The Washington herald., 1917-12-26
-FOUR CHAMPS
ARE CROWNED
Leonard, Herman and Mike
oDowd Won Titles
This Year. !.

-Four new ring champions weS
crowned during the year about %
close. On May Is Benny Leonard won
the lightweight title by knocking out
Freddie Welsh in the ninth round: on
January . Pete Herman won the ban
tam-weight title from KID Williams
on a referees decision In twenty
rounds; on June 3 Ted Lewis won
the welter-weight title from Jack
Britton in twenty rounds and on No
vember IL Mike O'Dowd captured the
middle-weight title from Al McCoy
with a knockout in the sixth round.
Leonard's victory over Welsh was
by far the most important pugiistio
event Of the year. II removed
champion who was clogging thu
wheels Of progress and set up one,
who 10 a live wire in every respect
While Welsh had long since passed
his prime when the bout took placs
he was a remarkably clever defen-
sive boxer and Leonard's clean cut
knockout came as q surprise.
Since acquiring the honors, Leon.
ard has gone on TO one success after
another and at present there are only
two or three men who would not re-
garded as setups for him. One Of
these Is Johnny Dundee, who always
has caused Leonard plenty Of troU-
bic. A difference OF opinion as TO
how much Dundee should get for his
services is the hitch that is keepinl
them apart.
Frankie Callahan and Joe welIinH
are the others deserving a match with
the champion. yelling and Leonard
are not likely to meet in the ring an
long as they remain under their re-
spective managers as the two are sf
odds. However, yelling is one Of the
few boxers that have enlisted In the
service Of the country and the public
believes that he deserves q chance toJ
fight for the title no matter what the
managers Of the two boxers may
think OF each other.
There is something OF a cloud hang
ing over the other titles that have
changed hands recently. When Pete
Herman won the decision over Kid
Williams that latter already had lost
on a foul TO Johnny Ertle I'm a no de-
cision bout. so that il is an open ques-
ton whether Williams had a title 10
lose TO Herman. However, Herman's
victory over Frankie Burns indicates
that the former has real champion
ship ability and the leading fistic au-
thorities are disposed to regard his
claim TO the title as bona fide
Ted Lewis was supposed to have won
the welterweight title when he OUT
pointed Jack Britton, but as the latter
had come into possession Of the honors
by the claiming system instead OF BY
conquest, that title is not considered
any too seriously. Since his victory
Lewis has refused 10 grant a return
match 10 Britton. which is in striking
contrast to the way the latter acted
when he was on top. Britton always
was willing 10 tackle Lewis or any one
else.
The middle-Weight title that was cap
tured by Mike O'DoEd is also in dis
pute. McCoy's claim TO the champion
ship was never generally admitted ex-
cept in Brooklyn. Frank klaus was
the flaw in the claim. He merely took
it upon himself to claim the title, never
having defeated a champion for the
honors. Neither George Chip nor Al
Mccoy. who subsequently posed a.
title holders, were the best men in the
class. Mike Gibbons was rated above
either and he is also rated above
O'Dowd.
al sui III AcAlAE hhoNA-
outs dering the present year. Prob
ably the most sensational was Benny
Leonard's knockout os Johnny XII
bane, the teatherweiFht champion. in
three rounds over in Philadelphia
Leonard won more prestige by that
victory than he did by winning the
championship from Welsh, as Kilbana
had outclassed Welsh Just a few weeks
previously. 1t was not a case OF a bis
man beating a little man. for the diff
ference in poundage was not an inn
possible handicap. kibane was beaten
because he was faCinG a man whose
technique was superior 10 his own.
Another great surprise was Willie
Jackson's one round knockout OF john
ny Dundee. which also happened In
Philadelphia Dundee was held to bs
knockout proof. as he had faced all
the leading nghtweights and seldom
had carried away so much as q
scratch. Jackson was a rather OBJ
scure second-rater at the time and has
since done nothing startling. Neutral
observers OF the bout say that the
knockout was a pure fluke. Dundee
had thrown himself into the ropes in
order to gain momentum for a rush
and the rebound hurled him right into
Jackson's glove. Dundee proved this :
it was lucky punch by walloping his
Lee