 He had previously defeated McManus on February 28, at the Olympia in a six-round newspaper decision of the "Philadelphia Inquirer", in a fast fight where he boxed before a Philadelphia audience for the first time.McManus was a prolific boxer who had met New York Jewish featherweight Eddie Wallace, lightweight contender Patsy Cline, and New York Jewish lightweight contender Lew Tendler, but had not fared well against them.Capable of power, he had knocked out at least three of his early opponents, but had fared poorly in his late career.