Doing It His Way

He was Frank Sinatra's favorite fighter. Tami Mauriello started fighting professionally when he was 17 years old, as a light heavyweight. After two loses to Gus Lesnevich for that title, he moved up to the heavyweight division. In 1943, Sinatra paid $10,000 to buy an interest in his fellow Italian American. Sinatra sang the National Anthem before one of his fights. Eleven straight wins set up his title shot with Louis on September 18, 1946, in Yankee Stadium. This incredible photo shows the first round knockout. Mauriello ended his career with an 82 - 13 record. He later appeared in the movie classic, On The Waterfront, with fellow heavyweights Tony Galento and Abe Simon.

click on photo reprinted from December 2010

The West End Train

The Lehigh Valley Railroad operated a train branch line which served Allentown's commercial west end. It ran along Sumner Avenue servicing the scrap metal yards, warehouses and numerous coal dealers located there. The line then crossed Tilghman Street on a diagonal at 17th, before looping back east by Liberty Street at the Fairgrounds. The line ended at a rail yard now housing the small shopping center at 12th and Liberty. Although many of former commercial buildings still exist, all now house more retail type businesses. The B'nai Brith Apartments occupy the site of the former Trexler Lumber Yard. These historical shorts are difficult to write. Most current residents have no frame of reference to our former commercial past. True historians, such as the local railroad buffs, cringe at the lack of detail and specific location of the tracks. Suffice to say, that once upon a time, the mid-section of Allentown had much more commerce.

photo of train crossing Tilghman at 17th Street taken by Kermit E. Geary in 1974, from the Mark Rabenold Collection.

March 27, 1942

Guest Post by Mike Casey
Before 18,220 fans at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942, big Abe Simon stepped into the ring for the final fight of his career. Scaling 255 1/4lbs, he was a massive, bear of a man who had once used his considerable size and muscle on the gridiron. Abe outweighed Joe Louis by nearly 48 pounds, but already knew the dangers of duelling with the Brown Bomber. Just a year before at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Joe had decked Simon four times and stopped him in thirteen rounds.Coming back for seconds was never a good idea against the prime Louis. But Abe had heart, pluck and a big punch and everyone knew that anything could happen in heavyweight boxing. Simon had knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott in six rounds, beaten Roscoe Toles and drawn with Turkey Thompson. Abe had also waged a thrilling battle of the giants with Buddy Baer, in which he had beaten Buddy severely in the opening round before being stopped in the third.......Louis finished the fight quickly in the sixth round, sending Abe down and out with a final left-right blast. Perhaps Joe had been riled after first snapping Simon to attention with a quick-fire combination in the second round. Big Abe had laughed at him....
copy courtesy of Mike Casey Archives
photograph(added by molovinsky): Abe Simon in corner after fight, with manager Jimmy Johnston

reprinted from October 2011

The Last Fight

When Abe Simon stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 1942, it would be his last fight. He had been recently married, and promised his wife that he would stop fighting. One year earlier he had fought Joe Louis the first time, and endured a tremendous beating for thirteen rounds. Fighting since 1935, ranked 6th by Ring Magazine, a shot at the title was something a fighter cannot pass up. Many fight historians consider Louis the hardest hitting heavyweight of all time. Because of the publicity Simon gained from these Louis fights, he was offered a lucrative cross country boxing tour, which he declined. It was also Louis's last title defense for four years, until fighting Billy Conn in June of 1946. After the Simon fight he joined the U.S. Army, where he would fight 96 exhibition bouts at bases throughout the country. Shown above, Simon got knocked out in the sixth round.

reprinted from February 2010

Arena Dooms Old Allentown

A resident of N. 8th Street expressed concern about traffic congestion at last night's arena meeting. She should be concerned, because the City has said that existing traffic patterns and existing parking can accommodate the arena. That's only true if the arena is going to be a failure, anything more successful will impact both traffic and parking. What that resident should really be concerned about is the Old Allentown Preservation Association; Once again those lapdogs ate their doggie biscuit, but this time it's poison. For decades those yuppies yearned for an adjoining quaint downtown, although they never sufficiently patronized such merchants that did remain. For years they supported City policies, and in return had a problem building occasionally removed at taxpayer expense. Welcome to the architectural wasteland coming your way. Welcome to a square block parking lot with a white elephant monstrosity sports palace. Welcome to the fruits of your complicity.
reprinted from November of 2011

UPDATE: Since this was published over a year ago, the arena complex plans have expanded to include an office building and hotel. Also the Reilly Cabal is building additional buildings, on the corners of 7th,  at both Hamilton and Linden. Professional advocate for the low income, Alan Jennings, pushed come-lately CUNA out of way, and is getting some funding for his operation. Despite all this wheeling and dealing, not a dollar has been thrown at our yuppie friends holding down Fort Apache.  They should reprint this post, and redeem it on the fifth floor of City Hall for some consideration.

The Great White Hope

The Wage of Fame

As a young man in the mid 1930's, Abe Simon worked summers as a life guard at Coney Island. Girls would pretend to be drowning to meet the 6'5" hunk. The former high school star athlete was recruited to boxing by Jock Whitney, future Ambassador to Britain. Although amassing a winning record, absorbing punches from the likes of Buddy Bear, Jersey Joe Walcott and Joe Louis took their toll on Simon.

Simon's brother congratulates him after going 13 rounds with Louis in Detroit in March of 1941, earning a second shot at the Heavyweight Title.










                                               
                                               reprinted from November 2009