El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-01-09

own benefit and protection They are
trying TO do now what they refused
70 do three years ago when they were
invited to attend the meeting OF the
American Boxing association at Cleve-
land and join in creating an organi-
cation patterned after the Amateur
Athletic union At that time they
ignored the movement and tried 10
laugh at the men who were trying to
launch the organization. which would
nave been for the general good OF the
boxing game, but now they see IL il
q different light when Il is too iata
Had there been powerful box
ing organization. the same as In
many other lines. the chances nre
that the powers that be In the
Empire state would not have heen
80 hasty in putting the Eihosh on
the sport. just now some If the
clubs in Brooklyn and New York
are trying to get by with inJUnc-
lions. but they are having hard
shedding. One Of Ike critics In
Brooklyn says OF the efforts
There should have been one test
case brought up and Il should have
Deen taken before the courts Of Man
haitian The value and importance OF
organization are here again brought
to the fore The club owners should
nave gotten together for their mutual
protection long before the Fra ,sley
law expired They should have Joined
in such an. organization long ago,
Wnen others tried to point the way
for them, but they could only see their
own game and cared for no one out
side John Weismantel is the only
promoter who has had the nerve to
try and put anything through.
The bunch quit cold. PROBABLY
they VIII be ready to pay more heed
to an invitation to Join a real organ
tZatiOm next time. They deserve no
sympathy" The criticism is true and
hits the nail on the head Il IS the
old case OF locking the door Of the
stable after the horse is gone.
Ertle Is Good One.
Johnny Ertle, the st. Paul bantam
weight, better known to the boxing
fans as Kewpie, has had quite a ca
reer despite the fact that he IS only
81 years Of age. Kewpie startSs box
ing around the Twin Cities when he
was not much bigger than a peanut
He was always great admI6r Of
the Gibbons boys and that is here he
got a great deal OF his knowledge Of
the boxing game. Johnny says that
sam LangfOrd never had anything on
men q number Of times
sam may have had his meal
ticket, or rather tickets. In Jim
Barry, Joe Jeanette and a few
Others but he never managed 20
put over so many matches a.
little Ertle did with Jimmy AziEe.
another bantnmweiEht of Duluth.
Minn-, and who at times male st.
Paul his home. keWpie admits
that he boxed AEine at least 40
times. He does not remember that
any one of them was anything but
a real contest, although they were
supposed to be exhibitions.
1T was when / was just about big
enough to look over a lunch counter
that I started in boxing" remarked
Kewpie during a little sport talk the
other day. "and Azine seemed to have
been mapped out as a special meal
ticket for myself I was going TO
school at the time. but had a nanker-
ing after boxing. Ny father insisted
upon me attending school regularly
and Of course I did, that is. when 1
had TO. but you could always find
me over at the gymnasium watching
Mike Gibbons go through his stunts
or doing a little sparring myself
Goes on in the Stays.
Some Of the promoters around
there hit upon the plan Of using
Azlne and myself as an opener at
some OF the stays, but they we're al
ways careful to come to me first and
confldeutally let me know that Azine
intended to knock my head off. Then
they would tell AZine the same thing
about what I intended to do 20 him.
The result was always a good fight
for the first hard blow either one let
so. IL was 2 case OF tearing in by
both OF US. We boxed at least 40 or
so times and you can take my word
for il that I never boxed harder in
all my big fights than I did in those
exhibitions with Azine when we re-
Ceived a few dollars for our troubles
my father did net like the idea