Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-12-20
PREJUDICE HURTS PALZER.
Public Sentiment Against Manager
Gave Palzer the Worst of
Verdict.
(By Circus" Baldwin. }

York last week to the effect that big
Tom Kennedy had bested AL. Pal
ger, the young Iowa giant, who has
been making good in the stable OF
the veteran manager of boxers, Tom
O'Rourke, and who had so complete
ly vanquished Kennedy last spring
shocked me almost as paralytically
as the labor leaders were shocked
when the news came that the Nc.
Namaras had SWITCHED on themselves
and everybody mived in the Soup
puff. l saw Palzer in DEBORAH last
summer, shortly after his bout with
Kennedy. / had sized him up from
various angles and / was 10th to be.
lieve that there could be such a re-
versal of form in one SO young in sc
short time. To crafty my curios.
ity and also for the purpose of get.
ing line straight from the feed box
got in touch with that best of all
fight experts, Uncle Bat" Master.
son-and here is what he has to say
about it:
IF ever a fighter earned a decision
that fighter was AL. Palzer in Wed.
nesday nights battle with Kennedy
at Brooklyn. He was the aggressOr
from the moment the battle started
to the very finish. He carried the
fight to Kennedy in every round
and while he did not escape being hit
hard and often, he gave as good as
he received during the. first six
rounds at least, and then took the
lead and kept it to the end. Had
the battle stopped at the end of the
sixth round, draw would have been
the only fair decision that could have
been made. But from there on to
the last bell it was Palzer all the
way. He outboxed Kennedy and out
slugged him at all points. He drove
ring and beat him savagely when he
made stand. He not only did that,
but he had Kennedy in sore distress
number of times during the last
four sessions. Kennedy was SO near
done for several times that many of
the crowd sitting around the ring
were heard to remark: There he
goes; he'll not last the round out!
Such remarks are never made about
man when he is winning or even
holding his own. They are general
ly heard when he is losing.
In coming away from the fight
many expressions of opinion were
heard, and in no single instance did
any doubt Palzer's ability to win by
knockout in a contest of fifteen
rounds. No one believes for a min
ute that McKettrick would match
Kennedy for fifteen rounds or more
with Palzer, and the reason is not
hard to find.
If ever there was a doubt about
the advisability of referees of box
ing contests rendering decisions, the
most effectually dispelled the doubt.
There's been many similar in
stance, 1t is true, since the Frawfey
no-decision boxing law went into eff
feet, but hardly one quite so pro-
nounced. 1t is simply amazing the
way certain sporting writer's in New
York decide contests. How anyone
with an ounce of common sense, to
say nothing of experience and a
knowledge of boxing, could have
honestly awarded the decision to
Kennedy is beyond my ken.
But, after all, am constrained to
believe, after carefully looking over
the situation, that those who de-
clared Kennedy the winner were not
deciding against Palzer, but against
his manager, Tom O'Rourke. 1t was
a Kennedy crowd from the front
door to the back one, and on both
sides of the house. When he let go
a punch, whether it landed or miss
ed, he was loudly cheered. When
Pa,zer fought at close quarters with
both hands free, as he had a right
to do, the crow yelled for the ref
cree to separate the men, even when
Kennedy was holding. AS matters
progressed it was easily seen that it
was not Palzer the crowd was after.
IL was his manager, Tom O'Rourke
The same statement can be truthful
ly made about the sporting writers
who awarded the decision to Ken
nedy.
AL. Palzer IS the greatest white
heavyweight in the country today
He is to the fight game now what
Frank Gotch was to the mat a few
years ago. w. b. C'Bat") Master
son.