Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1915-06-11
BASEBALL
ODDS AND ENDS
bEVNSKY. Clever
Boxer At "A YEARS

Battling Ievinsky, the Jewish light
weight who at one time looked like
a rising champion Of the world, pass |
ed bis twenty-fourth milestone yes
terday. Not 80 very long ago Dumb |
Dan Morgan, the we'll known tongue
tied two-legged sphinx. was proclaim
ing the Hebrew batiler the white
heavyweight champion of the world"
and was offering to match him against
Jack Johnson. AS for Jess Willard
and Jim Coffey-well. take il from
Dumb Dan, those fighters had cold
chills whenever the name of Leyinsky
was uttered in their presence. Since
those halcyon days of Levinsky's ca
reer he has had much hard-sledding
and has not lived up to his carly
promise. He has even been out-point-
I'd by George One-Round Davis OF
Buffalo. who has been whipped by
most of the heavies in the bin business.
yevinsky has also been outpointed by
tom McCarty, the Montana hghter
md other second raters, and had to
rayel his fastest to get draw with
'orky Flynn
Levinsky was born in Philadelphia
IN June 10. 1891, and, Il is said, his
cal name is Barney Lebaritz. He
irst appeared in the ring in 1910,
when he fought under the name OF
5arney Williams. The Hebrew took
)art in twenty-five bouts that year,
q winning about a third of EN- by
Ia, 10 1afnnfpd LEI
Houck and JEFF Clark. among others.
In 1912 the Battler was a very busy
boxer, participating in about thirty
contests. He fought Eddie Nc
Goorty 10 draw in Philadelphia,
outpointed Joe Grim in the same
city. defeated Tony Caponi In At
lanta. outpointed Jack Gilbert four
times in Jacksonville. Fla, and met
many other good men. He began
the 1918 campaign by fighting One
Round Davis and Jack (Twin) Sulli-
van in Buffalo, and it was in that
year that the obscure Philadelphia
middleweiht began to be touted as
q coming heavyweight champion. His
bouts with jim Corey and jim
Flynn in New York showed lots of
class and the sport writer's began
to dig up statistics showing that Le-
vinskys weight, which is around 40
pounds, was no bar to heavyweight
championship aspirations. His vic
tory over Gunboat Smith was hailed
as a great triumph, but since then
he Hebrew has been defeated by the
5unboat in New Orleans.
Levinsky is still young, and, In
spite Of recent reverses, he may yet
attain the championship goal. He
s FIVE feet and eleven inches in
height is a natural fighter, thinks
Iuickly. has a fine knowledge Of the
liner points of the game, a good wal
Cd, speed and stamina. and is game
With these qualities he ought e
.ravel far, and, while alibis get Z
lighter nothing. it must be remem
lered that a boxer is a yooman be
ng and subject to off-days like th'
est of US
Levinsky was educated in the Phil
adelphia schools and started life al
a clerk in jewelry store He be
came interested in boxing through
his friendship with a pugilist t
whom he sold a chunk of ice" AM
Joined an amateur club One nigh
Lovinsky strayed by mistake into
labor union meeting and came unde
suspicion Of being a spy The Who'll
bunch lit on him, but LeviIsk
knocked down six men-Dan MArga
says so-and got away That pm
the idea into his head that mayb
he could make more money ny box
fighting than in the jewelry business
He soon put the idea into effect, an
made his ring debut under the nam
Of Barney Williams, which RENAME
his lighting monaker for three year
when he adopted the name Of 1t
whisky.