The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-26
FRED COCHRANE LISTED SIXTH
 BY FLE|SCHER
Sugar Ray Refuses to Meet COlored Boys Coco Kid,
 Wilson or Armstrong
DY JACK CUDDY United Press staff Currcspendentb

lCMlscd Press starr Cuftcspondentb
 New York, Dec. 26,--(up) Young Ray Robinson, New york'N unbeaeeAl Negro welterwelyht contender. hl named fighter of the year" by thsl Ring magazine which released iWl 18th annual boxing rankings today
 Corporal Barney Ross Of the Ul s. Marines ls awarded Q golf-sllvoi medal for having he'd tho grent.l est luslrc on boxing during ipaal by his heroism against the Japs al ouadalcanal,
 Tho No, 3 berth m the fivhter.| of.the.year competition went tc| Sgt, Joe Louis, heavyweight chama pion; No. 3 to Willie Pep of Aart-- ford, Conn., the New York.brNnd| featherwelght champion, and No, <| to Henry Armstrong for his great comeback,
 The Rings copyrighted ranklngs which include both service and elv.' ilian boxers, rate two civilian box, CTS, rate two civilian Negro leath, or~tosSers above two world cham pions now in the service Youna Robinson tops the welterwelght di% vision, with champion Freddie Cocha rano dropped to sixth place. n the light-heavywcight division Jimmy Bivins of Cleveland takes top ranking, with champion 0uS LoSnevleh of tho Coast Guard iIN second.
 Nat Fletcher, editor Of tho maea@ zine, explains that young RobinsoYK was voted the fighter-of-th yeau award after an examination of rec~ ords of 2,l00 professional boxers. TIA performances In la straight straight victories during the year were more impressive than those of any otheI fighter, However, Flcischer rep& rlmands Robinson for failing t@ meet two other prominent NegrG welters--Sgt, Jackie wilson of Cali fornia and Cocoa Kid of New Ha ven, Conn,
 Cocoa Kid Fourth
 Henry Armstrong, former tripI* champ, lS ranked second to Robtnz son in tho welter class, followed hs Sgt. wilson, Cocoa Kid. Mart Servo and champion Cochrane, wh engaged in only two non-tltle bou during ieA2 and lost both,
 sammy Angott, recently retire lightweight champion, still is rate No. 1 man in hls division by tlsH Ring, which refuses to reoogniz Beau Jak of Georgia as new kin of the lS6.poundners, although NeW York has given such reoognitloln,
 Louis, who helted out Buddy BaeI5 Abe SimonS, leads the heaviest, Fol lowed by Bob Pastor tnow retired Billy Conn, Melio Bettina, BivlnH (of the light heaviest, Tami Maud riello and Turkey Thompson. Lem Franklin, Clevelanud Negro heavy, ia called the biggest disappointment ol the year,
 Editor Flelseher, la his story thai will appear in the Rings FebruarJ Issue, stresses war aspects of the| sport. He emphasizes that moro more than 1000 professional and amateur boxers are in service, in& cluding g past and four eurren* pro champs, Four pros already hava killed in action.
 Although war conditions caused complete shut.downs of boxing iii Il states, tho year was Q financial success in fight centers like New] York, Cleveland, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
 N. B. 4. Champ 23
 The Ring recognizes Willie Pep as| featherweight champion champloll| by virtue Of his victory over Cha.iky| Wright, and ranks the NBA ttile| claimant, Pittsburgh Jackie Wil-| son, far down tho ieatterweight list| in the 23rd berth. Pops 2S straight| victories in lea2 provided Q hieh-| light as did the record indoor| featherweight gate of $7i,e6s which, he drew In his bout with Wright,| Manuel Ortiz of Los Angeles ia| recognized as new bantam cham-l pion.