The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-16

Many are called but few are chosen" is an axiom particularly ap- plicable to boxers and their doings within the roped arena. Many there are possessing some pugnacious at tribute or perhaps several, who heed the siren call of the ring eager to garner the golden rewards of fame and fortune which are lavished on it's conquerors. Some rely on mere size and strength; others on durability, speed, ba King skill, or a crushing punch Many devoid of even the fundamentals of formadibility early fall hopelessly by the wayside. A se- lect few. equipped with an effective, but incomplete combination of these assets grapple almost within reach of the coveted championship laurels. Once in about Q decade appears the uper-boxer-he who is eligible in all departments of combat and Q phenomenon in one of them.
 Al Palzer belonged to the unror- tunate select few with the incomplete combination of ring virtues. He was champion that never arrived. He had all the outward aspect-that is the so-called ''earmarks'' of world beater. The American ring has never produced a more accurate type of the natural fighting man than the late Iowa farmer. For terrifying appear ance John L. Sullivan would have looked like a Y. M. C. A. secretary alongside the redOubtabIe Palzer stripped for action. Towering more than six feet and scaling a massive 23O pounds of fighting bone and muscle was a genuine Leviathan of 1 the ring 12 years ago. His fighting face was a study in unalloyed fe- | rocity. It might Nave been one of | Cetiui's ancient gladiators chiselled out of cold marble in the early days | of Spain. His high cheek bones stood | out like two bony bulwarks, support | ed by a protruding chin of adaman- | tine toughness. A shock of yellow | Viking hair-the kind that was seen | in the galleys of Eric the Red who | pillaged the European coasts in the ! tenth century-fiopped into his eyes l lending an added touch of savagery. l Palzer first became prominent in i 1911 when he won a White Hope tourney in New York His business | like appearance and his knock ! down-and-drag-out style of fighting made him @ popular performer with the fans Sensational knockout vic tories over Tom Kennedy, Soldier Delaney, Al Kaufman and Sailor | White stamped him as a coming op- ponent for the then invincible Jack Johnson.
 "All he needs is a bit more ex-
 perience to round off the rough
 edges. He's got. size, strength and
 the wallop." That was the stamp ot
 approval placed on Palzer at the
 
 ever questioned that. He had giver
 ample proof that he possessed thi!
 cardinal requirement. in several of his
 battles. But his most conspicuou:
 and convincing demonstration, and
 one which will survive in the annal:
 of New York ring fights, was in the ! battle with Bombardier Wells, ther
 England's greatest, at Madison Square | Garden on the night of June 2S
 1912 Ther ing affords no better H.
 lustration of what indomitable plucl
 will achieve for a man who has his
 fortune to pound out with gloveC
 fists
 The Pa1zer-wells fight was the
 first big international heavyweight ! clash since Jim Corbett whipped
 Charlie Mitchell IS years previous Gotham thoroughly aroused over the fray turned out 1000 strong at the ringside. Wells had come to thi
 country to meet our best and the1
 relieve Jack Johnson of his title. Int
 Englishman was ideally built fol
 skillful mitt play. Tall and rangy ht
 was a second edition of Fitzsimmons . minus the freckles. With marvellous skill he combined a terrific punch. H. was one of the most natural hitteri the game ever produced. But being a born gentleman, with sensibilitie l attuned to the nobler things of lift