Billy Miske and Kid Norfolk's fights...

[Maxmomer]

Does anyone have any fight-reports or round-by-rounds on their two bouts? I'm very interested in knowing how they went down.

[Minotauro]

Its not much but "Norfolk's biggest win of the year came when he defeated Billy Miske over 10 rounds in Boston. The Kid claimed the Lightheavyweight Title of the World but he was recognized by virtually noone. "

"He would again face Billy Miske(the best white fighter he had yet to fight) in 1919, and again he whipped him in ten rounds."

Looks like Norfolk got the better of him would have been great to see the Kid vs Tunney.

[janitor]

Does anyone have any fight-reports or round-by-rounds on their two bouts? I'm very interested in knowing how they went down.

Firstly I must apologise to you for not getting back to you when you have asked me about this in the past.

My life was busy at the time and my enquiries produced few leads.

I do understand that some papers scored one of the fights for Miske however.

[Maxmomer]

Firstly I must apologise to you for not getting back to you when you have asked me about this in the past.

My life was busy at the time and my enquiries produced few leads.

I do understand that some papers scored one of the fights for Miske however.

No worries, thanks for trying.

[Cmoyle]

Here's one of their fights for you:

June 10, 1919 – Cumberland (MD) Evening Times
Norfolk Beats Miske on Points.
“Forbes Field Contest Last Night Draws Big Crowd to See Heavyweights in Ten Rounds
Ringside, Forbes Field, Pittsburg, June 10 – The weather man was good to the local boxing promoters last night. He sprinkled this field sufficienty yesterday afternoon to necessitate the calling off of the final game of the Pirate-Giant baseball series, and then let up, giving way to Old Sol, who warmed up and dried up the field and atmosphere so well that everything was in fine shape for the opening of the outdoor boxing season.

A fair-sized crowed turned out for the show, which appealed to the fans as an attraction above the ordinary. Billy Miske of St. Paul and Kid Norfolk of Panama, and “elsewhere” heavyweights were the main-bouters, the battle being scheduled for 10 rounds. It was noticeable that, with Norfolk, a Negro, one of the principals in the feature event, the dusky population of the city was better represented than at any other glove show ever held in the stadium. They sure did turn out to greet their favorite.

The bout between Miske and Norfolk was a return engagement. Norfolk having beaten Miske when they met before about a year ago, for 12 rounds at Boston. Norfolk was an easy winner on points last night.

The crowd was slow in arriving. The first bout was held up until 8:50. At this time the downstairs seats were already filled and the upstairs chairs were well packed. A good many fans occupied ringside seats on the field. The ring was fitted over home plate.

Miske and Norfolk both entered the ring at 10:05. Sheriff Haddock was at the ringside to view Miske’s fighting and compare it with his exhibition against Harry Greb at Duquesne Garden recently.

Norfolk wore a cap over his right knee and looked like a race horse as he entered the ring. He took his seat with his back towards center field. Miske was in the home plate corner. Miske’s weight was announced as 180 pounds and Norfolk’s at 182.

They started at 10:14. Both missed a left lead. Norfolk led first with a long left. The first round was Norfolk’s. He used a long left and ripped in a mean rigtht to the body and roughed up Miske a lot inside.

Second Round
Norfolk started with a right. Miske insisted on making Norfolk lead and battered him around with his left. There was a lot of fiddling and the crowd yelled for Miske to lead. Norfolk had a slight shade and the round was slow.

Third Round
Norfolk led and missed. Miske caught him off his balance and followed up his advantage. Norfolk crushed in with a left jab and right to the head and outfought Miske inside. Miske was trying to measure his blows and was missing. Miske beat a tattoo to the head and Norfolk retaliated in turn. It was Norfolk’s round again.

Fourth Round
They met in the center of the ring and both landed. They exchanged lefts and rights on the ropes. Norfolk landed left and right to the head, a one-two punch. Norfolk was the aggressor continually. Miske was slow and ineffective in comparison. Norfolk sunk a hard right to the stomach and Miske caught him off balance, but failed to land with the right. It was Norfolk’s round by a margin.

Fifth Round
Norfolk continued his good work. He landed when and where he pleased with both mitts and mussed up Billy’s face with both hands. He made Miske look bad, giving him a thorough lacing to the head and body. It looked as if Miske’s nose ahd been broken in the round. Norkfolk’s round by a great margin.

Sixth Round
Miske was boxing better. At the start of the round he rushed and hooked hard with his left, but Norfolk came right back and rocked Billy with a shift one and two. He slammed Billy and had the St. Paul man cornered at the bell. Norfolk’s round by a mile.

Seventh Round
Norfolk battered his way to close quarters at will and was an easy master of the situation. Norfolk chased Billy to the ropes and plastered him to a fare-thee-well. Miske appeared to be in bad shape, but he came back gritting his teeth and fighting better than ever before and inflicting his best punishment. However, Norfolk did not relinquish his lead and took the round.

Eigth Round
Miske posed a lot, but did not lead and Norfolk continued to batter away as he pleased. Both connected to the jaw with a right hand and Norfolk landed on Miske repeatedly. Again the referee had to pry Norfolk loose. Norfolk soon found himself and was carrying the fight at the bell.

Ninth Round
Miske tried to lead, Norfolk continually beating him to the punch. The round was comparatively slow. They posted a lot and the referee had to break Miske away twice. He was hanging on at the bell.”

[Senya13]

1917-10-17 The Evening Times (Pawtucket, RI) (page 6)

NORFOLK WINS FROM MISKE
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Negro Light Heavyweight Astonishes Boston Fans by His Speed and Cleverness.
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EASILY EARNS DECISION.
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BOSTON, Oct. 17.--Kid Norfolk, the Panama negro, and Billy Miske, the St. Paul light-heavyweight, fought one of the fastest 12-round bouts seen in several months at the Armory A. A. last night. Norfolk won the decision and at the finish was fighting better than in the early rounds.

For five rounds the fighting was even. Miske started out in the opening round like a sure winner, but when Norfolk got going the tide shifted in his favor until at the conclusion there was nothing to it but the colored man.

He went to the front in the beginning of the sixth round, and from then on increased his lead. He was best at infighting. His blows to the body and double punches were most effective. Miske tried throughout to score with his right hand, but the colored man was elusive and was rarely in danger.

Norfolk Second Langford.

Not since Sam Langford held the centre of the pugilistic stage has there been a negro fighter seen in a local ring quite as clever as Norfolk. Fast on his feet and equally fast with both hands, the Panaman gave the fans a wonderful exhibition. Like Langford when he was at his best, Norfolk showed a wonderful physique. He is a little taller than Langford and superbly muscular.

Although he is known to be a hard hitter, few of Miske's blows had any apparent effect. Most of the punches were blocked and the hits did not appear to give Norfolk much bother. On the other hand, Norfolk's hard punches had Miske worried.

[...]

[Senya13]

1917-10-17 The Gazette Times (Pittsburgh, PA) (page 10)

Billy Miske Is Whipped By Kid Norfolk in Boston
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Colored Man from Panama, Turns Lose Hot Attack Near Finish.
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[Special Telegram to The Gazette Times.]

BOSTON, MASS., Oct. 16.--Kid Norfolk, the heavyweight champion of Panama, uncovered a lot of fighting ability tonight at the Armory A. A., when he defeated Billy Miske of St. Paul in 12 rounds.

Miske was the favorite, the fans who like to wager on sporting events picking him as their choice at 100 to 65.

The odds looked good for about four rounds, for Miske jabbed Norfolk and otherwise maltreated him, but the dusky battler was holding something in reserve all the time. When Leo Flynn, his manager, gave him the sign in the sixth round that it was time to begin to show his superiority, he turned loose as fine an assortment of left blows any boxer ever delivered in a local ring and soon had his white opponent leg weary.

[Senya13]

1919-06-10 The Gazette Times (Pittsburgh, PA) (page 14)

NORFOLK EASY WINNER OVER MISKE AT FORBES FIELD
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NEGRO BATTLER TAKES EVERY ONE OF TEN ROUNDS
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Pryel Beats Gradwell In Semi-Final, Ryan Surprises With Big Victory Over Tommy Perry and McNichlas Kayoes Grunnenwald in Jigtime.
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By HARRY KECK.

KID NORFOLK of New York, Panama and "elsewhere," as ever entered the bear pit to do battle, and as hard a puncher, with the possible exception of Sam Langford, as ever represented his race in the heavyweight division, had a very triumphal evening at Forbes Field last night. Yas, suh! He done come, seen and conquered, did that Norfolk boy. He entertained some 3,000 or 4,000 persons, many of them his own people, by handing out an artistic lacing in ten rounds to Billy Miske, the St. Paul heavyweight. Not one round could Miske call his own. Norfolk went out in the lead and set the pace throughout. At various stages he appeared to have Miske in distress, but he never quite succeeded in his efforts to stow away the big white man.

Miske fought against Norfolk just as he fought against Greb in his two previous battles in this city. He was slow afoot, and in all his other movements and did very little leading. Only in the tenth round, when his cause was a lost one, did he show anything and even in that session Norfolk bested him.

It was an interesting fight to watch, in spite of its one-sidedness. There was no question about where the sympathy of the majority of the fans lay. It was unmistakably a Miske crowd, but toward the finish even Billy's firmest admirers began to desert him, as a last resort pleading with him to lead and show some real fighting ability.

Miske never had a chance with the black demon whom Jack Dempsey refused to fight on a minute's notice at a big benefit in New York some time ago. Norfolk was too fast for him and was in and out and everywhere. Apparently Miske had no guard for any of Norfolk's blows. At a distance the squat, broad-shouldered, long-armed Negro battered his way in with lefts or rights or one-twos as the spirit moved him. He showed a nice chance in his attack, working alternately to the head and body. At close quarters he ripped and roughed up Miske in a way the latter did not relish, but all the stuff used by Norfolk was inside the rules. He won on his merits, and the writer, for one, will say that he won by a-plenty. He could hardly win more than 10 rounds in a 10-round fight.

Norfolk took a lot of chances, but he could well afford to do so, for Miske seldom was in a position to take advantage of the Kid's mistakes. And oftentimes, with Norfolk off his balance or in other ways wide open for a solid punch, Miske would poise his blows and never get it away. His slowness with his right hand on such occasions got the crowd's goat and many of the fans groaned in disgust.

Sheriff Witnesses Bout.

Sheriff W. S. Haddock, who barred Miske from fighting Greb here any more because he thought the big fellow did not try his hardest the last time he fought the local man, was at the ringside to view Miske's work last night. After the bout he said he thought Miske had tried harder against Norfolk than against Greb, but that he was of the belief that Miske had been overrated here in the past. He did not say whether or not, on a comparative basis, he still thought Miske had actually "stalled" against Greb.

The showing of Miske last night bear out the writer's contention all along since the last Greb fight that Miske is overrated here and that there is a very closely drawn limit to his ability. He is all right against a big, slow-moving fighter like himself, but against a fast man he is all at sea. In the writer's opinion Miske, while beaten last night, vindicated himself on the charges that he did not try against Greb. In his bout with Greb he tried just as much as he tried last night, but his best then, as against Norfolk, was far from enough to keep him in the running.

It was early apparent that Miske would be on the short end at the finish of the bout, and there was some speculation as to whether he would go the route at the rate Norfolk was connecting with solid punches. In the latter part of the sixth round Norfolk literally battered Miske across the ring and had him cornered and was peppering him with both fists at the bell.

In the round before he chased Billy to the ropes and swung a right-hander from the floor, which landed flush on the nose, and it appeared as if the nose was broken by the smash.

In the first half of the seventh round Norfolk slammed Miske so hard and often that it looked like a certainty that Billy wouldn't last. However, just when the storm was at its height Billy took on a fighting spell and, gritting his teeth, tore in, actually "bulling" Norfolk into letting up.

In the eighth round both swung to the jaw at the same time, and Miske landed the harder, forcing Norfolk to hang on. He repeated and the referee had to pry Norfolk loose. However, before the round was up, Norfolk was himself again and was once more blazing the trail.

Ninth ROund Miske's Worst.

The ninth round was the worst for Miske. Twice after a bombardment of punches to the head from Norfolk, Billy hung on until the referee forced him to break. Billy appeared to be very tired and his left eye was badly puffed.

Billy opened the tenth round with a rush and throughout the round made his only sustained stand. He fought toe to toe most of the time, and in one exchange he crossed over a hard right, probably his best blow of the night. Following a clinch, Miske rushed Norfolk clear over the top rope and half way out to the crowd, but no damage was done. This action enraged Norfolk and they slugged up to the final bell. All things considered, Norfolk did the most real damage in the round and was entitled to it by a shade and the fight by a mile--or a couple of them.

[...]

[ray fredrickson]

Gentle thanks for your insights. Where do you guys feel both were fighting RIGHT NOW???? Many thanks YOU guys ARE the GREATEST!!!!!!:happy

[Maxmomer]

Norfolk seems to have one the 1919 fight more clearly, does anyone think Miske was feeling the effects of Brights disease at this time? His record after the bought wasn't very good. Is it true some newspapers gave the first fight to Miske?

[klompton]

Norfolk won both fights clearly and in similar manners.