Al Bummy Davis
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Al "Bummy" Davis (January 26, 1918–November 21, 1945), born Abraham Davidoff, was an American lightweight and welterweight boxer who fought from 1937 to 1945. 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. The nickname 'Bummy' is a popular diminutive of Abraham and is not related to his boxing career.
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 disqualify him. He then kicked the ref 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 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 knockout 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.
On November 21, 1945 Bummy was drinking beer at Dudy's Bar in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. Bummy had recently sold the bar and was drinking with his friends when four armed robbers walked in. Davis attacked the men, knocked one of the robbers down and was shot in the neck by one of the others as they fled. He then ran after the other three, who turned and fired on him. Davis fell in the street, dead.
