Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-04
Bv LOUIS H. JAFFE

wise man many
- ,ob "History repeats ITSELF ana ne
"a whole mouthful Ever since Ma
-. r,et his waterloo others have col
~, ooirst a similar snag, and Fred
.'.,-N,s waterloo was Benny Leonard Had
-, rained on the eve Of June II, 1872
~. history Of Europe would have been
.s.,r.d was a statement made by the late
,,.,or Hugo in telling of the battle OF
waterloo. Had it not been for the heity
,r,Ilons of Benny, Leonard. Mel Coogan'
n.oot,vn lightweight, would have been tho
,lgh,veiRht champion of the world.
Not that Coogan and Leonard have met
IN ,be squared circle for the title last week
,.,,rouIshed by Fred Welsh. The Brooklyn
"a mas 70 have annexed the crown In
,or easer manner. or at least such is the
story handed US by friend from the town
across the bridge from the big purg, Harry
pouok's contract with Welsh was to hnish
a. INV and on the Glorious Fourth Of this
ser Handsome Har had it all framed
:. r,ote Mel Coogan the worlds lightweight
sbamnIon. Nobody knew better than Pol
Iok that Welsh was on the well-known To-
boRTan, and that his boxing "hnis' was
rneTe matter of days. So to keep the old
Harry and Boxer Freddy had it all cut and
drIed 20 make youug Mr.. Coogan present
NJ the crown-with Pollok as manager and
Welsh as trainer.
Putting on the o. o.
~ course the Messrs. Pollok and Welsh
bid not nick on the best boxer in the world
on whom TO force the lightweight laurels,
hut they did as well as could be expected.
In giving the lightweight field the once
over all the regular boxers were tied up
with managers from whom they couldn't
very well-or cared-to break away.
Johnny Dundee, Benny Leonard, Charley
White and the balance of the top-notchers
had their advisers Therefore, Pollok had
10 find someone not in captivity, and, at
the same time, fairly competent to be
heraded as the lightweight champion OF
the world.
Our Brooklyn pal will finish telling the
story Of how Mel Coogan happened to be
robbed" of championship:
In Brooklyn town there lived a boy who
z satisfactorily answered the bill. He was a
hardhitting, fairly clever youngster, who
had more or less of a good reputation.
Like the well-known prophet, he was better
known out of town than near his own fire.
side AS he had never been managed by a
member of the clique that controls the big
circuit Of boxing Mel Coogan had aever
really broken into the limelight
Began Boosting COOgan
Such was the boy that Pollok picked out
to be the next lightweight champion of the
world. He first took Coogan under his man.
agement and then sent out to the press
hattering notices of his latest boxer. A few
fell for the stuff and Pollok saw the way
opening to still manage the lightweight
champion when Welsh retired to become a
country gentleman in New Jersey.
Welsh planned to retire in July At
about that time his physical culture farm
would be ready to receive paid guests. The
former champion is a mighty shrewd bust
ness man and he was going to get "his Bit
Tor coming out before the world and say
Ing the Flatbush boy was the best light
weight in captivity and should be crowned
king Of them ALL
Not that Welsh would have exactly be-
heved the statement Upon more than one
occasion the country gentleman, of Sum-
mt N. j. has said that Benny Leonard
was the best boy in the country. Still what
vhe says In private and what one says in
BUSINESS are two distinct things. II It
comes TO showdown, Welsh probably
would have been willing to turn the title
over 10 Battling Keefe, who claims the
Danlsn' light, welter, middle and heavy
weight crowns
Welsh Had a Precedent
according to precedent Welsh had a
Sceiiect right to hand the title over to
SOosan' Battling Keefe or anybody else If
Nt SO inclined. Jim Jeffries did ex-
Ivy y the same thing when ne quit the
,a s temporarily. The big fellow decided
a'aS marvin Hart was the best boxer in the
"o,lu and handed over the heavyweight
SoWh TO that piece of cheese" as he
~ n iondly called by many followers of
y, manly art of self-defense Hart held
my NY utle for only eleven months before he
s 70 Tommy Burns.
A.,,a au Coogan been given the title he un-
gvDeotedly would have held it longer than
c. Pollok would have seen to that
san sso,.ss is good enough boy to have gone
MSen u the country boxing lemons without
sorSs uSa danger of losing the crown. Welsh
~. nave developed his defense, and as
is not a particularly poor fighter he
,u ,S nave been as satisfactory a champion
unfortunately, Benny Leonard upset the
A bssoss Oh Pollok by knocking out Welsh
ovas the latter had any chance to turn
us title to the Brooklyn boy.