New-York tribune., 1918-03-23
10000 Witness
Boxing Matches
AtCamp Upton
Major General Bell One o
Enthusiastic Throng That
Encircles Ring
By Fred Hawthorne


Before one of the greatest crowds
that ever gathered around ring, and
the most enthusiastic throng that ever
saw boxing match, the boxing cham
pionships of the 77th Division were
fought out in the open air yesterday
afternoon in a ring pitched on the
plains at Camp Upton, Long Island.
More than 10000 officers and men
sat or stood for two hours under
warm sun while half a dozen reg-
mental bands brayed forth martial mu-
sic between the rounds and 10000
throats roared forth encouragement to
the various regimental champions.
Just before the last bout was start
ed Major General j. Franklin Bell,
who arrived from the battlefelds of
France only on Thursday, climbed
through the ropes and addressed the
soldiers who are soon to take their
place in the trenches in the world
battle against the Hun.
General Bell. who had watched the
bouts with the keenest Of interest
pointed to the boxers as an example
for every man in the division to emu
late.
To Go Overseas Soon.
"The same spirit Of courage, fort-
tude and sportsmanship under fire that
these boxers have shown here to-day
is what | want to see among all you
men. With those qualities, you need
not fear anybody on earth much less d
Dutchman!"
The great crowd was visibly i'm
pressed by the war veterans ringing
address. For moment there was 81
lence, and then, as General Bell added
that he expected the 77th Division
soon to go overseas, land l hope to go
with you," there was tremendous
volume of cheering from the khaki
clad thousands who formed an immense
brown square around the ring, clus-
tered on the roofs of nearby army build
ings and perched on top Of telegraph
poles.
Never has a more stirring stage set
ting been seen in which men were to
do battle in ring, and it is no wonder
that the boxers fought with q terceness
and a determination that is rarely seen.
/ But the most impressive feature lay,
not in the manner in which the victors
won the laurcls, but in the spirit in
which tho vanquished accepted defeat
Keeling about the ring, blood stained,
weary. of arm and ready to drop from
exhaustion, those men knew no quit
ting. No matter how hard and swift
the blows that came to them, that Won
derful fortitudc and spirit of good
craftsmanship that moved General Bell
to speak from the ring, was shown in
every bout.
Tommy Geraghty, of the 30Sth In
fantry, beaten from pillar to post by
Ritchie Ryan. champion Of the 326th
Motor Truck Company, his face feckcd
with blood, took the crashing blows
to the face with smile that actually
expressed delight. Try as he would
and Ryan was bent on winning by a
knockout-the motor truck champion
count of ten.
Came Up for More
Once in the first round and again
in the second. Tom was sent down for
the count Of "nine." but each time he
rose and plunged in for more. There
was nothing for the judges to do at
the end OF thc regular three rounds
but to award the decision to Ryan,
but Gerathy was greeted with wave
OF heartfelt cheering that must have
sounded as sweet in his cars as the
announcement of Captain Frank Click,
the athletic director, that Ryan was
the new lightweight champion of the
nth Division.
iiO iiiOSc SENSATIONAL DOuL or the
day came in .he middleweicht class.
when Tex Kelly, of the 379th Motor
Truck Company, gained the honors
from Al kaufman, OF the 3O6th IN
fantry, after three gruclling, BLOODY
rounds. The men of the motor
trucks are rabid partisans of their
fighters and interest was at the burst
ing point Hhcn Kelly and Kaufman
climbed through the ropes and squared
of. Benny Leonard, lightweight
champion Of the world, who acted as
referee IN all the bouts, gave the mon
Their instructions and they were at it.
Kelly, a professional ringstcr, who
has fought many hard battles, knew a
bit too much for the game and awk-
ward Kaufman. but that did not mean
that Tex didn't have to keep going
at top speed to win the judges de-
clson at the end of the three rounds.
Kelly hit AL with everything he had
IN the first round, but in the second
Kaufman came back with the game
mans rush and the two slugged it out.
toe to toe and chest to chest. Both
were rceling when the bell rang, adm
1T was Kaufman's round.
Last Round Fastest
The last was even faster, with Kcllv
gaining the shade, although in the mid
die of the session, with both boys BAT
Ting furiously along the ropes, Tex
fell out Of the ring and to the ground
He wasthrown back. and they went
back to the milling, with no let-up Until
the bell rang.
John Gaddi, former metropolitan and
international heavyweight champion.
but now wearing the uniform of the
306th Infantry, stopped Whitehead, Of
the 302d Field Signal Battalion, in the
second round, leading all the way.