Billy Conn

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William David Conn (October 8, 1917 in Pittsburgh-May 29, 1993), better known in the boxing world as Billy Conn, was a boxer who was world's Light-Heavyweight champion. October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... City nickname: The Steel City Location in the state of Pennsylvania Founded 1758 Mayor Tom Murphy (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 151. ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 2004 Armed Forces Amateur Boxing Championships, held in 2003. ...

Conn debuted as a professional boxer on June 28, 1934, losing to Dick Woodard by a decision in four rounds. His first win came almost a month later, on July 20, against Johnny Lewis, by a knockout in three rounds. (Some entries on this page have been duplicated on August 1. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... Knockout (K.O.), or simply knock, is a winning criterion of many ringsports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai and others. ...

Conn built a record of 47 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw (tie), with 7 knockout wins, before challenging for the world's Light-Heavyweight title. Along the way, he beat former or future world champions Fritzie Zivic, Solly Krieger and Fred Apostoli, as well as Teddy Yarosz and Young Corbett III. Fred Apostoli, The Boxing Bell Hop (February 2, 1913 - November 29, 1973 in San Francisco) was a rugged, accomplished body punching middleweight, who was recognoized as the world champion when he defeated Marcel Thil on September 23, 1937. ... Young Corbett III (b. ...

On July 13, 1939, he met world Light-Heavyweight champion Melio Bettina in New York, outpointing him in 15 rounds and winning the world's Light-Heavyweight championship. Conn defended his title against Bettina, and twice against another world Light-Heavyweight champion, Gus Lesvenich, each of those three bouts resulting in 15 round decision wins for Conn. Conn also beat Bob Pastor, former world Middleweight champion Al McCoy, and Lee Savold in non-title bouts during his run as world Light-Heavyweight champion. July 13th is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ... Al McCoy, The Voice Of The Suns, has broadcasted every Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game in history. ...

In May of 1941, Conn gave up his world Light-Heavyweight title to challenge world Heavyweight champion Joe Louis. Conn attempted to become the first world Light-Heavyweight champion in boxing history to go up in weight and win the world's Heavyweight championship when he and Louis met on June 18 of that year. The fight became part of boxing's lore because Conn held secured lead on the scorecards leading to round 13. According to many experts and fans who watched the fight, Conn was outmaneuvering Louis up to that point. In a move that Conn would later regret for the rest of his life, he tried to go for the knockout in round 13, and instead wound up losing the fight by knockout in that same round himself. This article is about the month of May. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Joseph Louis Barrow (1914-1981), better known in the boxing world as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, was a native of Lexington, Alabama who became World Heavyweight Champion. ... June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ...

In 1942, Conn beat Tony Zale and had an exhibition with Louis. World War II was at one of its most important moments, however, and both Conn and Louis were called to serve on the Army. Conn went to war and was away from the boxing rings until 1946. This article is about the year. ... Tony Zale (May 29, 1913 - March 20, 1997) (real name Anthony Florian Saleski), the man of steel was an American boxer. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons—the atom bomb being the ultimate. ... A nations army is its military, or more specifically, all of its land forces. ... 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

By then, the public was clamoring for a rematch between him and the still world Heavyweight champion Louis. This happened, and on June 19, 1946, Conn returned into the ring, straight into a world Heavyweight championship bout. The fight, at Yankee Stadium, was the first televised world Heavyweight championship bout ever, and 146,000 people watched it on TV, also setting a record for the most seen world Heavyweight bout in history. Most people who saw it agreed that both Conn and Louis' abilities had eroded with their time spent serving the United States, but Louis was able to retain the crown by a knockout in round eight. Conn's career was basically over after this fight, but he still fought two more fights, winning both by knockout in round nine. On December 10, 1948, he and Louis met inside a ring for the last time, this time for a public exhibition in Chicago. Conn would never climb into a ring as a fighter again. June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... Yankee Stadium is the home stadium of the New York Yankees, a major league baseball team. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chicago, Illinois — officially the City of Chicago and colloquially known as Chicago, the Second City and the Windy City — is the third largest city of the United States after New York City and Los Angeles and is the largest inland city of the nation. ...

Retiring from the ring as a boxer did not mean retiring as a public figure for Conn. As he became an older citizen, he participated in a number of documentaries for HBO, and he was frequently seen at boxing related activities until his death in 1993, at the age of 75. HBO (Home Box Office) is a premium cable television network. ...

Conn is now a member, along with Louis and Zivic, of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. ... Canastota is a village located inside the Town of Lenox in Madison County, New York. ...

He had a professional boxing record of 63 wins, 11 losses and 1 draw, with 14 wins by knockout.