New-York tribune., 1912-02-23
ABE ATTELL LOSES TITLE
Johnny KiIbane Boxes WAY to
Featherweight Championship,
BOUT GOES TWENTY ROUNDS
Cleveland Boy Earns Clean-Cut
Victory, scoring in Every
Round Except Two.


weight champion was proclaimed here 20
day when Johnny Kilbanc, Of Cleveland
clearly outfought and cutyamed Abe Atteil.
the hitherto invincible champion. in twen-
ty-round bout. Charles Eyton. tho referee,
gave the battle to the winner on points
Eilbane's victory was cIear-cut and de-
cisive. lie he'd tho better Of ali the rounds
with the possible exception Of two He Iett
the ring with one mark over his eye, "hcre
| AttelI butted him with his head. Attell
was badly bruised
Nearly ten thousand persons saw the
bout, while fully five thousand others were
| turned away at the gates. 1t was the
! greatest crowd that ever viewed fight In
Los Angeles The receipts amounted TO ap-
proxlmateiy 5000 The boys boxed for a
purse OF $4,000, OF which Attel was TO le-
ceive ss.5OO-win. lose or draw-and Kilbane
g, 800 Besides this. they agreed to divide
evenly 50 per cent Of the moving picture
privilege
Attelrs boasted speed and wonderful
cleverness we're not IN evidence. hlloane
made him look like novice In nearly every
round Only in one round. the seventh d'd
Attell have clean lead.
Attell brought the wrath Of the big crowd
upon his head by foul tactics. Time and
again he held Kilbanes arms in clinch'
and once in the eighth he grabbed Kill
banes left arm with both hands and trieo
to bend 1t back. In the third he 'heeled
the Cleveland boy while In clinch, ana
In nearly every succeeding round his work
called forth misses from the spectators.
At the beginning OF the sixteenth round
Eyton stopped the fight, grabbed towel
and thoroughly wiped off Attell's body. 1t
was seen to be covered with some greasy
substance Attell protested, but the referee
| paid no attention TO him.
Kilbane's work was revelation even &c
I his friends Entering the ring with the
| odds 10 10 4 against him he never faitereo
| for an instant He fought fast and showed
| clever work both with his hands and feet
Johnny Kilbane was born and reared In
| Cleveland. He will be twenty-three years
old on April lS He is married, and has a
| babv daughter, Mary Coletta- His habits
are OF the best. and he is the support oil
his blind father
Kilbane earned the right TO meet 'Attell
by defeating Joe Rivers, Patsy Kline ano
! Frankie Conley.
The men shook hands after they received
their instructions. and when the gong rans
they walked slowly 10 the centre OF the
ring Several lightning feints were made
by Attell. but KiLbane stepped back an inch
and grinned at the effort to make him lead
| AtteIl dove In with left and a clinch fol-
lowed. Fast as Attell was on the break
| the Forest City man beat him TO 1t with a
solid right on the jaw. Plenty OF feintins
and cIinching was done. but little else
Rilbane went into the champion and, TAX
, ing the lead away from him, outpunched
him. He was fast as a streak, and the con-
hdent grin faded from Attel's face as
Johnny slammed over left and right or
the face.
The second and third rounds were both
in favor Of the challenger. He wasjn, out
/ and around the champion and landed two
! clean blows for one. They stood in mid
ring and spared and KiTbane surprised
| the crowd by making Attell miss and rip
| ping home hard counters while he ducked
returns A solid left on the mouth drew
blood from Attells lips, and right on tht
| eve all but closed It tight AS the mer
clinched Kilbane complained 10 the referee
that Attell tried TO bend his elbow back
Abe replied 10 warning by "mugEing'' XII
bane, and now. thoroughly enraged. The
little Irishnnan hurled him of and whipped
left and right 10 the face. Johnny took a
left on the fact and placed his right on the
body with crushing force.
Attell flashed IN the sixth round and
showed little OF his old form. n,
propped UP furious charge OF the chal.
lenger and stood him up short with ter
rife left hand Jolt on the face. II was the
| first time that Attell had hit hard enough
| TO stop Kilbane. The latter snorted and
came IN, hooking the left. Once moro Abe
caught him with the left, and on the break
landed right on the face. Johnny low,
cred his head and came into close quarters
where he soon had Attell holding hin
| again. The champion held the pace in the
seventh round and had little the better
OF Il. A left TO the face made Kilbane
back away, but when Abe tore in with a
right for the head he encountered an in
side left hand swing that drove him back
| across the ring In distress. Abe called al
his skill TO tho rescue and he fairly daz.
zled the challenger with a volley OF blows
| With the battle half over the boys showed
| sign of wear, and the eleventh and twelfth
periods wero slow and about even. The
champion began n TRADE. but his choicest
remarks drew only wallops for returns
Gee you're shifty KID" he said. as he
leaned over a right on the Jaw A few
desrltory exchanges followed without dam
| age 20 either. You knocked out Rivers
didn't your" said Attell In the thirteenth
round. well. mako It two" A left on the
mouth stopped him. and he returned to
boxing He was wild now and, barring the
Unforeseen. new champion was certain to
be proclaimed.
Attell went completely 10 pieces I'm the
next four rounds. His distance was gone
he could not move fast enough to cope with
tho fiery little fellow in front OF him. and
he tried only to prevent being knocked out
Fresh as when he entered the ring, the
Cleveland lad worked around him. LANDING
hard blows to face or body. and would not
be denied Attell was almost hoored by a
right hand uppercut in the seventeenth
round but he stalled until the bell.