Tommy Loughran

Tommy Loughran
Statistics
Real name Thomas Loughran
Nickname(s) Phantom of Philly
Rated at Light Heavyweight
Height 5 ft 11 12 in (1.82 m)
Reach 73 in (190 cm)
Nationality American
Born (1902-11-29)November 29, 1902
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died July 7, 1982(1982-07-07) (aged 79)
Altoona, Pennsylvania
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 169
Wins 121
Wins by KO 14
Losses 32
Draws 14
No contests 2

Thomas Patrick "Tommy" Loughran (November 29, 1902 – July 7, 1982) was an American professional boxer and the former World Light Heavyweight Champion. Statistical boxing website BoxRec lists Loughran as the #7 ranked light heavyweight of all time while The Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer placed him at #4.[1][2] The International Boxing Research Organization rates Loughran as the 6th best light heavyweight ever.[3] Loughran was named the Ring Magazine's Fighter of the Year twice, first in 1929 and again 1931.[4] He was inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1956 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1991.[1]

Boxing career

Loughran (left) ahead of his bout with Mickey Walker

Loughran's effective use of coordinated foot work, sound defense and swift, accurate counter punching is now regarded as a precursor to the techniques practiced in modern boxing.[5]

Loughran fought many middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight champions in his career, including Gene Tunney, Jack Sharkey and Georges Carpentier. Loughran even achieved a Newspaper Decision over fistic phenom Harry Greb. Loughran was but 19 years old when he first met Greb. As a light heavyweight, he defeated two future world heavyweight champions: Max Baer and James J. Braddock. Loughran finally fought Primo Carnera for the heavyweight title but lost a decision.[6]

In an interview late in life, Loughran is quoted as saying his loss to Carnera was a pre-arranged fait accompli, e.g. "...I had to knock him out to win, I had to agree to that." Footage of the fight is limited and scarce, but Loughran contended he had Carnera in trouble in Rounds 4 and 10, "...but then, when I couldn't finish him, I knew the thing was over." The decision a foregone conclusion, Tommy Loughran told Peter Heller in April, 1972, "I beat (Carnera), no question about it."[7]

While Loughran is remembered among boxing's elite, his career was marred by his fragile hands and jaw.

Later life

He appeared as himself on the game show To Tell the Truth on February 12, 1957. On August 22nd of that year, he attained the unique distinction of being the third man in the ring at Sick's Stadium, Seattle, WA, for Floyd Patterson's defense of his heavyweight honors vs. one Pete Rademacher, the first and only time a fighter has challenged for the heavyweight crown in his professional debut. There were several knockdowns in the fight; Tommy counted out the challenger at 2:57 of the 6th round.

In the 1960s Loughran retired from having been a long-time, successful broker on Wall Street, where he'd dealt in commodities (sugar). He became a keynote speaker, appearing at dinners and banquets, his message an attempt to promote and strengthen the image of boxers and boxing at what for the sport was a troubled time.[7] In addition, Tommy lent color commentary to at least one championship bout, Carlos Ortiz vs. Johnny Bizarro in Pittsburgh, June 20, 1966.

Notable bouts

Result Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes[6]
Draw United States Al McCoy PTS 12 1936-07-30 Canada Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec
Loss United States Al McCoy PTS 10 1936-07-06 Canada Baseball Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Win United Kingdom Jack London PTS 10 1936-03-16 United Kingdom Colston Hall, Bristol, Avon
Loss South Africa Ben Foord PTS 10 1936-02-10 United Kingdom Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire
Loss United Kingdom Tommy Farr PTS 10 1936-01-15 United Kingdom Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London
Loss Chile Arturo Godoy PTS 10 1935-03-17 Chile Nunoa Sports Ground, Santiago de Chile, London
Win Chile Arturo Godoy UD 12 1935-01-05 Argentina Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal
Draw Chile Arturo Godoy PTS 12 1934-10-20 Argentina Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal
Loss Germany Walter Neusel SD 10 1934-05-04 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss Italy Primo Carnera UD 15 1934-03-01 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York For World Heavyweight Title.
Win United States Jack Sharkey UD 15 1933-09-27 United States Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win United States King Levinsky UD 10 1933-01-10 United States Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Loss United States King Levinsky UD 10 1931-12-18 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win Spain Paulino Uzcudun SD 10 1931-11-13 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win United States Tuffy Griffiths MD 10 1931-03-27 United States Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Win United States Ernie Schaaf UD 10 1931-03-13 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win United States Max Baer UD 10 1931-02-06 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win United States King Levinsky UD 10 1930-11-21 United States Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Loss United States Ernie Schaaf UD 10 1930-06-11 United States Sesquicentennial Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Loss United States Ernie Schaaf SD 10 1930-04-28 United States Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Loss United States Jack Sharkey TKO 3 (15), 0:27 1929-09-26 United States Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
Win United States James J. Braddock UD 15 1929-07-18 United States Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York Retained World Light Heavyweight Title.
Win United States Ernie Schaaf PTS 10 1929-05-24 United States Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Win United States Mickey Walker SD 10 1929-03-28 United States Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Win United States Pete Latzo UD 10 1928-07-16 United States Artillery Park, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Retained World Light Heavyweight Title.
Win United States Pete Latzo UD 15 1928-06-01 United States Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York Retained World Light Heavyweight Title.
Win United States Jimmy Slattery MD 15 1927-12-12 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York Retained World Light Heavyweight Title.
Win Republic of Ireland Mike McTigue UD 15 1927-10-07 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York Won World Light Heavyweight Title.
Win United States Young Stribling UD 10 1927-05-03 United States Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
Win France Georges Carpentier UD 10 1926-06-17 United States Sesquicentennial Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Draw Canada Jack Delaney PTS 10 1925-07-16 United States Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Loss United States Young Stribling PTS 10 1925-03-28 United States Recreation Park, San Francisco, California
Draw United States Harry Greb SD 10 1924-10-13 United States Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Loss United States Young Stribling PTS 6 1924-06-26 United States Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
Loss Canada Jack Delaney PTS 10 1924-02-19 United States Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts
Win United States Johnny Wilson PTS 10 1924-02-12 United States Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts
Loss United States Harry Greb PTS 10 1923-12-25 United States Motor Square Garden, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Win United Kingdom Roland Todd PTS 10 1923-12-10 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win United States Harry Greb PTS 10 1923-10-11 United States Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts
Loss Republic of Ireland Mike McTigue NWS 12 1923-08-02 United States Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey For World Light Heavyweight Title.
Newspaper Decision
Win Republic of Ireland Mike McTigue NWS 8 1923-06-25 United States Shetzline Ballpark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania For World Light Heavyweight Title.
Newspaper Decision
Loss United States Jeff Smith NWS 8 1923-06-18 United States Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Newspaper Decision
Win United States Jeff Smith NWS 10 1923-03-08 United States 109th Infantry Armory, Philadelphia, Scranton Newspaper Decision
Loss United States Harry Greb UD 15 1923-01-30 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss United States Harry Greb NWS 10 1923-01-15 United States Motor Square Garden, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Newspaper Decision
Draw United States Gene Tunney NWS 8 1922-08-24 United States Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Newspaper Decision
Loss United States Harry Greb NWS 8 1922-07-10 United States Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Newspaper Decision

References

  1. 1 2 Cyber Boxing Encyclopedia - Tommy Loughran CyberBoxingZone.com Retrieved on 2014-04-30
  2. All-Time Light Heavyweight Rankings. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-11.
  3. All-Time Light Heavyweight Rankings IBROresearch.com Retrieved on 2014-04-29
  4. Tommy Loughran (1902-1982) Historical Marker. ExplorePAHistory.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-07.
  5. Casey, Mike (September 9, 2008). "Tommy Loughran: Poetry in Motion". East Side Boxing. Retrieved 2014-04-12.
  6. 1 2 Tommy Loughran's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-18.
  7. 1 2 Heller, Peter (1974) [1973]. In This Corner...!. New York, NY: Dell. OCLC 803908275.

External links

Achievements
Preceded by
Mike McTigue
NYSAC World Light Heavyweight Champion
October 7, 1927 – July 18, 1929
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Jimmy Slattery
Vacant
Title last held by
Jack Delaney
World Light Heavyweight Champion
October 7, 1927 – July 18, 1929
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Maxie Rosenbloom
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