored two knockdowns in spherical three and after holding off a late-round cost from Ambers he heard the cheers as he was awarded a lop-sided factors win and his fifth world title. Ambers had been Tony’s sparring associate not that lengthy earlier than, however he hadn’t but discovered sufficient to higher his outdated mentor. The primary Ambers vs Canzoneri tilt stunned many and appeared to show that there was nonetheless loads of life left within the veteran scrapper.
Little did anybody know on the time, however it could show to be considered one of Canzoneri’s final nice performances. Whereas solely twenty-six, he had competed in over 130 professional bouts, together with some grueling battles with Ross, Benny Bass, Child Chocolate, Frankie Klick, Billy Petrolle and lots of others. And in reality, between that first conflict with Ambers and the second, Canzoneri answered the bell eleven occasions, all victories, however there have been some punishing scraps alongside the best way, together with powerful distance battles with Klick and Jimmy McLarnin. In the meantime Ambers, with solely fifty matches to his credit score, was simply getting began.
However the oddsmakers noticed solely Canzoneri’s sizzling streak of fourteen straight wins and his one-sided victory over Ambers the earlier Might, and determined it was now the person from Herkimer, New York who was the underdog. How fallacious they had been, as that evening it was clear to a near-capacity crowd in Madison Sq. Backyard that Canzoneri simply didn’t have it anymore.
This time it was Ambers who seized the initiative early, shaking Tony with a tough one-two within the third spherical and by the fifth the champion was bleeding from the nostril. In distinction to their first assembly, Canzoneri had nice issue discovering the goal along with his harmful proper, although he staged a rally in rounds 9 and ten to remain in it. However the late going noticed Ambers again in management and when the ultimate resolution in his favour was introduced none disputed it. Ambers was clearly the sharper, more energizing and simpler fighter.
“I used to be gradual tonight,” lamented the previous champ in his dressing room, blaming his exhibiting on a 4 month layoff. “Guess I wanted a battle underneath my belt. I’d wish to take him proper again tomorrow.”
However most observers agreed that exercise was not the rationale for Canzoneri’s less-than-impressive efficiency.
“Youth licked Tony tonight,” declared former light-weight king Benny Leonard to the press. “In any case, he’s been tossing leather-based for eleven years.”
The brand new champion echoed that sentiment: “Tony beat me a yr in the past as a result of he was too quick and skilled. Tonight he punched as exhausting as ever however he was terribly gradual and I had no bother hitting him. In fact I’ll give him one other battle if he needs it, as a result of I do know he’ll by no means be the outdated Canzoneri once more.”
And certainly “Canzi” took a bloody battering from McLarnin in his subsequent outing and when he obtained one other crack at Ambers in Might of the next yr, the end result was an much more one-sided fifteen spherical win for “The Herkimer Hurricane.” Canzoneri was an all-time nice, a legend, a fighter whose title and popularity would by no means be forgotten. However nobody may deny: the glory days had been fading quick.
As for Ambers, he was, unquestionably, one of the best 135-pounder on the planet, the brand new king of the light-weight fort as Canzoneri, Ross and Petrolle all contemplated the sands of time and retirement. And certainly it could take a fighter as nice because the immortal Henry Armstrong to get the higher of him in 1938 and, after a grueling fifteen spherical struggle, relieve him of the title he had taken from “Canzi.” — Robert Portis
