Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-02
BY T. S. ANDREWS.


Special Dispatch TO The Star
MILWAUKEE, Wis. November l.
Should the knockout blow >be abolished!
Quite an ancient discussion has been das-
inferred recently in the columns of the
sporting press of England and America
by the suggestion that the knockout blow
in boxing might with advantage be abol-
ished AS far back as 1898 the British
Amateur Boxing Association had a
lengthy wrangle on this topic and very
wisely came to the conclusion that it was
best 10 let things stand as they were
There can be no question That the
abolition of the knockout blow would
serve to Introduce evils far more distaste
full than the knockout itself. With GER
tain class of boxers flying down. would
speedily grow into habit and the game
would undoubtedly fall into disrepute 1t
is not easy to see how the blow can be
sensibly eliminated. though some measure
of success mas attended the idea in the
A L. Journeys and the English public
schools championships. These affairs are
devoted to purely amateur boxers ana
Young boys at that, so perhaps no great
harm is done by trying to bar the blow
At these meetings in England a KNOCK
out does not count q win unless the
ahead on points at the time. Should 4
boy have a lead and then be knocked out
he is adiudged the winner, providing that
he has a number OF points to more than
balance that gained by his opponent.
including those obtained by the knockout.
AS this organization is quite a small affair
and is mainly devoted to teaching boys
the game at public schools, its rulings
on the matter do not have sun1clent
weight to decide the question
With the professional boxer it Is differ
ent The Knockout blow Is not neces-
sarily a violent blow, and far more dam
age may be done from a severe blow
over the heart than tap on tnat &C
commodating nerve on the point OF the
law. and looking through the records or
successful boxers how few OF the clessr
ones have ever been knocked out. BY
clever. | mean clever boxers. as distinct
from fighters of the Battling Nelson
type FREDDY Welsh has not yet taken
the count; Willie Richie has Yet to go
to dreamland through punch on the
Jaw: Jim Driscoll Packey Mcfarland
and Eddie McGoorty have never yet ex-
perienced the indignity Of being put to
sleep by an opponent, and. IN TACT, very
few really good tWo-handed boxers have.
There is no doubt that professional box
ers as class, realize that Ii is more
nrofi;able to win by Il decisive blow than
to leave the decision 70 the tender mercies
of a referee, and this pe,ng the case.
do not see how the knockout Is to be
effectually barred. So long as the public
will stand for it. so long wi the boxer
practice it. As soon as the public tires
of seeing boys knocked out by a wallop
on the Jaw, depend upon it the boxers
viii cut out the blow from their stock
and find Something more to the taste of
their patrons.
We are getting altogether too timid in
cur regard for boxing. bred. l suppose
BY the continual attacks upon IT by ig-
porant critics who can see nothing but
brutal itv attached to the game. These
! seif-same critics must read reports or
broken legs and co lar bones at foot ball.
deaths of Jockeys during horse race
and countless fatalities at flying meets
yet they raise no outcry Tor the suppress
| sion of these forms of sport
1t has been established In law that IN
necessary violence in any game IS an Of
| fonse. but the authorities never cream OF
| prosecuting the promoters or partcipators
| in professional foot ball matcii. Whlch
| frequently promotes far more unfriendls-
/, feelings than can be observed at a boxing
| SHOW 1t is quite clear that the Knockout
| cannot be eliminated from boxing without
very seriously disturbing the status OF the
! game, and no good can come or neWspa-
per CUFF supporting such an idea The
head aid front of boxing instruction is
self-defense. and unless one IS attacked
one cannot defend and unless the attack
| is vigorously carried out there can be
very little use in defending at all There
+! fore the knockout blow must stand
Packey Mcfarland recently stated that
he never tried TO knock out an opponent II
i he could defeat him otherwise, as he could
not see the necessity of 1t. Johnny Kill
bane the featherweight champion. is eff
he. mo i'm c.,i Ritrhia.