Evening journal., 1916-01-24
BANTAM BAITLERS
CAME TO THE CORE
40 and so Rounds Staying
Power Was Common In
Old Days
FIRST ELIMINATED
BY THE POLICE

While the featherweight division
offers a great deal of class in these
days. the warriors in that division in
former times probably provid-
ed more excitement for the fans
than those Of any other weight. Ike
O'Neill Weir was the first OF the little
battlers to achieve undisputed rank
as worlds champion. Ike would
be bantam if in his prime today.
but at that he could be safely backed
to clean up the best OF the present
crop Of feather-weights.
It was 26 years ago that the little
Belfast Spider was deprived Of his
title by Australian Billy Murphy. who
knocked him out in the fourteenth
round at the California Athletic Club.
in San Francisco II was a great
fight, and Ike had much the better OF
It until the fourteenth, when the
Spider" did back flop. just to show
his contempt for his opponent. The
Australian caught Ike with his terri
BILE MARY Ann" as the champion
landed on his feet, and 1t was all
over for Isaac.
Before Ike Weir came to the front
in the featherweight division, Tom
my Warren. a Californian by birth, but
Kentuckian by adoption, claimed
the American featherweight title.
Warren represented America in the
first battle for the worlds feather
weight title under Queensbury rules,
his opponent being Tom Barnes, an
/ Englishman. The fight was pulled
off near Jacksonville. Ind. the au
thorities having prevented the men
| from meeting in Louisville, as orig
/ inally intended. The Hoosier cops
attempted to interfere. but the crowd
/ from Louisville had with them sew
| eral Jugs of the liquid for which Ken
\ lucky is famous, and induced the Of
| ficers to partake freely. with the re-
suit that they went 10 sleep. After
/ 40 grilling rounds both Warren and
Barnes we're so exhausted that
neither could stand. and it was call
ed a draw.
Ike Weir had a long and furious
! S0-round battle with Frank Murphy,
a later champion OF England, in 1889.
/ I
! also staged for Indiana, and. like the
! Jacksonville contest, ended in a
I draw.
Billy Murphy returned to Aus
/ tralia soon after winning the title,
and was defeated by Young Grlffo,
and although Billy afterward return
! ed 10 America and fought several
| good bouts. he never regained his
| laurels Ike Weir again claimed the
title. and defeated Jimmy Connors,
who was boxing instructor at the
Buffalo Athletic club. and a good
man. The championship was also
claimed by Johnny Griffin, the "Bain-
tree Lad" brick topped little war
rior with the heart Of lion, but the
police interferred before Ike and
Johnny could settle their argument.
Tommy White. OF Chicago. was an
other little fellow Of that period who
| had championship aspirations
While Weir, Murphy, Griffin and
White were disputing. George Dixon,
the little Nova Scotia negro. was
/ forging to the front and claimed the
worlds featherweight title by rea-
son of his victory over Nunc Wal
! lace. in London. Young Griffo. the
/ Australian, was also exhibiting his
marvellous cleverness in the ring, but
| the title was generally conceded TO
! Dixon after his defeat OF Australian
/ Abe Willis. in 1891. Jack Skelly at
! tempted to restore the honor to the
white race, but he was knocked out
by Dixon during the great pugilistic
carnival. pulled on in New Oreleans.
! in 1892.
After Dixon began to decline. Sol
/ ~ Smith, OF Los Angeles. held the
limelight for a little while, until sue
ceeded by Dave Sullivan. The glory
| OF the division was revived by Ter
I ry McGovern and Young Corbett.
/ Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan, now a
boxing promoter in st. Louis, was the
next 70 hold the championship. He
gave way to Abe Attell. the Hebrew,
/ who held the honors until his de-
feat by Johnny Kilbane, at Los An
geles. in 1912.