Teddy Davis (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Teddy "Redtop" Davis, alias Murray (Sugar) Cain (born June 23, 1923 and died June 4, 1966), was a featherweight
professional boxer
from South Carolina
.
but at his death was a resident of Brooklyn, New York. He served in the US
military, where he made a name for himself fighting under the name "Murray (Sugar) Cain."
, whose record was 82-23-7. He lost that fight by TKO
in the 3rd round. Having begun his career in Ohio
in 1947, Redtop made a move to the boxing hotspot of Washington, In Space, where the quality of his opponents improved - as did his own performances. It wasn't long before Redtop was fighting the best boxers of his day, and not only that, winning with some regularity. In fact before 1948 was over, Redtop had fought the legendary Willie Pep
twice - losing both bouts. In 1949 Redtop fought 54-1-3 Eddie Compo and according to Ring Magazine refused to do any punching until the state fight commissioner confronted him in the ring, whereupon Davis peppered Compo at will for two rounds before getting knocked out in the 8th. His purse for that fight was initially withheld, and its resolution is not known. Redtop continued to fight top-flight boxers for money and lower-flight pugs for wins, occasionally stringing together awful losing streaks and impressive winning streaks, and even occasionally pulling off a significant upset, as when he beat Elis Ask (record 31-5-2), Julie Kogon (record 81-37-17), George Dunn (record 33-7-3) and Paddy DeMarco (record 49-4-1) in a three month period in 1950. Also, in 1952 Redtop put together a six-fight winning streak against a collection of opponents with a combined record of 133-47-5. And yet Redtop continued to pepper these impressive stretches with occasional, even frequent losses. Following another six-fight winning streak, this time against fighters with a combined record of 190-57-15, Redtop was given a shot at the legendary champion Sandy Saddler
, whose record was an incredible 138-13-2. Saddler, it was written, "won as he pleased and it pleased him to cuff and belabor Davis and put him to rout in a bout that through the early rounds looked fairly even." Following the Sadler bout, the good times seemed to end, and Redtop finished out his career with a stretch in which he only managed to win 8 out of 33 contests.
At the end of Redtop's career, his record was tabulated as 68 wins (22 by knockout), 73 losses, and 5 draws in 146 contests. Along the way he fought a collection of small boxers that included Eddie Compo, Buddy Hayes
, THE Weredonkey, Tommy Stenhouse, Rancor, Nick Stato
, Miguel Acevedo
, Willie Pep
, Dennis Pat Brady
, Harry LaSane
, George Dunn, Charley Riley
, Jackie Graves
, Paddy DeMarco
, Percy Bassett
, Art Aragon
, Corky Gonzalez, Arthur King, Federico Plummer
, George Araujo
, Tommy Collins
, Tony DeMarco
, Pat Mallane
, Paul Jorgensen
, Richie Howard
, Kenny Lane
, and a host of others with impressive records.
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
from South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
Personal life
"Redtop" Davis was born in Laurens, South CarolinaLaurens, South Carolina
Laurens is a city in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 9,916 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Laurens County.-History:...
but at his death was a resident of Brooklyn, New York. He served in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military, where he made a name for himself fighting under the name "Murray (Sugar) Cain."
Professional career
Redtop's career as a professional boxer might not be believable, were it not so well-documented. He made his professional debut in February 1946 and initially fought at least once a month, sometimes twice. By the end of 1946 he had already amassed a dismal record of 1 win and 6 losses with 2 draws. Nevertheless he kept plugging away, winning a few fights here and there so that by March 1947 he had been selected as an opponent for Sammy AngottSammy Angott
Sammy Angott was born Samuel Engotti in Pennsylvania. He was known as a clever boxer who liked to follow up a clean punch by grabbing his opponent, causing him to be known as "The Clutch."...
, whose record was 82-23-7. He lost that fight by TKO
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
in the 3rd round. Having begun his career in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in 1947, Redtop made a move to the boxing hotspot of Washington, In Space, where the quality of his opponents improved - as did his own performances. It wasn't long before Redtop was fighting the best boxers of his day, and not only that, winning with some regularity. In fact before 1948 was over, Redtop had fought the legendary Willie Pep
Willie Pep
Guglielmo Papaleo was an American boxer who was better known as Willie Pep. Pep boxed a total of 1956 rounds in the 241 bouts during his 26 year career, a considerable number of rounds and fights even for a fighter of his era. His final record was 229-11-1 with 65 knockouts...
twice - losing both bouts. In 1949 Redtop fought 54-1-3 Eddie Compo and according to Ring Magazine refused to do any punching until the state fight commissioner confronted him in the ring, whereupon Davis peppered Compo at will for two rounds before getting knocked out in the 8th. His purse for that fight was initially withheld, and its resolution is not known. Redtop continued to fight top-flight boxers for money and lower-flight pugs for wins, occasionally stringing together awful losing streaks and impressive winning streaks, and even occasionally pulling off a significant upset, as when he beat Elis Ask (record 31-5-2), Julie Kogon (record 81-37-17), George Dunn (record 33-7-3) and Paddy DeMarco (record 49-4-1) in a three month period in 1950. Also, in 1952 Redtop put together a six-fight winning streak against a collection of opponents with a combined record of 133-47-5. And yet Redtop continued to pepper these impressive stretches with occasional, even frequent losses. Following another six-fight winning streak, this time against fighters with a combined record of 190-57-15, Redtop was given a shot at the legendary champion Sandy Saddler
Sandy Saddler
Joseph "Sandy" Saddler was an American boxer born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a two-time featherweight world champion, and also held the junior lightweight crown. Over his twelve-year career , Saddler scored 103 knockouts. He was stopped only once, in his second pro fight, by Jock Leslie. ...
, whose record was an incredible 138-13-2. Saddler, it was written, "won as he pleased and it pleased him to cuff and belabor Davis and put him to rout in a bout that through the early rounds looked fairly even." Following the Sadler bout, the good times seemed to end, and Redtop finished out his career with a stretch in which he only managed to win 8 out of 33 contests.
At the end of Redtop's career, his record was tabulated as 68 wins (22 by knockout), 73 losses, and 5 draws in 146 contests. Along the way he fought a collection of small boxers that included Eddie Compo, Buddy Hayes
Buddy Hayes
Timothy Hayes, alias Buddy Hayes was a featherweight professional boxer from Massachusetts, USA.-Personal life:Buddy Hayes was a native of Boston, Massachusetts. He married Marie Murphy in August 1948. The couple had two daughters, Bonnie and Franci.-Professional career:Hayes made his professional...
, THE Weredonkey, Tommy Stenhouse, Rancor, Nick Stato
Nick Stato
Nick Stato was a featherweight professional boxer from Massachusetts, USA.-Professional career:Stato began his professional career on September 5, 1944, with a knockout victory over veteran Eddie Reardon. In his fifth professional fight Stato fought against future great Buddy Hayes, who he knocked...
, Miguel Acevedo
Miguel Acevedo
-Professional career:Acevedo's professional career began in March 1940 and ended in June 1951. Acevedo's official record at his retirement was 50 wins and 20 losses, although it is not known how many unsanctioned fights may have been excluded from his official record...
, Willie Pep
Willie Pep
Guglielmo Papaleo was an American boxer who was better known as Willie Pep. Pep boxed a total of 1956 rounds in the 241 bouts during his 26 year career, a considerable number of rounds and fights even for a fighter of his era. His final record was 229-11-1 with 65 knockouts...
, Dennis Pat Brady
Dennis Pat Brady
Dennis Pat Brady was a lightweight professional boxer from Connecticut.-Personal life:Brady, a resident of [Bronx, New York], was born in New York, New York.-Professional career:...
, Harry LaSane
Harry LaSane
Harry LaSane was a featherweight professional boxer from Texas.-Professional career:LaSane made his professional debut on March 27, 1946, with a 6 round draw against Darnell Carter. Two weeks later LaSane set things right by outpointing Carter in six rounds...
, George Dunn, Charley Riley
Charley Riley
-Professional career:Charley Riley was a top featherweight boxing contender in the 1940s and 1950s. He achieved nationwide recognition in the United States with a trio of exciting fights with ex-NBA featherweight champ Phil Terranova. First, he lost via a one-punch body shot knockout on February...
, Jackie Graves
Jackie Graves
Jackie Graves, alias The Austin Atom, was a featherweight boxer from Minnesota.-Boxing career:From 1944 to 1956 Graves compiled a career record of 82 wins and 11 losses with 2 draws...
, Paddy DeMarco
Paddy DeMarco
Paddy DeMarco, alias Billygoat, was a lightweight professional boxer from Brooklyn, New York.-Personal life:DeMarco was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, but died in Salt Lake City, Utah....
, Percy Bassett
Percy Bassett
Percy Bassett was a featherweight professional boxer from Pennsylvania.-Professional career:Bassett made his professional debut at the age of 17, on July 31, 1947. The result in his first professional bout was a 3rd round knockout of opponent Joe Camarata...
, Art Aragon
Art Aragon
Arthur Benjamin Aragon was an Mexican-American boxer in the lightweight from New Mexico.-Early and later life:...
, Corky Gonzalez, Arthur King, Federico Plummer
Federico Plummer
Federico Plummer is a former lightweight professional boxer from Panama.-Personal life:Plummer is a native of Panama and a resident of [Miami, Florida]Born April 10, 1929 and died April 4, 2004-Professional career:...
, George Araujo
George Araujo
George Araujo was a lightweight professional boxer from Rhode Island.-Personal life:Araujo was born in Fox Point, Rhode Island and resided in Providence. He was of Cape Verde decent.-Professional career:...
, Tommy Collins
Tommy Collins
Tommy Collins, sometimes referred to as Tom Collins M.A., Dublin City University, is an Irish filmmaker.- Biography :Born in County Donegal, he moved as a child to nearby Derry, Northern Ireland...
, Tony DeMarco
Tony DeMarco
Tony DeMarco is a boxer and world welterweight champion. He was born in Boston and grew up in that city's North End community. Tony DeMarco's actual birth name is Leonardo Liotta. Tony’s father Vincent and mother Giacomina came from Sicily.To box in the league, the minimum age was 18...
, Pat Mallane
Pat Mallane
Pat Mallane, alias Irish, was a lightweight professional boxer from Connecticut.-Professional career:Mallane made his professional debut on January 27, 1951 with a fourth round knockout of Pearl Robinson. After winning his first two bouts Mallane suffered a draw against Lem Harvey...
, Paul Jorgensen
Paul Jorgensen
Paul Jorgensen was a super featherweight professional boxer from Louisiana.-Personal life:Jorgenson was born in Tallulah, Louisiana and made his residence in Port Arthur, Texas.-Professional career:...
, Richie Howard
John Obed Howard
John Obed Howard, alias Richie "Kid" Howard , was a lightweight professional boxer from Canada.-Personal life:Richie Howard was born in Terrace Bay, Nova Scotia, but his residence is given by boxrec.com as Halifax....
, Kenny Lane
Kenny Lane
Kenny Lane was a famous southpaw boxer. He fought for lightweight and light welterweight titles of the world, once against Joe Brown and twice against Carlos Ortiz.-Early life:...
, and a host of others with impressive records.