Residing in Manhattan and fighting under an assumed name, he fought anywhere from 115 pounds up to 126. Extremely tough, Clancy wasn't exactly Einstein's cousin. He was once told he'd box in the semifinal (now called the co-main event or chief support). "Who is this guy Sammy Final?" he wondered aloud.
Adding to the Record
Much of Clancy's record hasn't made its way onto his BoxRec page yet. A newspaper decision victory in a no-decision bout is listed as his debut on March 23, 1909 at Long Acre Athletic Club in New York. Not listed is a draw against Eddie Moran in a four-rounder on December 23 in Manhattan. At some point in 1910, he lost a six round decision to Eddie "Young" Marino, a defeat he would avenge in 1912.
BoxRec has an April 12, 1910 newspaper draw in Philadelphia. Clancy was very busy in November, none of which has yet been included on his BoxRec page. At the Reno Athletic Club on November 7, Clancy fought an exciting draw against Frank Williams in a fight that crossed the color line. Two days later, he fought in another close thrilling contest, this time against "Kid" Corbett at the Bridge Athletic Club. On November 14, Clancy knocked down Joe Flynn twice on route to a second round knockout victory at Bridge A.C. Next, Mike was supposed to fight Young Rose on November 24 at Long Acre in a six-rounder. Instead, he acted as a replacement against Spike Thomas, and both fought to a crowd-pleasing four-round draw.
On the last day of the month, Clancy closed out a jam-packed November as a late substitute against Johnny Moran at the Sylvan A.C. He lost the ten-round bout to "The Fighting Actor," but Clancy gave a good showing. He fought a week later, on December 7, back at Sylvan against Kid Thomas. Scheduled for six rounds, Clancy stopped him in three.
His win over Chaney usually accompanied any mention of Clancy in the newspapers from that point forward. Chaney fought until 1925, and his loss to Clancy followed him throughout his career.
Additional Fights Not Yet on BoxRec
Sources
Adding to the Record
Much of Clancy's record hasn't made its way onto his BoxRec page yet. A newspaper decision victory in a no-decision bout is listed as his debut on March 23, 1909 at Long Acre Athletic Club in New York. Not listed is a draw against Eddie Moran in a four-rounder on December 23 in Manhattan. At some point in 1910, he lost a six round decision to Eddie "Young" Marino, a defeat he would avenge in 1912.
BoxRec has an April 12, 1910 newspaper draw in Philadelphia. Clancy was very busy in November, none of which has yet been included on his BoxRec page. At the Reno Athletic Club on November 7, Clancy fought an exciting draw against Frank Williams in a fight that crossed the color line. Two days later, he fought in another close thrilling contest, this time against "Kid" Corbett at the Bridge Athletic Club. On November 14, Clancy knocked down Joe Flynn twice on route to a second round knockout victory at Bridge A.C. Next, Mike was supposed to fight Young Rose on November 24 at Long Acre in a six-rounder. Instead, he acted as a replacement against Spike Thomas, and both fought to a crowd-pleasing four-round draw.
On the last day of the month, Clancy closed out a jam-packed November as a late substitute against Johnny Moran at the Sylvan A.C. He lost the ten-round bout to "The Fighting Actor," but Clancy gave a good showing. He fought a week later, on December 7, back at Sylvan against Kid Thomas. Scheduled for six rounds, Clancy stopped him in three.
According to BoxRec, Clancy had a productive January with two knockout wins, including in a rematch against Eddie Moran, and another newspaper draw. That month, he joined the Long Acre Athletic Club after "he made such a good impression [t]here." Clancy outjabbed Moran in the opening two rounds, but Moran got back into the fight on account of his right hand. In the fifth of a scheduled ten rounds, Clancy decided to allow Moran to come forward, which proved to be a shrewd strategy as Moran walked right into a concussive left that put him out.
February of 1911 didn't go as well for Clancy. A week after his impressive win over Moran, Clancy was in poor shape when he came in as a late substitute against Kid Black on February 2 at Long Acre. Kid Black dominated Clancy over the ten round distance. He lost another ten-rounder to Benny Jones two weeks later. On March 2 at Brooklyn Beach Athletic Club, Clancy faced Frank Maher, who was a late replacement. Maher nearly stopped Clancy in the first half of the six-rounder, but Clancy came back and nearly dropped Maher in the second half of the bout. The fight was a newspaper draw.
Clancy seems to have fought only once, a newspaper win over Young Goldberg in June, over the next seven months. The Frawley Law went into effect on July 26, 1911, which certainly impacted Clancy's career. Arne Lange of The Sweet Science explains, [The law] restricted bouts to licensed athletic clubs, in theory to protect the public from fly-by-night promoters, set the ceiling at 10 rounds, and stipulated that no decision could be rendered." Clancy didn't fight again until October, when he had a couple of newspaper victories, but they were not the crowd-pleasers of this preview year. On November 11, he beat Heine Thiel by close newspaper decision in a boring fight at Maspeth Athletic Club. After dropping a newspaper decision in December, he participated in a three-round exhibition to help the Christmas fund for the poor.
Clancy didn't fight much during the the first half of 1912. BoxRec lists a newspaper win in a ten-rounder against Young Leroy and a newspaper loss against the much heavier Harry Condon in June. He then had scheduled bouts against Young Goldie and Young Ketchel. On July 30, 1912 Clancy won a newspaper decision against Pete Powers in a four-rounder at the Royal Athletic Club.
An Upset for the Ages
When Kid Ghetto dropped out of a fight against George KO Chaney, wires were sent to nearby cities to find a late replacement. Mike Clancy stepped up and quickly made the trip to Baltimore. Chaney, a future Hall of Famer, was already regarded as one of Baltimore's best fighters. A diminutive southpaw, the Knockout King had rapidly earned respect in his year and a half as a pro. As one of a countless wave of New York club fighters, Clancy was virtually unknown outside his tiny orbit.
"Finding opponents for Chaney was a difficult assignment at any time; on such short notice it was almost impossible," wrote Jersey Jones of The Ring over 40 years later. "Clancy, a Jewish kid with an adopted Irish moniker... was the best that could be collected for the occasion, and a night's pay looked exceedingly attractive to him, even for risking life and limb against a devastating clouter like Chaney."
No one thought any differently through the first five rounds of their contest on August 9. Clancy was clearly overmatched. Then, in the sixth round, Chaney walked into an enormous right hand that knocked him out cold. Clancy had pulled off the improbable upset!
For his part, Chaney was mortified and demanded a rematch. "I'll not show this mug of mine in New York until I have licked that fellow!" he declared a few days later. Then, he made excuses. "I was not right last Friday, and I'm going to rest up until I feel myself. Then you will see me come back with a vengeance."
Clancy's manager, Scotty Monteith, wrote a letter to the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1915 claiming that a rematch had been signed shortly after the first fight. Clancy typically got about $50 for a fight. When he was told he would get one-fifty for the Chaney rematch, he retorted, "Gimme a couple of fifty dollar fights. Dat'll do for me."
It was Chaney, however, who backed out of the rematch with an illness. "If you mentioned Mike Clancy to him he will immediately get sick," Monteith wrote. He also noted that Chaney's team had managed to keep the fight out of the record books for a time, but Monteith carried the clippings of the fight with him. As late as 1915, Clancy still wanted the rematch against Chaney, who by that point was on to bigger, better, and less dangerous endeavors.
His win over Chaney usually accompanied any mention of Clancy in the newspapers from that point forward. Chaney fought until 1925, and his loss to Clancy followed him throughout his career.
The End of a Career
Three days after the Chaney upset, Clancy won a six-round newspaper decision over old foe Young Leroy. After the Chaney rematch fell through, he began to put ads in papers calling out other fighters. Among the many fighters he called out was Charley Goldman, future trainer of heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. Clancy was earning a reputation as "one of the most dangerous boys in the game," but most opponents felt he wasn't worth the risk.
BoxRec lists a January 11, 1913 fight against Young Lowery, an eighth round KO victory for Clancy. On June 7, Clancy lost a ten-round newspaper decision to Young Sieger at the Atlantic Garden. The next month, he fought former paperweight world champion Kid Murphy. Clancy beat the former champ by newspaper decision in a ten-rounder. In August, Clancy won two ten-round newspaper decisions, defeating the respectable Kid Goodman and then Mike Rosen at St. Nicolas Arena. Against Goodman, Clancy dominated the first eight rounds, but was pushed back in the ninth. The tenth went back and forth until Clancy had Goodman up against the ropes just before the bell.
Mike had developed a reputation for power. "Clancy is some knockout kid," The Brooklyn Daily Times declared ahead of a December fight against Kid Sullivan. Clancy had not only beaten Murphy and Goodman, but had knocked out Chaney, Moran, Lowry, Flynn, and Thomas in an era when knockouts were rare. Against Sullivan, however, Clancy came up short.
It seems Clancy took off 1914, but not for want of trying. Several times, he put his name in the paper challenging all comers in and around his weight. He finally came back to drop a ten-rounder to Young Mundy on March 7, 1915 at the Federal Athletic Club as Mundy won convincingly. On May 7, at Long Acre, Clancy lost to C. Eddie Hoffman in what was probably his last fight.
A Question of Identity
A Question of Identity
The Cincinnati Inquirer once described Clancy as "a real Irishman." He wasn't, but a question remains if he was actually Italian, Jewish, or both. An article in The Sun (New York) claims he was "a tough Italian" and the Hank Kaplan archives lists his real name as Michele Catanzaro. There was a Michele Catanzaro who could be Mike Clancy. He was born in 1891 in Sicily, immigrated to the U.S. in 1900 and was naturalized in 1911 with height and weight listed as 5'3" and 130 pounds, which is a just a tad heavy. Otherwise, it can't yet be confirmed that Mike Clancy's real name was Michele Catanzaro.
The Ring article by Jersey Jones is the best evidence so far that Clancy was Jewish. And just to confuse things further, the Hank Kaplan archives has two entries for Mike Clancy, one listed in the Jewish boxers section. Those entries will need to be researched further.
On September 5, 1925, Morris Grossman of Manhattan was shot four times in the abdomen, hands bound behind his back, thrown into a stolen car, and then set on fire. Born at some point in the early 1890s, Grossman was a known gangster, a gunman deliberately murdered as part of an ongoing gang war. The police, who had kept Grossman under surveillance for several years, knew him by a different name: Mike Clancy.
It can't yet be confirmed if the gangster Mike Clancy was also the boxer of the same name. Who was Mike Clancy: Michele Catanzaro or Morris Grossman? The jury is out.
Additional Fights Not Yet on BoxRec
Opponent | Result | Place | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Eddie Moran | Draw 4 | Manhattan | 12/23/1909 |
Eddie "Young" Marino | Loss 4 | New York | ?/?/1910 |
Frank Williams | Draw 4 | Reno A.C. | 11/7/1910 |
Kid Corbett | Draw 4 | Bridge A.C. | 11/9/1910 |
Joe Flynn | KO 2/? | Bridge A.C. | 11/14/1910 |
Spike Thomas | Draw 4 | Long Acre A.C. | 11/24/1910 |
Johnny Moran | Loss 10 | Sylvan A.C. | 11/30/1910 |
Kid Thomas | KO 3/6 | Sylvan A.C. | 12/7/1910 |
Kid Black | Loss 10 | Long Acre A.C. | 2/2/1911 |
Frank Maher | Draw 6 | Brooklyn Beach A.C. | 3/2/1911 |
Heine Thiel | Win 6 | Maspeth A.C. | 11/11/1911 |
Eddie "Young" Marino | Win 10 | New York | ?/?/1912 |
Pete Powers | Win 4 | Royal A.C. | 7/30/1912 |
Young Sieger | Loss 10 | Atlantic Garden | 6/7/1913 |
Young Mundy | Loss 10 | Federal A.C. | 3/7/1915 |
C. Eddie Hoffman | Loss 10 | Long Acre A.C. | 5/7/1915 |
* All decisions were of the newspaper variety.
Mike Clancy's record, including newspaper decisions, was 18-10-7 combining the above fights and those listed on BoxRec as of this writing. He had 6 KOs and was never stopped.
Sources
"Atlantic Garden Result." The Daily Standard Union. Jun 8, 1913. Pg. 11.
"Bouts at the Long Acre A.C." Brooklyn Eagle. Feb. 3, 1911. Pg. 26.
"Boxing News and Gossip." Brooklyn Eagle Jul. 31, 1912. Pg. 21.
"Carter Fights Draw with Joe Philips." The Daily Standard Union (Brooklyn). Dec. 8, 1910. Pg. 10.
"Clancy Almost Holds Moran." The Boston Globe. Dec. 1, 1910. Pg. 6.
"Dan Hickey Knocked Out." Brooklyn Citizen. Nov. 8, 1910. Pg. 3.
"Dan Hickey Knocked Out." Brooklyn Citizen. Nov. 8, 1910. Pg. 3.
"Dillon is Knocked Out." Brooklyn Eagle. Nov. 25, 1910. Pg. 9.
"Driscoll Meets Jones at East N.Y. To-night." The Daily Standard Union. Nov. 21, 1913. Pg. 12.
"Dundee is Coming to Albuquerque with Marino." Albuquerque Journal Apr. 28, 1913. Pg. 3.
"Fasane and Kramer Draw." The New York Times. Aug. 20, 1913. Pg. 7.
"Favor Gradwell to Defeat Lenny." Newark Evening Star. Mar. 8, 1915. Pg. 12.
"Gibson, in Chicago, Would Sign Coulon to Box Williams." The Evening Sun. Aug. 15, 1912. Pg. 8.
"Jabs and Jolts by Scottie." Albuquerque Journal. Jun. 24, 1913. Pg. 3.
"Jack Smith Loses Bout to Joe Hirst." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Mar. 3, 1911. Pg. 5.
"Jeanette Makes a Belch." The Brooklyn Daily Times. December 24, 1909. Pg. 5.
Jones, Jersey. "Beware the 'Set-Up'!" The Ring. March 1955. Pg. 7.
"Knockout at Long Acre." New York Ties. Jan. 27, 1911. Pg. 27.
"Kraemer Finishes Well." The Sun. Aug. 20, 1913. Pg. 9.
"Long Acre's Stag." Newark Evening Star. Jan. 16, 1911. Pg. 11.
"Maspeth Results." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Nov. 13, 1911. Pg. 4.
"Other Fight Results." The Brooklyn Daily Times. May 8, 1915. Pg. 12.
"Pierce and and Mohr to Box at Military A.C. Show." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Nov. 24, 1913. Pg. 10.
"Sporting Men of Cincinnati Strong for George Chaney, of Baltimore." The Cincinnati Inquirer. Mar. 21, 1915. Pg. 51.
"State to Regulate Boxing Game." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Nov. 15, 1910. Pg. 5.
"Sudden Departure of Al Kaufman a Surprise." The Brooklyn Daily Times. Nov. 10, 1910. Pg. 5.
"Sylvan A.C. Bouts to-night." The Evening World. Dec. 7, 1910. Pg. 16.
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