Evening star., 1908-12-20
GHETTO TURNS OUT
GOOD BOXERS
Several of New York's Best
Pugs Were Residents of
This Quarter.

| NEW YORK, December l?-As a place
| where prize fighters who have won both
| fame and fortune in the ring are de-
veloped there is IN all probability no
| locality III Greater New York that can
| be compared to the ghetto.
For many years this busy quarter
| of a busy city has been the stamping
| ground of the fighters who have had to
be reckoned with when it came to making
| fistic history. Today it is the hotbed OF
pugilism. harboring athletic clubs turn
ing out with surprising rapidity scrap
| pers of recognized skill, strength and re-
| soUrcefulneSS.
Even though il is true that the ghetto
has not produced a simon pure champion
| it's representatives nevertheless have
come so near 10 the championship that
they We're looked upon as topnotchers III
| their respective classes.
The advent of Leach Cross the young
! Hebrew lightweight Is an excellent IL
! ,ustration of the prOSressivenesS of the
ghetto fighter. Less than two years ago
| Gross, whose right name is Louis Wal
ZACH. was an obscure and struggling pre-
! lminar! fighter. trying to earn sufhc1ent
to become a dentist. Today this same
young boxer has one of the best appoint
ed dental establishments on the East
Side He is prospecting and has enough
patients to keep two assistants busy.
IT is "A boxer that Cross derives his
biggest income. Cross has made rapid
strides in the brief time he has been in
the ring. and is now regarded as one OF
| the best drawing cards at the local clubs.
At any rate. his services are in demand.
and il is nothing for him to engage In
bouts al an average of two or three times
a month. His earnings in tho ring just
now are estimated at from $500 TO
$1,000 a month
The first fighter to bring the ghetto into
prominence was Dolly Lyons. Lyons
was a feathcrweight whose followers
swore by him. He was their logical
candidate for the featherweight title. and
many OF his friends believed that he had
a good chance of defeating George Dixon,
who at that time was in his prime. For
some reason. though, the two never came
together in "A serious bout. They met in
several exhibition contests in which the
renowned negro Invariably demonstrated
his superiority.
When Dixon went on the road he took
Lyons with him as his sparrinS partner.
The experience was a great help to Lyons.
who improved wonderfully under the ne
sro's efficient coaching. But the glamour
of the stage and it's many temptations
were too much for Lyons, and ne de-
clined steadily. making him an easy VIC
tim for fighters who We're greatly his IN
ferior Lyons soon passed out of the
Nmelisht and a few years ago died d
| total wreck in one of the local hospitals
Harris Proves False Alarm.
About twelve years ago young man
strong as bull and bubbling with am
bition surprised the sporting world by
his rapid advancement as a pugiist.
He was Mike Harris. typical product
of the ghetto. Harris earned his spurs
at the Bowery theaters where limited
bouts were held in conjunction with
theatrical performances.
Harris chief asset was his strength
and fearlessness. He was not endowed
with much skill, but he possessed the
faculty of being able to punch hard
and accurately. About the time Harris
was making his reputation Joe Walcott
was coming to the fore as contender
for welterwcight honorS.
1t was not long before match be
tween Harris and Walcott was made,
and they met at the Academy OF Music,
this city. Walcott undertook the task
of subduing tha youngster in four
rounds but failed. Harris star after
that encounter was soon in the ascend
ant and he was forthwith delused with
offers for matches all over the coun-
try Harris sudden success was a
barrier to his future career, apparent
ly for in his other scraps he failed
to display even a spark of the ability
that first led his friends to believe that
they had a real champion. Like Lyons,
Harris soon faded into obscurity.
Probably no pusilist who first saw the
light in the ghetto was hailed with such
acclaim as was Joe Bernstein. Bern
stein easily was the best fighter the
Ghetto ever developed and approached
nearer to the championship goal than
any other knight OF the glove from the
East Side.
In praising Bernstcin'S virtues and
chronicing his weak points as d fighter
the fact remains lndlsputable that ne
always tried to fight on the square. He
was the most ambitious and withal the
best of the entire crop OF ghetto bruiS-
ers Game to fault Bernstein never
shirked any issue i'll the ring. He was
invariably confident and without fear and
was ready to go into the fray even when
he realized that the odds were against
him But he was very unfortunate and
lost battles which. under any ordinary
conditions would have been returned in
his favor. 1t was these qualities that en-
deared him to the followers of the manly
art and they remained loyal to him, in
suring a crowded house every time he
fought.
Bernstein's popularity never received a
better compliment than on the night when
he was Terry McGovern's opponent at the
old Broadway Athletic Club. The en-
counter was the crucial test OF Bern
stems career and after twenty-five VIC
ious and exciting rounds. in which the
Hebrew met the erStWhile Terrible with
blow for blow. Bernstein was de-
feated only on points.
Loyal to Joe Bernstein.
Weeks in advance of the mill Bern.
stems friends boarded their savings to
risk on his chances of beating Mccoy
ern They sWamped the ring with their
money on the night of the bout. forcing
the odds down from > 10 | in McGovern' s
favor to $ to ;. And when the referee
decided against Joe, the lattcrs friends
never wavered. but turned out just as
! Loyalty the next time he fought.
When bernstein faced George Dixon
the East Side was atiame with excitement
and apprehension y victory over Dixon
meant a real ghetto champion, the first
in the history of the well known quarter.
| Those who were unable to attend the
scrap crowded about the tickers, eager for
| every InorseI Of information on the prog
ress of tie fight.
! Excitement in many places on the East
| Side was so intense. especially where
bulletins of each round We're posted that
hurry calls for the police reserves had
to be sent in order to clear the streets.
hsl.,