Bushy Graham (18 June 1903 – 5 August 1982) was an American boxer from New York City. He took the Undisputed World Bantamweight Championship on May 23, 1928, when he defeated Corporal Izzy Schwartz at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. Unwilling to defend the title at the bantamweight limit, he vacated it in January, 1929, and in the 1930s became a top rated World Featherweight contender.
He had a number of managers who included Peter Carro, Bill Parr, Dewey Fragetta, Joe Netro, and Joe Falcone.
Early life and career highlights Angelo Gerraci was born on June 8, 1905, in Calabria, Italy. He took the ringname Graham from a Canadian boxer he admired, and possibly to honor the many accomplished Irish boxers of his era who were popular in New York. He adopted the nickname "Bushy" from the look of his thick, dark, wavy hair. In New York, particularly in his early career, Graham frequently boxed under the name Micky Garcia, or in rare cases Bobby Garcia. Graham had a brother who boxed under the name of "Frankie Garcia" and "Frankie Graham".
Bushy Graham became a professional boxer in 1921, and initially boxed exclusively near his hometown of Utica, or in the state of New York.
On March 28, 1924, Graham defeated Frankie Ash in a six-round points decision in Syracuse, New York.
Bouts with Flyweight Champion Frankie Genaro
Graham fought American and future NBA World Flyweight Champion Frankie Genaro On July 7, 1924, in Rochester, New York, to a draw. In a spirited rematch on September 23, Genaro defeated Graham by a twelve-round decision in Brooklyn. Genaro took seven rounds, and scored knockdowns in the fourth, eighth, and twelfth, pulling ahead most decisively in the last three rounds. He was the aggressor with fast left jabs and right crosses, and mixed frequently with Graham throughout the bout."Detroit Boy And Chilean Battler", The Anaconda Standard, pg.13, 18 May 1926"Genaro is Winner Over Bushy Graham", Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, New York, pg. 28, 24 September 1924
Win over Genaro, May, 1926 On May 17, 1926, he met Genaro for a third time at New York's Madison Square Garden in the first of three feature bouts and defeated him in a speedy ten round points decision. Before a capacity crowd of 18,000, Graham used his longer reach, and slight extra weight to advantage against New York's former American flyweight champion. Winning handily, Graham side stepped and smartly countered with his left, which he held extended as Genaro came at him repeatedly. Both boxers left the ring showing signs of battle on their faces.Graham sidestepped and used his left in "Graham is Winner Over Former Champ", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pg. 23, 18 May 1926"McGraw and Loayza Meet on Even Terms", Star-Gazette, Elmira, New York, pg. 8, 18 May 1926
On September 8, 1924, fighting as Mickey Garcia in a ten-round semi-final, he defeated Jackie Snyder in a disqualification, 1:35 into the eighth round at Queensboro Athletic Club in Queens, New York. The referee ended the bout when Graham received a low blow and was unable to continue."Setback Given to Challenger", The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, pg. 13, 9 September 1924
He defeated Jewish boxer Nat Pincus in a technical knockout, 1:03 into the eighth round on January 9, 1925, at New York's Madison Square Garden. In what the Brooklyn Daily Eagle termed a "brilliant exhibition", Graham knocked Pincus to the mat once in the first, twice in the fourth, and once in the eighth. Dancing with his hands by his side as was his style, Graham brought up either fist at the slightest opening. He dropped Pincus in the first with a right hand smash to the chin. A solid left hook brought Pincus to the mat again for a count of nine in the fourth. Pincus gamely fought on, taking further punishment, but connecting with blows that slowed Graham a bit until the final round."Graham Kayoes Nate Pincus in Bout in Garden", Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, pg. 15, 10 January 1925Dancing with his hands by his side in Holmes, Thomas, "The Same Old Thing Over Again", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 14, 10 January 1925 The brutal match may have contributed to the boxing retirement of Pincus, who fought few additional bouts after his crushing loss.
On June 24, 1925, Graham won a ten-round newspaper decision against Pete Zivic in Utica, New York. Zivic was down in the seventh and was quite weak by the end of the match."Graham Beats Zivic", The News Herald, Franklin, Pennsylvania, pg. 8, 25 June 1925
Victory over Abe Goldstein, July 1925 On July 23, 1925, Graham defeated Abe Goldstein, a 1923 NYSAC World Bantamweight Champion, in an exciting eight round points decision at the Velodrome in New York City. Graham, who fought under the name Mickey Garcia, sent Goldstein to the mat in the first and fourth rounds. Graham's decisive win came in a semi-final match prior to Charlie "Phil" Rosenberg's main bout, and served to spotlight Graham as a future challenger to Rosenberg's world bantamweight title."Abe Goldstein Beaten", The Gazette Times, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 11, 24 July 1925Was semi-final bout in "Graham is Easy Winner Over Goldstein", "Press and Sun-Bulletin", Bighampton, New York, pg. 28, 24 July 1925 Graham had previously defeated Tommy Ryan in an eight-round points decision on New Years Day, 1925, in Syracuse. Ryan had contended unsuccessfully against Goldstein for the NYSAC Bantamweight Championship in September, 1924.
Bouts with Bantamweight Champion, Bud Taylor, 1925
On July 31, 1925, he met 1927–1928 NBA World Bantamweight Champion Bud Taylor in Aurora, Illinois. Though, outweighing Taylor by six pounds, Graham lost in a ten-round newspaper decision of the New York Times. Graham was down for a count of nine in the first round from a left uppercut from Taylor, and upon arising was down again for a count of seven, but he soldiered on. In the ninth, Taylor was down for a no-count from a right by Graham. In a close bout, The Chicago Tribune gave four rounds to Taylor, two for Graham, and scored four even.Graham down twice in the first in "Bud Taylor Had Shade the Better of Bushy Graham", The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Illinois, pg. 10, 1 August 1925
He won the second meeting with Taylor on August 24, 1925, in Queens, New York, in a close twelve round points decision. Both boxers gave blows equally, but Graham appeared to gain the edge in several rounds due to his speed and inflicted more damage to Taylor in the majority of rounds. The fight was considered quite close throughout.The bout was quite close in "Bud Taylor Loses to Bushy Graham", Racine Journal, Racine, Wisconsin, pg. 14, 25 August 1925Graham won more rounds in the very fast bout in "Graham Beats Taylor", The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, pg. 7, 25 August 1925
August 5, 1926, at New York's Madison Square Garden, Graham scored a technical knockout over Dominick Petrone due to a dislocated right shoulder he complained of :45 seconds into the eighth round. The referee stopped the bout when Petrone requested an end to the match due to his injury."Suggs Slugs Way to Win", The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, pg. 11, 6 August 1926
On September 2, 1926, he defeated top rated bantamweight Chick Suggs in a ten-round points decision at Madison Square Garden. Graham dominated in the final two rounds, battering Sugts in a bout that clearly placed Graham at the top of world bantamweight title contenders."Graham Licks Chick Sugs to Beat Title Contenders", Elmira Star-Gazette, Elmira, New York, pg. 9, 3 September 1926 Graham danced through the ten rounds, showing his best technique against his undefeated opponent, and nearly gaining a knockout in the ninth, though Suggs fought on and remained on his feet throughout the bout."Suggs Loses to Bushy Graham", The Evening News, Harrisburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 21, 3 September 1926Suggs was a top-rated Bantamweight contender in
Breaking a long winning streak, on December 17, 1926, he fought future triple weight class world champion Tony Canzoneri at Madison Square Garden in a non-title match and lost by a ten-round points decision. Though he would become Graham's most accomplished opponent, Canzoneri's victory over Graham was considered an upset at the time, as he had been boxing only two years. Canzoneri won the first round and then forced the fighting throughout the match. Graham, by comparison, seemed passive, and moved about the ring without summoning any power in his offensive, perhaps wary of the skill of his opponent.Farrell, Henry, "Tony Canzoneri Features Latest Boxing Upset", The Courier News, Bridgewater, New Jersey, pg. 12, 18 December 1926
Attempt at NYSAC World Bantamweight Title, 1927 On February 4, 1927, Graham first gained the opportunity to fight for the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) World Bantamweight Title held by Charley Phil Rosenberg. Rosenberg defeated him in a fifteen-round unanimous decision at New York's Madison Square Garden. Rosenberg weighed in at 122.5 lbs., four pounds over the limit for the title match. Regardless of Rosenberg's inability to make weight, Graham would have taken the world bantamweight title had he won the match. His speed carried him into a slight edge in the first four rounds, but Rosenberg discovered the key to Graham's defense in the remaining rounds, and dominated him with solid blows."Bushy Graham Wins And Loses", Star-Gazette, New York, New York, pg. 9, 5 February 1927"Phil Rosenberg Laces Bushy Graham", The Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach, Florida, pg. 14, 5 February 1927 Though unable to knock his opponent to the mat during the match, Rosenberg unleashed a barrage of punches from the second round until the close. After the second, Graham suffered frequently from Rosenberg's lefts to the head.
NBA and NYSAC World Bantamweight Champ, 1928 He received another shot at the vacant NYSAC and National Boxing Association titles when he met Corporal Izzy Schwartz. Graham defeated Schwartz in a fifteen-round unanimous decision on May 23, 1928, at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. A strong aggressor in the thirteenth, Graham dropped Schwartz for a nine count in the fourteenth. The fighting was fierce in the fifteenth, and Schwartz received additional punishment including a terrific right cross as the bell rang, though Schwartz remained on his feet til the final bell. Graham was awarded twelve rounds, Schwartz, the seventh and eighth, with the sixth even. The early rounds were closer than the final three, with Schwartz mounting an excellent defense. Neil Edward, of the Democrat and Chronicle, wrote that the bout was close through the first ten rounds. The fight was controversial and unpopular as Graham outweighed his flyweight opponent by at least seven pounds, an unusually wide span for a title bout.Hughes, Ed, "Eight pounds Corporal Gave Away Fatal Against Fighter Like the Victor", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 26, 24 May 1928Neil, Edward, Close for the first ten rounds in "Graham Defeats Izzy Schwartz for Bantamweight Title", Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, New York, pg. 9, 24 May 1928 He did not defend the NYSAC bantamweight title, vacating it in January 1929.
He knocked out Babe Keller in the second round of a scheduled ten round feature bout at the Music Hall Arena in Cincinnati on February 13, 1929. Kellar showed the desire to mix in the first round, which could have been ruled as close by some ringsiders. The tide turned early in the second round when Graham downed Keller with a right to the chin for a count of nine. Not long after arising, Graham tagged his opponent out with a left and then a right that put Keller down for the count."Quick Work, Champion Stops Babe", The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, pg. 10, 14 February 1929