Philly Boxing History

MARCH 10, 1954

Turner Upset by Jones
in Thriller

Precision punching gains 3-1
underdog decision at Arena

By Bob McCurley (The Daily News)

Gil Turner ran into a perfect fighting machine last night at the Arena in the person of Bobby Jones and as a result suffered one of the infrequent defeats of his career. It was a tough fight with neither man relaxing for a moment. The decision was split with the two judges awarding the duke to the invader while Referee Dave Beloff favored Turner, who was a 3-1 choice in the bout.

It was obvious from the start that Turner was in the best shape of his career. He was eager to get at his man, at times so eager he missed opportunities.

However Jones a veteran of nine years was in charge most of the way making Turner come to him and fight. The few times that Turner stood back and boxed with Jones he showed to his best advantage. This is not his style however, but he kept moving in at his man, which was just what Jones wanted.

Inside Jones continually got the best of it. His hands were inside punching at all times. Turner had to swing from the outside in and it was no good for the local lad that way. Jones smothered whatever flurries Gil could get started and came back with a furious fusillade of punches to the middle that invariably saw Gil give around.

From the start it seemed apparent that Turner was acting just as Jones expected and wanted him to. He stayed in close, his best style in the past, but unfortunately for Gil the worst approach he could have used against Jones. Jones hit much sharper and cleaner than Turner throughout the fight. He wasted few punches making everyone count.

Turner on the other hand had trouble landing on Jones. The latter proved to be excellent on the defense picking off punches with elbow and glove slipping inside of others and generally making Turner miss where he has connected in the past.

Turner stepped up the pace in the final few rounds, eventually realizing that it was close and that he would have to finish strong to win. Jones stayed right with him regardless and for every punch Gil gave he got one and often two and three in return. Jones emerged from the fight unscathed while Turner suffered a cut over his left eye midway of the fifth round that troubled him occasionally throughout the remainder of the fight.

It was a good fight, a hard fight with both giving their utmost at all times. There was no disgrace in the loss for Turner. He fought a good man and a hard fight, he just ran up against a better man.
 

Excerpt taken from The Daily News - March 11, 1954
 

  1954 - Marty Feldman TKO2 Ike Lewis at the Arena in West Philly (11th straight KO)