84 years ago
Joe Louis vs Al McCoy
Date: 16th December 1940
Venue: Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Title: World Heavyweight Title
Promoter: Mike Jacobs & Rip Valenti
Tv:
Joe Louis
(
43
-
1
-
0
)
Weight: 202¼ lbs
Al McCoy
(
116
-
30
-
19
)
Weight: 180¾ lbs
On December 16, 1940, at the historic Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, Joe Louis defended his World Heavyweight Championship for the twelfth time, facing off against Al McCoy in a scheduled 15-round bout. The fight was officiated by referee Johnny Martin and ended with Louis securing a victory by RTD (Referee Technical Decision) in the fifth round.
The bout drew a crowd of 13,334 spectators to the Boston Garden. The gross gate for the event totalled $46,980, with a net of $44,845. Louis, weighing in at 202 pounds, was a 2-1 betting favourite to secure a knockout victory against McCoy, who weighed 181 pounds.
From the outset, Louis asserted his dominance, relentlessly pursuing McCoy and delivering damaging punches to body and head. Despite McCoy's valiant effort, he struggled to match Louis's strength and precision. McCoy managed to land some solid punches, reddening Louis's nose with straight left hands and delivering desperate right-hand shots in the fourth and fifth rounds.
In the first round, Louis landed three club-like rights to McCoy's ribs, causing him to briefly go down on one knee, though McCoy quickly recovered. Louis continued to dictate the pace of the fight, drawing blood from McCoy's nose in the third round and inflicting damage to his left eye. By the end of the fifth round, McCoy's eye was swollen shut, resembling the penny slot in a chewing gum machine.
Despite his corner's efforts to revive him, McCoy could not continue due to the severity of the swelling around his eye. As McCoy sat on his chair, visibly tired and bruised, his corner informed Referee Johnny Martin that McCoy could not continue, resulting in Louis being declared the winner by RTD.
The Associated Press reported on the fight, acknowledging McCoy's resilience but recognising Louis's dominance throughout the contest. Louis's relentless pressure and powerful blows ultimately proved too much for McCoy to withstand, securing another successful defence of his World Heavyweight Championship.