list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time". He fought his first thirty-five fights out of Beecher's gym, winning thirty-three, but drawing two with Jack Sharkey, Jr., a tough opponent. In an early career highlight, Davis met Bernie Friedkin on July 22, 1938, another Jewish boxer from Brooklyn who had trained at Willie and Charlie Beecher's gym in Brownsville. Davis was only eighteen so the bout could not exceed six rounds according to New York regulations, yet it was featured as the main event and drew a crowd of around 4,000 at Madison Square Garden. The more experienced Friedkin was a 6-5 favorite, but Davis pounded him with his signature left hooks in the first round. Friedkin, skilled in defense, recovered enough to win the second with good blocking, but lost the third on a foul. Following wicked lefts to the body in the early fourth, Davis went to the head and Friedkin slumped to the canvas after a left to the jaw. He tried to get up at the count of eight, but slumped again, and the referee stopped the bout 1:09 into the fourth. Wins over Tony Canzoneri, Tippy Larkin, 1939 He made a name for himself when he scored a three-round technical knockout over the great, but aging former lightweight champion Tony Canzoneri on November 1, 1939 at Madison Square Garden. Canzoneri, a former dual weight class champion, had never before been the victim of a knockout, though he was eleven years older than Davis at the time of the fight. Davis landed two solid blows to the chin of Canzoneri at the end of the second, and by the third his left had put Canzoneri down for a count of four, and then for a count of seven before the referee called the fight. Canzoneri's popularity did little to help Davis earn an audience among the many fight fans who adored and respected Canzoneri as one of the all time greats. The crowd booed him after his victory over the popular ex-champion. He followed up that victory with a five-round KO over Tippy Larkin on December 15, 1939. It is important to note that Larkin had a wide lead in points coming into the fourth, before Davis found his mark in the fifth. In that round, Davis's left to the midriff ended the bout, but it was preceded by two heavy lefts to the ribs, and