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Alfons Mello Tavares (January 31, 1906 – October 31, 1993) was an American
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
and professional
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom *Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe eel, ...
who was a contender for the world middleweight title in 1929-30. He held the New England Welterweight title during his career.


Early years

Tavares was born in
Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, It is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,5 ...
on January 16, 1906 of Portuguese heritage. As a youth, he worked in the textile mills, and took up boxing as a teenager, using the name Al Mello.


Amateur, and professional career

After winning the National Amateur Welterweight Championship, as a 5' 7", 148 pound welterweight, he qualified for the 1924 U.S. Olympic Boxing team in Paris. In his first fight, he defeated hometown favorite,
Georges Doussot Georges Doussot (born 16 October 1901, date of death unknown) was a French Boxing, boxer. He competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. In 1924, Doussot was eliminated in the first round of the Boxing at the 1924 Summer Olympics - Men's welterweight, w ...
of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
. In the second round, Al Knocked out
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
's
Edgar Christensen Edgar Normann Christensen (April 13, 1905 – July 13, 1977) was a Norwegian-American boxer who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. He was born in Minneapolis. Edgar Normann Christensen competed in the Olympics on behalf of Norway in 1924 ...
in the match's first few minutes. Unfortunately, in the quarterfinals, Al was eliminated in a second-round disqualification bout of the Olympic boxing final, losing to Héctor Méndez, of
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
. Mello turned professional after the Olympics in 1925, and earned the nickname, "the Stocky Portuguese Battler." Losing only two of his first twenty pro fights, he finished his six-year career record of 42 wins, 10 losses, with 22KOs. He lost only twice to a Technical knockout, but never was counted out for a full knockout. In April 1926, Al married Mary Veronica Rupa of Lowell. The couple travelled to
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
and New York Cites for their
honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...
. He began his training for a bout at
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in June.


Taking the USA New England welterweight title

Mello took the USA New England welterweight title against Jewish boxer Meyer Cohen at the Arena in Boston in an eighth round knockout on October 3, 1927. Mello's blows were cleaner and sharper, and he led in points throughout the bout. The ''Boston Globe'' wrote that Mello had first taken the USA New England title against George "Kid" Lee on July 7, 1926, but he actually lost the official decision. Of Mello's 10 losses, 4 were disqualifications for low punches. Some of his notable fights include wins over former middle and welterweight champions, Vince and
Joe Dundee Salvatore Lazzara (August 6, 1903 – March 31, 1982), better known by his boxing alias Joe Dundee, was an American boxer. ...
. He fought George Kid Lee four times, losing 3 of the 4. On February 27, 1928, Mello lost to highly rated world middleweight contender Ace Hudkins in a fourth round disqualification for punching low at the Arena in Boston. He lost to Hudkins earlier in a ten round points decision on June 1, 1927 in Queens. Al retired after his final fight with future world middleweight champion
Lou Brouillard Lucien Pierre Brouillard, better known as Lou Brouillard, (May 23, 1911 – September 14, 1984), was a Canadian professional boxer who held the World Welterweight Title and a version of the World Middleweight Title.
, which he lost in an eighth round technical knockout at the
Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (lat ...
on May 15, 1931 before 15,000 spectators. Mello had not boxed regularly for two years and took a terrific beating. Brouillard's left hooks connected too often and too powerfully in the eighth, causing Mello's manager to throw in the towel. The bout was for both the New England Middle and Welterweight titles. The Brouillard match was only one of two fights where Al lost due to a technical knock out, the other, just 23 months earlier, was in his second fight with
Gorilla Jones William Landon Jones (1906–1982) known as "Gorilla" Jones, was an American boxer who held the NBA Middleweight Boxing Championship of the World. Although he was nicknamed "Gorilla" for his exceptional reach, Jones is to be distinguished from th ...
.


Life after boxing

Al enlisted in the Army during World War II, and was involved in the Italian Campaign. After retiring, he opened "Al Mello's Restaurant" in his native Lowell. He died in 1993, at age 87, leaving six children and six grandchildren, and was buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery in Lowell."Deaths, Taveres", ''The Boston Globe'', Boston, Massachusetts, pg. 27, 2 November 1993


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mello, Al 1906 births 1993 deaths Sportspeople from Lowell, Massachusetts Boxers from Massachusetts Welterweight boxers Olympic boxers of the United States Boxers at the 1924 Summer Olympics American male boxers United States Army personnel of World War II American people of Portuguese descent