The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-12-03
'By Ed. Hughes. the famous Sports
 Cartoonist)

In the ring they called NIike GIb- bons '"Fhe Phantom because of his wiZardous skill and sagacious general ship. And Mike, since attaining the pinnacle of his form in 1911 has all ways justified the complimentary so- briquet. Combining marvellous cIev- arness with a scientific knockout knack, Gibbons has been conceded greater fighter and a greater drawing card than the last five middleweight kipgs---Billy Papke, Frank Klaus, George Chip, Al Mccoy, and the pres ent IFS pound ruler---Mike O'Dowd. But dc-pite his great ring talents Gibbons''s long oourished hope to be- come a champion never crystallized. Fate, perhaps, was the hnkind force of control which bEghted Mikes hopes. The privilege Of matching his skill and knockout punch against a legitimate champion, Mike O'Dowd was withheld until the golaming of his career. Advancing years pitted against the vigor Of youth crowned his ring farewell with the bitterness of disappointment and the humiliation of defeat.
 When Gibbons left the arena after his recent battle with Mike ODowd outpointed and the blood yelling from a deep gash over his eye, The Phantom muttered, Its my last fight, boys!' Mike Gibbons, master boxer whose arenic dexterity sug- gested the elusiveH ess of an a.ppari- tion is a genuine phantom as far as the ring is concerned from now on. He will never box again. Gibbons realizes that he has slipped consider ably. And when the phantom of Mike Gibbons hovers over mtddle:weight championship disputants in years to come and invites comparison with these celebrities of the future there will be no blemish of a knockout de- feat to dull the luster of Giibbons's fame as the phantom of his period His retirement is as wise a move as he ever made in the ring.
 Gjbbons's ring career covers a pe- rtod of fourteen years. During that time the St. Paul wonder scored knoczouts and less decisive defeats over the best in his division and even heavier. Entered under the former are Willie Lewis, one of New York s toughest ring products, Young Ahern, Bob McAllister, Frank Mantell and Jimmy Howard. Gibbons stacked up against Eddie McGoorty when the Oshkosh man was toppling his op-
 ponents over in big time. It went
 the full ten rounds as did his bout with Packey McFarland who ranked
 with Gibbons as the foremost ex- ponents Of scientific fistcufing. Both of these bouts resulted in more or less of a fasco and Gibbons reputation suffered through his un- willingness or inability to show the qualities of a genuine fighter.
 In 1917 Gibbons fought ten fast rounds with Jack Dillon, The Man Killer, who was whipping such ster-
 Nto -1rTy TsaIVN ert, Frank Moran and Jim Savage. .-
 But as in the instances of Packey Mcfarland and Harlem Tommy Mur-
 phy fate wiIled that Gibbons should
 be great-but never champion. Frank Klaus beat Papke before Mike
 could "get'' the Kewaeee Thunder
 bolt.
 George Chip twice knocked out Klaus before Gibbons could get a hack at the champion. And then the
 unspeakable Al Mccoy double
 crossed' Chip and knocked him out in the first round. Only couple of
 months before that Gibbons thrashed Al in a ten round bout In Brooklyn. But he never got a chance to repeat
 Finally at the close of his career he got his match with real champion Mike O'Dowd His last chance to possess the coveted title passed away
 with the dying echoes of the brazen gong.
 But Mike Gibbons will always be
 ranked as one of the greatest of mid
 dleweights. Even had circumstances dealt kindlier with him in the matter of title his renown would have
 been no greater nor more enduring than when he left the arena after
 meeting O'Dowd in his last and los ing fight