Bisbee daily review., 1919-11-02
Wants Council Job as
 a Matter of Civic Pride
BY FRED TUR6YVILLE N. E. A. Sports Writer.

CLEVELAND, Nov. lone more fight-not more than two-and John ny Kilbane will retire with the championship of the featherweight ranks.
 Kilbane made this announcement today as he rested between political speeches. Kilbane is running for councilman on the Democratic ticket in the First Ward.
 But I'm not retiring on account of politics." said Johnny. 'Tt is be- cause of bad hands and the fact that there seems to be no oppon- ent worthy of a championship scrap. CThe council job only pays 5000 year.)
 My hands are giving me lots of pain. They hurt me in every fight. After my recent bout with Eddie Morgan I had to stick them in bucket of cracked ice and keep them there an hour.
 T won't fight again until after election, Nov. 4. I will box in one or two more bouts and then I'm go- ing to retire. I have not signed up for any fights"
 And if Kilbane sticks to his word he II fn5sC l1KeIy retire with the belt for there appears no fighter in the ranks of the feathers today capable of giving him any sort of trial. He has whipped all of them and with ease.
 He is one of the greatest cham pions of all time-unfortunate only in the fact that he has so far out classed his field that interest has Jagged because close contests were never the order.
 Kilbane has held the title seven years. He won it in a 20-round de- cision bout with Abe Attell. He has stood ahead and shoulders above all others since then. In 1913 Johnny Dundee fought ten-round draw with him, but he since outclassed Dundee.
 In 1917 he was knocked out by Benny Leonard, a lightweight. It was the only knockout he has sue cumbed to in the 14 years of fight ing.
 He has fought 133 bouts. He has won twenty over the knockout route. He has far outclassed his op- ponent time after time, but did not use a haymaker on him because of his bad hands.
 Kilbane's hands are very brittle. He broke the right one on Johnny Albanese in 1911. The left one cracked against the chin of Monte Attell the same year. He won the title with a pair of hands that great ly pained him. Bonesetter Reese could do nothing with them.
 And despite this pair of hands the most brittle, of all ringmen- Johnny Kilbane has never called off fight because of them.
 Tn all my boxing. days I have cancelled but one bout and that was because of a sudden attack of acute indigestion. I was to Fight Ritchie Mitchell that time," said the cham pion.
 Sung by criticism of sport writ CTS and fans Kilbane occasionally would display his knockout punch, but it generally hurt him worse than the fellow who was on the re- ceiving end
 Kilbane is one of the most won derful boxers of modern times. His defense is almost impregnable. In IA years of boxing-he began at 16 he has few scars. His hands are the worst They are knotted and gnarled. His left ear has very small cauliflower. It is hardly notice able. There is a scar above the right eye, but he got that in boy hood accident and not in the ring
 The featherweight champion is very popular throughout the country and particularly in Cleveland. He is one of the cleanest fighters we've ever had and a credit to the game His wife and kiddies often went with him to other cities where he was to box. He had them with him on the Pacific Coast. He was mar ried before he won the title.
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