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Story
by John DiSanto |
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As we count down to Bryant Jennings vs. Joey Dawejko on April 28th, the best Philly vs. Philly fight in years, we continue to look at the very best PVP fight of all time…
BOB
MONTGOMERY VS WESLEY MOUZON
Montgomery took both of his titles in bouts with Beau Jack at Madison Square Garden, and although he was the current champ, his first fight with Mouzon was a 10-round non-title bout. These days, having to accept a fight against the champion, without the title at stake, would make most modern fighters turn their noses up at the offer. But in 1946, the nineteen year old Mouzon grabbed the chance to prove himself against the man many believed was the best lightweight in the world.
Despite Mouzon’s solid resume, few thought he had a chance against the Bobcat, and Montgomery was installed as a 12-5 betting favorite for the fight. Most fans were waiting for Montgomery to fight a rematch with Ike Williams, who had significantly rebounded from a KO defeat at the hands of Montgomery two years prior. However, the evening of August 19th belonged to Wesley Mouzon. Before an outdoor crowd of 15,000 at Shibe Park, Mouzon shocked everyone by knocking out Montgomery in round two. Matt Ring of The Bulletin described the knockout like this:
Mouzon stepped to the injured Montgomery and fired away with a volley of punches that concluded with a left hook. That final punch sent the champion to the canvas for the full ten count. It was as if lightning had struck in the lightweight division. Although Mouzon’s knockout made him the new star among 135-pounders and made a case that he was the best of them all, Wesley did not win the title. However, this big upset was the greatest victory of his career – and it spawned an immediate rematch with Montgomery’s belt on the line.
THE
REMATCH
Mouzon out-boxed Mont-gomery in the early rounds, but the champion managed to land a few solid shots that foreshadowed the ultimate end. Still, Mouzon stayed in the fight and continued to build a lead. However, in round five, Montgomery drove a devastating body shot to Wesley’s stomach that changed the momentum of the battle. Mouzon seemed to wither from the punch and immediately began to fade. Montgomery kept driving forward with his mauling style, landing more and more as the fight progressed. Mouzon occasionally tried to find another punch like the one that earned his victory in their last meeting, but it never came. Finally in round eight,
Montgomery cracked Mouzon with a right uppercut – left hook
combination that flattened the youngster. Mouzon fell to the
floor, draping
After the fight, Mouzon said that he wanted a rubber match with Montgomery. However, he would never fight again due to a detached retina. After defending his title, Montgomery praised Mouzon. “He’s a mighty good boy,” Montgomery said. “He sure dazed me with that bolo punch in the fourth.” Montgomery fought many all-time greats during his Hall of Fame career, but many believed his sensational performance against Mouzon was the very best of his career. Next up - Joey Giardello vs. Gil Turner... |
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Bob
Montgomery was two years into his second reign as NYSAC
world lightweight champion when he first faced Wesley Mouzon,
a nineteen year old teenage sensation who had already
defeated Eddie Giosa, Santa Bucca, Dorsey Lay, Leo Rodak,
Nick Moran, and surprised the boxing world by fighting to a
draw with the great Ike Williams – as an eighteen year old!
“The
blow was an overhand right that caught the champion flush on
the jaw. It stopped him dead in his tracks. His knees
quivered and his chin sagged as he stood in a trance from
which he was not to recover until ten minutes after being
led to his dressing room.” 
over
the bottom rope, where he took the full ten count from
legendary referee Charley Daggert.