The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-27

ENGLISH REFEREES
PUZZLE YANKEES
Methods of British Boxing Of
ficials Are Either Super
Perfect or Very Poor.
AMERICANS CAN'T WIN
Must Knock Out a Home
Fighter Over There to Get
the Verdict.
AMERICANS CAN'T WIN
By CROSS COUNTER.

There may be truth I'm the assertion
OF defender OF English referees Of box
Ing 10 the effect that these officials
would not knowingly give an unfair deci-
sion against American fighters. and that
they should not DO charged with bias
even though their rulings at times seem
TO favor the home athletes.
That Is a reasonable proposition. but
what puzzles the boxing enthusiasts OF
the United States is that nearly every
time prestige or title is at stake the
decision goes to the Briton IL he is on
his feet at the close of the scheduled
number of rounds.
II is a matter of record that no Amer
lean champion or challenger meeting a
Briton yet has received the referees
decision on points in England IL the bout
went the limit. Americans who have
won bouts In England have knocked out
their opponents.
Kid Lavigne knocked out Dick Burge,
Tommy Burns knocked out Gunner Moir,
Jimmy Barry knocked out Walter Croot,
George Dixon stopped Nunc Wallace,
ana Kid Mccoy and Philadelphia Jack
O'Brien knocked out nearly all their
opponents in England
Heenan Badly Treated.
ture we ind that John c. Heenan, the
first American champion to go to Eng
land to fight for a worlds title. beat Tom
Sayers SO severely the Briton could not
get out of his corner for the forty-third
round. The referee had left the ring in
the thirty-eighth round, at time when
Sayers was plainly a beaten man, with
out giving a decision, which was fia-
grant violation of the rules. The ring
ropes were cut in the forty-third round
ana the helpless Sayers was carried to
his quarters. Heenan walked to his
dressing room.
Although the referee did not name the
winner, England critics called the battle
a draw and thought to mollify Heenan
by having two championship belts made.
one for Heenan and one for Sayers.
Heenan's was not paid for and the
maker took 1t away from the American.
Jake Kilrain fought Jem Smith, cham
pion of England, 106 rounds at Seine,
France, on December 10, 1887. Kilrain
had all the better OF the encounter. but
at the close of the i06th round the refe-
rec. an Englishman, halted the bout on
the allegation that II was too dark. 1t
was the understanding that the contest
would be resumed the following day.
but 1t never was. and Smith thus
0attle, was beaten by sticks in the
hands of Smiths heelers.
sIavin Chaeated Too.
Frank Slavin. a native of Maitland.
N. 6. W.. met Smith In Bruges, Belgium.
on December 20, 1889. 1t was a repe-
tition Of the bout with Kilrain. only that
Slavin was moro severely beaten by
those outside the ring. Slavin had no
difficulty In beating Smith, but the ring
was rushed In the fourteenth round and
the English referee called the bout a
draw. But here note the difference.
6lavin was a native of an English col
ony, and the English sportsmen took up
the matter, saw to It that Slayin got
the winners end OF the purse and also
brought about the expulsion from the
Pelican Club of Squire Abingdon. who
had been perniciously active in behalf
of Smith.
One of the first boxers under Queens
barry rules to get taste of English
decisions was Dave Sullivan, who, as a
bantam, boxed with Pedlar Palmer in
London in 1897. Sullivan beat Palmer
70 severely the Briton had to be assisted
from the ring. But Palmer got the de-
cision on points"
Packey Mcfarland boxed twenty-five
rounds with Freddie Welsh in 1908, and
although many English critics insisted
the American had the better of the angu-
ment. the English referee gave the de-
cision to WEIGH. Mcfarland refused to
make a second match with Welsh In
England.
What happened to Willie Richie when
he boxed Welch for the title is a matter
Of history, and the two decisions in
favor of Wilde over Moore and Lynch
furnish corroborative evidence.
There are few American boxers who
could with safety to their regulations
30 to England and take a chance with
English referees. These are Jack Demp-
sey, Mike O'Dowd and Benny Leonard.
These title holders would be likely to
knock out their British opponents before
the limit was reached.
English referees may be above suspi-
cion OF catering to English boxers and
their motives may be of the best Such
being the case, there ia no escape from
the conclusion that their method Of
computing the points in a boxing con-
test Is radically defective.
Twelve Round Limit a Record.
Tho statement by the writer that
twelve rounds was the shortest limit
In the history of heavyweight champion
ship bouts has brought forth the asser-
ton that Sullivan frequently defended
his title In four round bouts. This is
absurd on its face. for under London
rules all title fights were scheduled to
a finish.
Every time Sullivan or any other
fighter OF London rules days jeopardized
his title, the contest was a finish one.
Even when Sullivan finally made a
match with Corbett the first chamnion-
ship bout under the Queensberry rules,
the contest was TO a finish.
Sullivan would not have lost title even
had he been knocked out In a short
glove bout in those days, for the reason
that no championship bout could he
staged except under London rules and
10 a finish.
As a matter of fact. It was SulIivan's
plan to "try out" prospective opponents
for title nights in short bouts with gloves
In halls.
Proof that titles did not change hands
IN short glove bouts is found In the
glove bout between Sullivan and Joe
Goss in Boston in 1880. Goss then was
the title holder, and the young and
powerful Sullivan had the antiquated
Co.'s practically out In three rounds
But that did not affect Gosss title. He
remained champion till a short time
afterward. when he met Paddy Ryan in
a title match to a finish. 1t took Ryan
eighty-seven rounds to beat Goss.
Dempsey's System IL old.
After an oracular critic had reflected
ON the salient features of the battle OF
Maumee Bay, he reached tile conclusion
that Jack Dempsey had originated q