12. Billy Soose Defeats Ken Overlin for Middleweight Title, 1941
With the popularity of Billy Conn, it’s easy to overlook the accomplishments of his contemporary, Farrell’s Billy Soose. When a biography of Soose was published, its title was The Champion Time Forgot. But Soose became one of the most successful amateur fighters in boxing history and, despite damaging a tendon in his right hand in only his sixth professional match, went on to win the middleweight title. As an amateur, Soose won three Golden Gloves and, after accepting a scholarship at Penn State, became an intercollegiate boxing champion. He was so dominant in college that officials decided to ban boxers who had fought in the Golden Gloves. After defeating Tony Zale and Kenny Overlin within 30 days, Soose was declared “an uncrowned champion.” He claimed the crown a few months later by defeating Overlin for the middleweight title. He gave up the title to fight as a light heavyweight, but never fought again after serving in World War II.
Editors’ note: Uncertain words in the following story, illegible in the archived copy of the article, are marked with ellipses.
Soose Defeats Overlin, Wins Title
Unanimous Decision Is Given Bill
Verdict Stuns Fans as Vet Appears Far in Front
NEW YORK—May 9—A third world’s boxing championship went to Western Pennsylvania tonight when Billy Soose, Penn State’s product, and Farrrell, PA, native, was voted the middleweight king after 15 rounds of lively fighting against Ken Overlin, former gob of Norfolk, in Madison Square Garden.
Soose joins Fritzie Zivic, the welter champ, and Billy Conn, undefeated light-heavyweight, in the ranks of the soft coal boys who rule their respective roosts in the fighting coop.
The crowd of 11,614 paid a net of $35,973 to see the show.
Decision Surprises
The decision was greeted with a lusty round of boos from the fans with astonishment written on the faces of the ringside kibitzers and not without a tinge of surprise from the Farrell boy himself. Before the decision was announced, it seemed to the ticket holders up front that Soose’s only chance to win the first few rounds was to either knock out Overlin or hire an expert boxer.
Curiously, in the face of the rather general sentiment that Overlin had won, the entire panel of official jurors cast its vote for Soose, thus adding to the general amazement. To boot, the third man in the ring was the reliable and forthright Arthur Donovan, who voted with the sideline judges.
Billy Soose (left) battles for the middleweight crown during his 1941 bout with Ken Overlin. (Post-Gazette archives)
Overlin Seems Winner
Always making allowances for a difference of opinion in such cases, this one seemed to be actually a one-sided victory by Overlin and adding to this impression were the somewhat frantic efforts of Soose in the last round to go all out in order to achieve a knockout that might salvage what seemed to be certain defeat.
Unless the officials scored extra heavily for Soose’s steady advance…the decision must stand as one of the incongruous that a middleweight title fight has ever seen.
Except for a brief span in the eighth, ninth, and tenth rounds, two of which Soose won clearly and decisively because he seemed to have the champion in a little trouble in the ninth and tenth, Overlin seemed here to be far out in front most of the way.
Middleweight boxing champion Billy Soose, from Farrell, Pennsylvania. (Post-Gazette archives)
While he never had Soose in danger, he piled up point after point, cracking steadily to Billy’s stomach with a left hook, maneuvering the challenger out of position time after time to follow up with one-two belts to the head, and steadily frustrating the Farrell, Pennsylvania, boy in the various phases of fighting.
Overlin had nothing in his right hand to bother the tall challenger, but he belted Soose so often with a left hook that moved now to the chin, and then to the basement, that there seemed to be no question in the minds of ringsiders as to who was the top man at the finish.
Billy Has Flurry
Soose’s chief moment of glory, aside from the very satisfying verdict, came in the ninth and tenth rounds when he found the range for a while with right hand shots that put Overlin in temporary trouble, but the champ had enough savvy to fox himself out of danger. Soose was picking up a little ground in the latter half of the fight, but Overlin always had enough to stave off a Soose rally and enough to give him the edge, even while Soose was trying so eagerly after he found the range for a short time in the ninth and tenth here.
There was not a knockdown in the fight and neither boy was suffering from any serious marks at the finish, but from the standpoint of the heaviest and most consistent punching, Overlin seemed to have this one well in hand.
To Soose’s credit it must be said he never gave up, never yielded ground. He always seemed to be more eager to keep up a steady and fast pace, but Overlin had the challenger fighting just about the way that suited the veteran’s purpose.
Overlin would countercharge from a retreat and belt pretty hooks into the stomach and when this attack led him into close quarters, he fumbled and held while Soose tried in vain to test out his infighting. In short, Overlin scored best at long range, where Soose was weakest and checked the challenger where apparently Soose was the better because he was fresher and stronger.
It was a crestfallen champion who heard the title being announced away, after he had put up a swell, smart fight, and of course, it was elated Soose who bounced around when he was called the winner. Just a moment before Soose was throwing caution to the winds in an effort to land a kayo blow and there was in his actions the imprint of a loser.
Nothing but a new chance will satisfy Overlin’s rooters and likely they will be accommodated.