New-York tribune., 1920-12-15
Brennan, After Sensa-
tional Fight, Is Sent to
the Mat With Right and
Left Blows to the Body
Champion Punished
By the Contender
Chicagoan Starts With a
Rush and Holds Early
Lead; $4,000 See Bou.
By w. O. Mcclellan

JACK Dempsey, heavyweight cham
plon of the world, knocked out Bill
Brennan in the twelfth round of a
dramatic bout at Madison Square Gar
den last night, but the dramatic ele-
ment was not furnished by the cham
plon. 1t was furnished by the soft
looking and bewildered Brennan. who
carried the fight to the champion and
made & melodrama out of what was
billed as farce
For the first time since he STONED
the huge Willard at Toledo DEMPSEY
was made to feel considerable amount
of humiliation. His showing dazed
those who had come to regard him as a
greater fighter than Fitzsimmons.
The end came in strange fashion.
Dempsey, whose ear had been torn
open in the tenth round, was dripping
red blood onto his tights and scowling
furiously. Brennan was open-mouthed
and gasping from the effect of an ac-
cumulation of body blows earlier in
the fight. Suddenly Dempsey ripped q
hard right to the body, and as Bren-
nan sagged he drove left to the other
side.
Brennan Struggles to Knees
With his jaw dropping Brennan
iloundcred forward. AS he was sag
ging to the mat Dempsey brought his
right fist down to the base Of Bren-
mans skull The contender flopped
face forward to the mat He rolled
over once and struggled painfully to
his knees, with Dempsey lowering near.
Referee Billy Haukop pressed the
champion back as he counted He
reached the final ten" with Brennan
still on his knees
Brennan. billed as the clown Of the
snow, won the respect of the $4,000
who had packed the Garden to laugh
when the champion dropped him. If
he had been younger and less soft of
body he might have toppled the con-
queror of Willard. More than once he
hurt Dempsey with some real bodily
hurt, but. worse than that, he hurt the
pride Of the champion.
Dempsey Gets CauIiflower Ear
When the thing went past five
rounds. with Brennan actually leading
the champion on points, the crowd be-
gan to wonder. At first they had been
skeptical. They felt that Dempsey
might be "rettine Brennan stay for the
sake of the melton picture s." But they
soon became convinced that the cham
pion was most earnestly trying to end
the thing and save his face as soon as
possible.
There was a gasp that could be
heard all through the house when
Dempsey Topped back into his corner
at the end of the tenth round with his
ear battered and a stream of blood
and CHASTITY with rage as ne glared at
Brennan from his stool. That meant
that he would have to wear the prize
fighters badge Of humiliation, what is
known in the ring as a caulifowcr ear.
Opening Looked Like Farce
Certainly it did look like the open
ing Vi ii lIItC wien luc Iuctl Cuiuc lilO
the ring. Brennan seemed bewildcred
and wore a very nervous grin. He
tried to pick at his faded red sweater
with his gloved hands. He looked like
the victim. Somehow he suggested the
rabbit blinking around after being
thrown into the snakes den to act as a
dinner.
Dempsey came in later, after the
fashion of champions. First he scowlcd
at the hand-picked victim. Then he
snccred contemptuously at him. At
the sight of the Dempsey fighting face
Brennan only grnncd more nervously
The blase ones aroand the rngside
started to gather up their wraps, 50
that they would be ready to choose the
exit nearest, as the announcer sug-
gested.
Brennan Carries the Fight
In the first round it seemed that it
would not last long. Dempsey was
only waiting for the real opening, they
thought. But it did not come. In
stead Brennan, the clown, the third.
rater picked to make holiday fol
Dempsey and his admirers, started to
carry the fight to the champion.
Even then the crowd refused to be
lieve what they saw under the whit,
{Contlnued on uauo seycntecn)