Lew Jenkins
| Lew Jenkins | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Verlin E. Jenkins |
| Nickname(s) | The Sweetwater Swatter |
| Rated at | Lightweight |
| Nationality |
 American
|
| Born | December 4, 1916 Milburn, Texas |
| Died | October 30, 1981 (aged 64) Oakland, California |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 121 |
| Wins | 74 |
| Wins by KO | 52 |
| Losses | 42 |
| Draws | 5 |
| No contests | 0 |
Lew Jenkins (December 4, 1916 – October 30, 1981) was an American boxer and Lightweight Champion of the World. He was born in Milburn, Texas and was raised during the Great Depression. He began fighting in carnivals and later continued his boxing in the US Army. He was an exceptionally powerful puncher and 51 of his 73 wins were by knockout. His managers included Benny Woodhall, Frank Bachman, Hymie Kaplan, and Willie Ketchum and his trainer was Charley Rose.
Jenkins took the World Lightweight Championship on May 10, 1940 in a third round TKO against Lou Ambers at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Verlin E. Jenkins was born on December 4, 1916 in Milburn, Texas to parents Artie James and Minnie Lee, formerly Minnie Lee White. He was the third of four children and had two older and one younger sisters. He started professional boxing around 1935 in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, but by 1938 was boxing regularly in Dallas. The biggest fights of his early career took place after he moved to New York in 1939.
Jenkins defeated Lew Feldman on April 8, 1938 in a ten round split decision at the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas. Oddly, the Dallas crowd booed loudly after the decision of the judges and referees for Jenkins, the Texas native.
On November 21, 1939, Jenkins scored a seventh round technical knockout against Mike Belloise, a former World Featherweight Champion, before a crowd of 12,000 at the Bronx's New York Coliseum. Belloise was unable to answer the call of the bell for the eighth round due to the severe punishment he had taken to the body in the sixth and seventh rounds. It was later confirmed that Belloise suffered a broken rib from the bout.
On January 24, 1940, Jenkins convincingly defeated Cuban boxer Chino Alvarez in a knockout only around fifteen seconds into the first round at the Sportatorium in Dallas. Jenkins landed only two or three punches and the rowdy Dallas crowd booed when the ten count was completed, with several climbing into the ring. The victory was Jenkin's ninth straight with six by knockouts. Jenkins sudden rise to prominence as a serious World Lightweight contender was not unprecedented, as he had been fighting professionally at least five years, but the quality of his opposition had increased dramatically in the last two years as many newspapers noted. When he defeated Tippy Larkin in a first round knockout at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1940, he was finally scheduled for a World Lightweight Title bout with reigning champion Lou Ambers. In the impressive win over Larkins, Jenkins started cautiously, then flicked a few straight lefts. After Jenkins blasted with both hands, and in "2:41 of the first round Larkin was left flailing around in his own corner and down for the count."
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