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The Berkshire Eagle
14 September 1965
FORMER BOXING GREAT Dave Shade discusses
his controversial world welterweight championship bout
against Mickey Walker while visiting here at the home
of his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. William
Shade of 263 Barker Road. The fight was held 40
years ago a week from tonight. Walker retained the
title, but most newspapermen at ringside felt Shade
should have been voted the winner. Shade and his wife
drove here from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., where they
operate a motel. Shade, now 63, weighs 160 pounds,
which was what he weighed in his last fight 30 years ago.
Dave Shade, the fellow who was called by many "the uncrowned king of the welterweights," still thinks he licked Mickey Walker for the title 40 years ago next Tuesday night in New York. He said so yesterday in the living room of the home of his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. William Shade of 263 Barker Road, where the 63 year-old former boxer and his wife are spending a vacation from New Smyrna Beach, Fla. "Sure I beat Mickey," Dave said. "All the newspapermen thought so, but those gamblers took care of that. I carried a large majority of the first 14 rounds, but Mickey had a little the better of it in the 15th. One round shouldn't win a fight."
KO Over Slattery
Shade, still a trim 160 pounds or exactly what he weighed in his last professional bout in the old Auditorium here Feb. 4, 1935, gladly gave a demonstration of his famed crouch style. "You see, I was short-legged and long waisted, so this was good for me," he said as he crouched with his head only inches from the floor. Then he proceeded to show how he had knocked out highly rated Jimmy Slattery in the third round of the last bout before his championship meeting with Walker. "Slattery was a big fellow, and he came down to get me," Shade said. "I hit him in the belly and then in the chin, and that was it. When a man is off balance, it's easy to knock him out."
Shade lived in Pittsfield for 17 years from 1934 through 1951. He and Sam George operated a cafe on East Street near the south gate of the General Electric Co. It later was known as the Boulevard Cafe. He sold out his interest in 1951, and bought a small motel in New Smyrna Beach.
22 Broken Hands
Dave veritably bristled when we started to check on his fights with Walker, the famed Toy Bulldog. We advised that Nat Fleischer's Ring record book charged one knockout against Shade — that by Walker in 1921 in the first of their three meetings. "I was never knocked out by anyone , " Shade declared
"Walker won that fight on a technical knockout in the eighth round. My hand was broken, so the referee stopped the fight." Shade showed his hands “that have been broken 22 times," he
said.
He fought Walker in a 12 round return bout at Newark later in 1921, and this one went into the record book as "no decision. "I licked him that time," Dave said. "Then I defeated him four years later, but he was given the decision."
Dave said that his motel "is just enough to keep me busy." To get away from the monotony of the management of the place, he golfs, fishes and hunts. Yesterday morning, he and 18 year old grandson Bob Shade were considering a round of golf at Wahconah Country Club in Dalton. He fishes and hunts at his camp 14 miles from his home. His favorite game is wild turkey.
Shade always has gone for camps. He had one of his own in this area. That was at Sandisfield. His daughter-in-law called attention to the naming of a road after Dave. The road leading to the Sandisfield camp is known as Dave Shade Road. Mrs. Shade broke in to answer a question for him. "He hasn't been to a pro boxing bout since the last time he fought," she said.
Checks With Wife
Shade occasionally had to check with his wife for names of opponents, years and sites. Talk turned to the many bouts he had outside the country , Australia, England, South America. "She's my brain," he said. "Don't tell me those Aussies can't fight," he said. "I bought the little motel to keep active," he said. "A man can't just retire. He has to have something to do to stay alive. That's why I didn't put on any weight."
Shade said the motel helps him to keep in touch with Pittsfield. Explaining, he said "every year we see somebody from Pittsfield." Shade fought 149 professional bouts. He lost, only 15. He admittedly was. over the hill when he started to fight here. He had four bouts under the promotion of Police Capt. John Hines and Marty Cronin. Two were in 1934, two in 1935.
He drew with Al Rossi, beat Joe Kaminski and Bob Turner, and lost to Al Gainer, whom he had beaten four years earlier. Dave and his wife plan to leave Pittsfield late this week. They probably will drive to California before they return to New Smyrna Beach. Both are natives of California, and Mrs. Shade has relatives in the San Francisco area.
14 September 1965
FORMER BOXING GREAT Dave Shade discusses
his controversial world welterweight championship bout
against Mickey Walker while visiting here at the home
of his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. William
Shade of 263 Barker Road. The fight was held 40
years ago a week from tonight. Walker retained the
title, but most newspapermen at ringside felt Shade
should have been voted the winner. Shade and his wife
drove here from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., where they
operate a motel. Shade, now 63, weighs 160 pounds,
which was what he weighed in his last fight 30 years ago.
Dave Shade, the fellow who was called by many "the uncrowned king of the welterweights," still thinks he licked Mickey Walker for the title 40 years ago next Tuesday night in New York. He said so yesterday in the living room of the home of his son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. William Shade of 263 Barker Road, where the 63 year-old former boxer and his wife are spending a vacation from New Smyrna Beach, Fla. "Sure I beat Mickey," Dave said. "All the newspapermen thought so, but those gamblers took care of that. I carried a large majority of the first 14 rounds, but Mickey had a little the better of it in the 15th. One round shouldn't win a fight."
KO Over Slattery
Shade, still a trim 160 pounds or exactly what he weighed in his last professional bout in the old Auditorium here Feb. 4, 1935, gladly gave a demonstration of his famed crouch style. "You see, I was short-legged and long waisted, so this was good for me," he said as he crouched with his head only inches from the floor. Then he proceeded to show how he had knocked out highly rated Jimmy Slattery in the third round of the last bout before his championship meeting with Walker. "Slattery was a big fellow, and he came down to get me," Shade said. "I hit him in the belly and then in the chin, and that was it. When a man is off balance, it's easy to knock him out."
Shade lived in Pittsfield for 17 years from 1934 through 1951. He and Sam George operated a cafe on East Street near the south gate of the General Electric Co. It later was known as the Boulevard Cafe. He sold out his interest in 1951, and bought a small motel in New Smyrna Beach.
22 Broken Hands
Dave veritably bristled when we started to check on his fights with Walker, the famed Toy Bulldog. We advised that Nat Fleischer's Ring record book charged one knockout against Shade — that by Walker in 1921 in the first of their three meetings. "I was never knocked out by anyone , " Shade declared
"Walker won that fight on a technical knockout in the eighth round. My hand was broken, so the referee stopped the fight." Shade showed his hands “that have been broken 22 times," he
said.
He fought Walker in a 12 round return bout at Newark later in 1921, and this one went into the record book as "no decision. "I licked him that time," Dave said. "Then I defeated him four years later, but he was given the decision."
Dave said that his motel "is just enough to keep me busy." To get away from the monotony of the management of the place, he golfs, fishes and hunts. Yesterday morning, he and 18 year old grandson Bob Shade were considering a round of golf at Wahconah Country Club in Dalton. He fishes and hunts at his camp 14 miles from his home. His favorite game is wild turkey.
Shade always has gone for camps. He had one of his own in this area. That was at Sandisfield. His daughter-in-law called attention to the naming of a road after Dave. The road leading to the Sandisfield camp is known as Dave Shade Road. Mrs. Shade broke in to answer a question for him. "He hasn't been to a pro boxing bout since the last time he fought," she said.
Checks With Wife
Shade occasionally had to check with his wife for names of opponents, years and sites. Talk turned to the many bouts he had outside the country , Australia, England, South America. "She's my brain," he said. "Don't tell me those Aussies can't fight," he said. "I bought the little motel to keep active," he said. "A man can't just retire. He has to have something to do to stay alive. That's why I didn't put on any weight."
Shade said the motel helps him to keep in touch with Pittsfield. Explaining, he said "every year we see somebody from Pittsfield." Shade fought 149 professional bouts. He lost, only 15. He admittedly was. over the hill when he started to fight here. He had four bouts under the promotion of Police Capt. John Hines and Marty Cronin. Two were in 1934, two in 1935.
He drew with Al Rossi, beat Joe Kaminski and Bob Turner, and lost to Al Gainer, whom he had beaten four years earlier. Dave and his wife plan to leave Pittsfield late this week. They probably will drive to California before they return to New Smyrna Beach. Both are natives of California, and Mrs. Shade has relatives in the San Francisco area.
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