Al Bummy Davis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 07/27/2007 12:56 PM

Al Bummy Davis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Al "Bummy" Davis (January 26, 1918, New York, N.Y. –November 21, 1945, Brooklyn, N.Y.), born
Abraham Davidoff, was an American lightweight and welterweight boxer who fought from 1937 to 1945.

Contents
1 Childhood in Brownsville Section of Brooklyn
2 Boxing career
2.1 Boxing style
3 Killed in 1945
4 Link

Childhood in Brownsville Section of Brooklyn

Davis grew up in the rough and tough, then-predominantly Jewish Brownsville section of Brooklyn. His father
owned a candy store during the 1920s, Prohibition days. Davis' job, as a young boy, was to keep lookout for
the police and give the alert to his father to hide bottles of whiskey being sold on the sly.

Davis developed into a tough kid, and he became well-known in a neighborhood that was famed as the home
of Murder Incorporated. His two brothers, in fact, were members of the notorious gang, acting as collectors.

His mother called him "Vroomy," a popular diminutive of Abraham (his real first name), but the boxing
promoter changed it to "Bummy;" he felt that it sounded tougher and would draw a larger crowd. Davis
originally objected to his boxing name.

Boxing career
Davis was a rough slugger with a powerful left hook. His record was 66 wins, with 47 KOs, 10 losses and 4
draws, and he was named to Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

Davis made a name for himself when he scored a three round TKO over the great, but washed up, former
lightweight champion Tony Canzoneri on November 1, 1939. He followed up that victory with a 5 round KO
over Tippy Larkin on December 15, 1939.

1940 was a bad year for Davis. First he lost a unanimous decision to lightweight king Lou Ambers in a non-
title match on February 23, 1940. He then fought a memorable non-title fight against welterweight champion
Fritzie Zivic on November 15. Zivic knocked Davis down in the first round and thumbed Davis in the eye in
the second. Davis then went berserk and hit Zivic with no less than 10 foul blows, causing the referee to
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Al Bummy Davis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 07/27/2007 12:56 PM

the second. Davis then went berserk and hit Zivic with no less than 10 foul blows, causing the referee to
disqualify him. He then kicked the referee and had to be restrained from attacking Zivic. For this behavior, the
New York Boxing Commission disqualified him from boxing in New York for life, although he was later re-
instated. Zivic and Davis then fought a more restrained rematch on July 7, 1941, which Zivic won by a twelve
round TKO.

Davis' last victory over a name fighter came on February 18, 1944, at the expense of former and future
NYSAC lightweight champion and future boxing hall of famer Bob Montgomery. He knocked Montgomery
out in the first round, but then proceeded to lose a decision to former champion Beau Jack on March 17 of that
same year. He also lost by TKO in the second round to former triple titleholder Henry Armstrong on June 15,
1944.

Davis' last big fight came against future middleweight champion Rocky Graziano, who TKOed him in the
fourth round of a May 25, 1945 match.

Boxing style
He rocketed to international fame behind the momentum of his incredible left hook. The Ring Magazine listed
him as one of the sport's 100 Greatest Punchers (2003).

Killed in 1945
On November 21, 1945, Davis was drinking beer at Dudy's Bar in Brownsville. He had recently sold the bar,
and was drinking with his friends when four armed robbers walked in. Davis attacked the robbers, knocked
one of them down, was shot three times and still nearly cleaned up the four gunmen, ran after the other three,
and was shot a fourth time -- this time in his neck by one --as they fled. Davis fell on the sidewalk, dead.

On November 22, 1945, a headlined article about his death, including a photograph of Davis, was on the front
page of the New York Times.

Link
BoxRec bio (http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/Al_%28Bummy%29_Davis)
Jews in Sports bio (http://www.jewsinsports.org/profile.asp?sport=boxing&ID=78)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Bummy_Davis"

Categories: 1918 births | 1945 deaths | American boxers | Jewish American sportspeople | Jewish boxers |
Lightweights | Welterweights | Murdered sportspeople

This page was last modified 11:00, 11 May 2007.

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Al "Bummy" Davis (1920 - 1945) - Find A Grave Memorial 07/27/2007 12:54 PM

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Original name: Albert Davidoff
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