Lud
Lud
Shahbazian
Shahbazian
The Old Professor
James J. Braddock and Lud
Ludwig Joseph Shahbazian was born
February 2, 1902, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
He was the son of Shahbaz and Sohome ,
Armenian parents. He is considered in my
opinion the greatest sportswriter who ever
lived. Gregory Speciale, Joe Jennette-Square Joe
You have asked a resume of the Old Professor's
romance with boxing.
He goes all the way back to Joe Jennette, the
old Jersey heavyweight. He crashed a fight club
in old West Hoboken, a fight club run in a car
barn by Jennette himself who fought the great
Kid Norfolk in the feature bout.
Three years later he was cartoonist on the
Dispatch and drew fight cartoons on the
Dempsey-Carpentier fight for sports editor
Jackie Farrell. In November of 1922, Farrell
left the Dispatch to go to the New York Daily
News and Lud was made sports editor.
He now began covering as well as cartooning
fights at the old Oakland A.A. in Jersey City
and other Hudson county clubs. Among the
fighters he cartooned were such champions as
Gene Tunney, Pancho Villa, Battling Siki,
Tommy Loughran, Mike McTigue and local
fighters such as Jimmy Braddock and Gus
Lesnevich, Two-Ton Tony Galento; Paul
Cavaliere; Young Zazzerino; Irish Bobby
Brady; Irish Johnny Curtin; Jimmy Francis;
Harry Martone and Stanley Poreda.
In 1924 his cartoons caught the attention of
Frank Menke of King Features syndicate and
he was signed to illustrate the story of Sam
Langford's life. This was his first big break..
Some ten years later, after an illustrated series
titled "The 10 Greatest Fights I've Seen" he
wrote and illustrated "Relief to Royalty" the
story of James J. Braddock's rise to world's
heavyweight title. In the late 1930s, he
contributed many articles on Jersey boxing to
the Everlast Boxing Guide and also to Ring
Magazine and other boxing publications as
well as fight programs for some Madison
Square Garden fights.
World War II and television which followed
soon thereafter-put the kibosh on local boxing.
But the fighters he had helped sponsor by
running The Dispatch Golden Gloves from
1937 to 1942 were now forming veteran
boxers' organizations and he helped
considerably when Frankie Nelson, Young
Shugrue, Frankie Burns and Stanley Poreda
organized Ring 14. He was the toastmaster for
most of their dinners and he was toastmaster
for more than a dozen dinners of the New
Jersey Boxing Writers Association of which he
was a founder along with half a dozen other
Jersey boxing writers and sports editors.
From 1958 on up until the hiatus of two years
ago his toastmastership along with his cover
drawings for the New Jersey Boxing Writers
annual dinner (many of which may be found
on sale in flea markets today at good prices)
featured the dinners which honored such
figures as Jersey Joe Walcott and Chuck
Wepner; Commissioner Abe Greene; Mike
Rossman; Lou Duva; Christy Eilliott and
Charley Gellman among others. The dinners
were first held at Ballantine's in Newark, then
at Snuffy's in Scotch Plains and more recently
at Don's 21 in Newark-where it is planned to
resume in the near future, as soon as some
Jersey fighters gain enough prominence.
Although Lud is semi-retired now he is not out
of the boxing picture. He still bangs out a
weekly cartoon and column (mostly on
boxing) every Saturday for The Dispatch.
His boxing library, considered one of the best,
if not the best, in the Eastern states, contains
life stories on every heavyweight champion
since John L. Sullivan with the exception of
Ingemar Johannson and Floyd Patterson. And
Larry Holmes - whose biography will
undoubtedly be added to the list soon.
In 1970, Joseph Hurley, an assemblyman from
Hudson County, who had sponsored the Jersey
boxing law back in 1917, asked Gov. Cahill to
name Lud state boxing commissioner. Two
other newspapermen, John Hall and Abe
Greene had held the post in years gone by. Lud
would have been the third-but, even though
others pressed Cahill, and later Gov. Byrne, he
never got the appointment.
On June 22, 1974, the same night they honored
old timers Jim Farley and Jack Dempsey, Lud
was elected a lifetime member of the New York
Boxing Writers Association, of which he was a
member, too.
Inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame,
November 1, 1981. Source: njboxinghof.org
February 2, 1902, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
He was the son of Shahbaz and Sohome ,
Armenian parents. He is considered in my
opinion the greatest sportswriter who ever
lived. Gregory Speciale, Joe Jennette-Square Joe
You have asked a resume of the Old Professor's
romance with boxing.
He goes all the way back to Joe Jennette, the
old Jersey heavyweight. He crashed a fight club
in old West Hoboken, a fight club run in a car
barn by Jennette himself who fought the great
Kid Norfolk in the feature bout.
Three years later he was cartoonist on the
Dispatch and drew fight cartoons on the
Dempsey-Carpentier fight for sports editor
Jackie Farrell. In November of 1922, Farrell
left the Dispatch to go to the New York Daily
News and Lud was made sports editor.
He now began covering as well as cartooning
fights at the old Oakland A.A. in Jersey City
and other Hudson county clubs. Among the
fighters he cartooned were such champions as
Gene Tunney, Pancho Villa, Battling Siki,
Tommy Loughran, Mike McTigue and local
fighters such as Jimmy Braddock and Gus
Lesnevich, Two-Ton Tony Galento; Paul
Cavaliere; Young Zazzerino; Irish Bobby
Brady; Irish Johnny Curtin; Jimmy Francis;
Harry Martone and Stanley Poreda.
In 1924 his cartoons caught the attention of
Frank Menke of King Features syndicate and
he was signed to illustrate the story of Sam
Langford's life. This was his first big break..
Some ten years later, after an illustrated series
titled "The 10 Greatest Fights I've Seen" he
wrote and illustrated "Relief to Royalty" the
story of James J. Braddock's rise to world's
heavyweight title. In the late 1930s, he
contributed many articles on Jersey boxing to
the Everlast Boxing Guide and also to Ring
Magazine and other boxing publications as
well as fight programs for some Madison
Square Garden fights.
World War II and television which followed
soon thereafter-put the kibosh on local boxing.
But the fighters he had helped sponsor by
running The Dispatch Golden Gloves from
1937 to 1942 were now forming veteran
boxers' organizations and he helped
considerably when Frankie Nelson, Young
Shugrue, Frankie Burns and Stanley Poreda
organized Ring 14. He was the toastmaster for
most of their dinners and he was toastmaster
for more than a dozen dinners of the New
Jersey Boxing Writers Association of which he
was a founder along with half a dozen other
Jersey boxing writers and sports editors.
From 1958 on up until the hiatus of two years
ago his toastmastership along with his cover
drawings for the New Jersey Boxing Writers
annual dinner (many of which may be found
on sale in flea markets today at good prices)
featured the dinners which honored such
figures as Jersey Joe Walcott and Chuck
Wepner; Commissioner Abe Greene; Mike
Rossman; Lou Duva; Christy Eilliott and
Charley Gellman among others. The dinners
were first held at Ballantine's in Newark, then
at Snuffy's in Scotch Plains and more recently
at Don's 21 in Newark-where it is planned to
resume in the near future, as soon as some
Jersey fighters gain enough prominence.
Although Lud is semi-retired now he is not out
of the boxing picture. He still bangs out a
weekly cartoon and column (mostly on
boxing) every Saturday for The Dispatch.
His boxing library, considered one of the best,
if not the best, in the Eastern states, contains
life stories on every heavyweight champion
since John L. Sullivan with the exception of
Ingemar Johannson and Floyd Patterson. And
Larry Holmes - whose biography will
undoubtedly be added to the list soon.
In 1970, Joseph Hurley, an assemblyman from
Hudson County, who had sponsored the Jersey
boxing law back in 1917, asked Gov. Cahill to
name Lud state boxing commissioner. Two
other newspapermen, John Hall and Abe
Greene had held the post in years gone by. Lud
would have been the third-but, even though
others pressed Cahill, and later Gov. Byrne, he
never got the appointment.
On June 22, 1974, the same night they honored
old timers Jim Farley and Jack Dempsey, Lud
was elected a lifetime member of the New York
Boxing Writers Association, of which he was a
member, too.
Inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame,
November 1, 1981. Source: njboxinghof.org
Armenian American
1902 - 1990
Three words that describe Lud, sophisticated,
dynamic and original. He was able to do
almost the impossible and make it look easy,
only because he had a great facility with his
medium of which he could operate in a relaxed
fasion.
Lud with a great deal of discipline and hard
work gave the impression of fluency that came
naturally. He even liked to work hard
privately, making sure his work was just
wright.
He always remained objective in his reporting
and writing his columns and was in complete
control of what he was doing-in other words,
MASTERFUL!
In general he tried to make life as easy as
possible and enjoyed his work, frequently of a
technical nature, above all else, striving to his
objective goals.
With class like Lud's, the last thing you would
ever do is insult this great man's integrity. He
had more passion, more drive and a god given
gift, then any sportswriter I ever knew or will
ever know.
Lud Shahbazian is by far the greatest
humanitarian and sportswriter combo that
ever lived. He was simply the best at what he
did and today noboby even comes close.
Lud died July 5, 1990 in New Jersey.
Sources: Secret Language-Gregory Speciale
dynamic and original. He was able to do
almost the impossible and make it look easy,
only because he had a great facility with his
medium of which he could operate in a relaxed
fasion.
Lud with a great deal of discipline and hard
work gave the impression of fluency that came
naturally. He even liked to work hard
privately, making sure his work was just
wright.
He always remained objective in his reporting
and writing his columns and was in complete
control of what he was doing-in other words,
MASTERFUL!
In general he tried to make life as easy as
possible and enjoyed his work, frequently of a
technical nature, above all else, striving to his
objective goals.
With class like Lud's, the last thing you would
ever do is insult this great man's integrity. He
had more passion, more drive and a god given
gift, then any sportswriter I ever knew or will
ever know.
Lud Shahbazian is by far the greatest
humanitarian and sportswriter combo that
ever lived. He was simply the best at what he
did and today noboby even comes close.
Lud died July 5, 1990 in New Jersey.
Sources: Secret Language-Gregory Speciale
The Day of Class
Summer 1973
Left to Right: Charles Spina, John Leonard
(Brother of Benny) Solly Seeman and Lud
(Brother of Benny) Solly Seeman and Lud
Lud the Artist