August 1978: First professional female boxer to make it on the cover of Ring Magazine – Cathy “Cat” Davis.

In August of 1978, Cathy “Cat” Davis was the first woman to ever make it on the cover of RING MAGAZINE.  Unlike the response the public had over the highly publicized 1996 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED issue of Christy Martin, you would have thought that the world had come to an end. After Davis was featured on the front cover, Ring Magazine, which was only trying to be fair to women and display one of the more note protest of RING doing such a thing.   In that era, RING never showcased another female.

WBAN HAS THE  MAGAZINE IN THE WBAN ARCHIVE COLLECTION

Unfortunately many negative news on this fighter and her questionable (manager…advisor?) Sal Algiera were darkened by possible fixed fights, and more.  In one past article listed on WBAN, called “The Great White Hype” pointed out many things about Algiera and more.  An excerpt from that article at http://www.womenboxing.com/davisround2.htm they stated the following published in November 1979.  On many occasions WBAN reached out to Davis to get her input about all of this, but never did get to that point with her…..Excerpt is as follows:

CAT’S LAST BOUT

The Cat Davis/Ernestine Jones fight in Atlanta was a one-sided mismatch. Jones knocked Davis down five times and the contest was stopped at the end of the third round. After the fight, in the dressing room, Algieri made various complaints and alibis. He said Cat was sick and drugged. He said her opponent should have been disqualified for pushing. But, to her credit, Cat Davis said: “Don’t make excuses, Sal. I lost. It was a fair fight, and I lost. Don’t make excuses.”

But Algieri saw all that money going down the drain, all the television offers for his “undefeated” product vanishing. He had to do something to salvage his gimmick.

Five days after the fight, Jack Cowen got a telegram in Chicago. Cowen, a respected boxing veteran, is the manager of Ernestine Jones. The telegram said that the result of the fight was officially being changed to “no contest” because of dirty tactics, and that Cowen, “Connie Smith,” and trainer Randy Tidwill were being “suspended for six months.” The telegram was signed by Al Gallello, “chairman of the Women’s Boxing Federation.”

The Women’s Boxing Federation exists only on a letterhead and a post-office box. The WBF letterhead also lists Sal Algieri as an “adviser.” Until recently, the WBF and Algieri shared the same post-office-box address in Lodi, New Jersey. Boxing Illustrated magazine refuses to publish WBF “ratings” because they are phony. And Al Gallello is a close friend of Algieri’s according to athletic commission records, he was Algieri’s manager 15 years ago. The WBF is a flagrant front and is not recognized as having any legitimate standing by the New York State Athletic Commission.

Jack Cowen was naturally furious that Algieri was trying to tamper with the legitimate result of the June 7 bout. And, on August 25, 1978, Cowen gave a notarized affidavit to the New York State Athletic Commission. The affidavit says, in part:

“Two days prior to the fight, Mr. Algieri made several attempts to myself and Randy Tidwell for Ms. Jones to lose the bout, stating she “had to lose” in order that Mr. Algier’s television arrangements would not be affected by a loss. Mr. Algieri also stated that if Ms. Jones lost, it would mean a television appearance by one of our other female boxers.”

Cowen has also told the New York commission that he was instructed by Algieri to give Jones the name of “Connie Smith” for the Atlanta bout. The Atlanta papers and the wire services did report that “Connie Smith” defeated Davis that night. The real Jones who knocked Cat out had only had one professional fight before, and she had lost it. Cowen thinks he was asked to use the name “Connie Smith” because there was another female boxer by that name, and it would look better on Cat’s record.