MACHEN, EDDIE-HAROLD JOHNSON LARGE FORMAT WIRE PHOTO (1961)

On July 1, 1961 at Convention Hall in Atlantic City heavyweights Eddie Machen and Harold Johnson met in the main event. Johnson won a ten round decision. Harold Johnson, light heavyweight co-champion, narrowly outpointed Eddie Machen, second-ranking heavyweight contender, Saturday night in their nationally-televised, non-title fight but displayed little prowess which might earn him a shot at the heavyweight crown. Referee Paul Cavaliere awarded the decision to Johnson of Philadelphia on a rounds basis, 5-4-1, and the 3,942 fans in the huge Convention Hall greeted the verdict with mingled cheers and boos. It was Johnson's 15th consecutive victory. Johnson had hoped that Saturday night's performance against the No. 2 heavyweight contender would earn him the status of heavyweight challenger. However, it was a comparatively dull bout although spiced with several good exchanges. Johnson, favored at 8 to 5 over Machen of Portland, Ore. and Redding, Calif., was bleeding badly from a gash on his right brow and from the nose at the finish. Machen, 28, had a 12-pound advantage over 32-year-old Johnson. Eddie scaled 193 pounds to Harold's 181. However, it was Johnson who did most of the forcing and landed more of the harder punches. But Harold appeared unable to sustain any effective attacks against his smart, good punching opponent. There were no knockdowns but Machen almost slipped to the canvas in the sixth round while pulling away from a right to the body. Johnson landed two shots below the belt in the seventh round and was accused of thumbing by Machen in the fifth. As he left the ring, Johnson said he strained his left shoulder blocking a right to the head early in the bout. He said the cut on his right brow, sustained in the fifth session, also handicapped him. He added, "I believe the 181 pounds was too heavy for me. I wasn't as fast as I expected to be." It was the heaviest he had weighed in his career. Offered here is a scarce, original, large format wire photo which depicts action during the fight.
This is an original, large format wire photo with newspaper caption and date stamp on reverse. Bold imge. Clean front and back. Not creased or torn. Slightly irregular. 8 1/4" x 11 1/2"