The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-02-08
GEORGE LEATHAM A
WINNER OVER KID
COMMODORE
BATTLE FOUGHT IN PRIVATE
NEAR EcoRsE - CANADIAN
SHOWED CROWD SWELL WORK
AT CLOSE QUARTERS.

Given what he was frankly admon-
ished was last chance as boxer
before Detroit crowd. Kid Commo-
Z dore, former featherweight champion
OF Michigan and mighty tough lit
tie customer yet, threw down his
friends, cast the advice OF his seconds
to the winds and. after falling In at
least a dozen futile attempts to &C
c0mpttsh hts purpose, finally feaie4
George Leatham. or Nova Scotia, in
the eleventh round of a private bat
tie. held last night II road house
near Ecorse.
Never was boxer guilty OF q foul
er act than Commodore's, nor was
the end excused In the least by the
fact that he had for nine rounds
fought game II losing battle with
the Canadian. Leatham had piled up
margin In almost every round and
had shown the little crowd OF $50
people. some or the most savage In
fighting ever witnessed. He had
carved Commodore's face with iefts
and rights, had broken the boxers
nose into bits, had slashed his right
eye and had knocked him down half
dozen times. The limit OF 10 rounds
seemed away out OF Commodore's
reach. until the Delray boy began to
show the endurance and gameness Tor
which he has long been famous. AT
the time he started the fouling tao
ties 1t was 10 ! that he TASTED the
limit Of the Is rounds. set for the
battle. In the ninth he had landed
his most telling blow OF the fight--a
left to the body, which curled Leath-
am up and kept him close to the
moor for good half-minute. The
crowd was with Commodore and want
cd him to win, futile though the hope
seemed.
4 But the tenth round saw Leatham
doing all the landing again. He push
Cd Commodore's head back with a
vicious straight left and staggered
him with rights to the jaw. Comma
flore wrestled back and three times
Was accused by those In Leatham's
corner OF trying to hit low. but failed
20 land.
Bloody. but still fairly strong. Com
modore went to his corner and was
pponged on for what proved to be the
flnal period.
Commodore had scarcely gotten 10
his feet for the opening OF the round
when the Canadian tore across the
ring like q mad bull. swinging right !
and left. Both blows landed and the
pair went down in heap In Commo-
dore's corner. Apparently this show
'of further aggressiveness decided Com |
modore for, In the next exchange, he |
made no EFFORT to hit his opponent
with his fists, but attempted twice 70
drive home his knee to the groin. |
Ieatham blocked both attempts by
hooking the knee with his left leg.
The crowd was In q pandenomium.
'IeRtham's friends yelled foul, while
c6nmodore's screamed to him TO stop |
the dirty stuff.
Fight him on the level" screamed |
Danny Mcmahon from Commodore's
corner, but the advice fell on dear |
ears. Round the ring the boxers
worked their way, Commodore at |
tempting again and again TO drive the
knee home, while Leatham blocked
and landed an occasional blow with |
his fists on the Kids CORY counter
nnce.
But all Leatham's clever blocking |
could not avert the inevitable, and
Commodore's dirty tactics eventually |
nucceeded In the end which he had
obviously planned. The blow was
partially blocked and did not injure
Ieptham, but the referee. who had
warned Commodore throughout.
promptly stopped the bout and award.
"a the decision to Leatham, who was
accordingly made the custodian Of the
entire purse