White, Charley "Tommy"

Charles Anchowitz

An outstanding lightweight in the 1910s and 1920s, White fought the best boxers of his day, including Hall of Famers Jack Britton, Johnny Dundee, Freddie Welsh, Benny Leonard, Ted "Kid" Lewis, and Abe Attell.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 25, 1891 - d. unknown

Career Highlights:
Considered one of the best lightweights of the first half of the 20th Century, White fought in an era full of great lightweights. He turned professional in 1906 at the age of 15 and took the name Tommy White, a famed fighter of the 1890s. In 1909, White fought world featherweight champion Abe Attell, and while he lost in an eight-round decision, he began to learn the art of boxing. Over the next couple of years, White fought all-time greats Johnny Kilbane in 1911 (12-round no decision), Johnny Dundee in 1912 and 1913 (both ten-round no decisions), and Jack Britton in 1913 (eight-round loss).

By the mid-1910s, White had become a contender for the lightweight title as he continued to fight the best boxers around. In November 1914, he battled world champion Freddie Welsh in a non-title fight; the bout took place two months after Welsh won the title and ended in a no decision. White and Welsh fought two more non-title fights in 1915, and both ended in no decisions. That year, he also faced two welterweight champions, future champ Ted "Kid" Lewis in July and former champion Matt Wells in November (both bouts were no decisions). He then battled Wells three more times between January and March in 1916; the boxers split the decisions with one no decision.

On July 11, 1916, White fought Wells for a fifth time and knocked him out in the fifth round. Two months later, he got his first title shot when he fought champion Freddie Welsh. Up to this point in his career, White was known for a fearsome left hook, but he also seemed to lack a true killer instinct. This flaw cost him a title twice in his career, the first time in his bout with Welsh. White rocked the champion in both the 12th and 13th rounds, but did not close in and finish his opponent. In the 13th round, a section of the grandstand collapsed just as White was seemingly about to knock out the lightweight champ. In the confusion, Welsh recovered and eventually won in a 20-round decision.

White rebounded from the disappointment and remained a top contender in the late 1910s. Despite losing to Jack Britton in 1916 and to Wells in 1917 (in their sixth fight), White again had the opportunity to put away a champion when he faced the great Benny Leonard in 1920 (Leonard won the title from Welsh in 1917). In the fifth-round, White rocked Leonard with a left; but once again, he was slow in pressing the attack. Leonard regained his senses and knocked White out in the ninth-round. This inability to finish an opponent caused sportswriter Hype Igoe to state, "White is like the artist who can't resist the temptation of stepping back and admiring his incompleted work."

White continued to fight for another three years after losing to Leonard, but never received another title shot. In 1921 and 1922, he fought Johnny Dundee four times, with each fighter winning once, one draw, and one no decision. He also fought future world lightweight champion Rocky Kansas in 1923, the year he retired, but lost a 15-round decision. White had a terrific professional record of 80 wins out of 104 career decisions.

Origin:
Liverpool, England

Physical description:
5'6"

Career Statistics:
Professional record:
Wins: 80 (51 by knockout)
Losses: 16
Draws: 8
No decisions: 65
No contests: 1

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