The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-03
.O'DOWD AND SMITH
PLAN TO EVADE RULE
Middleweight Boxers Have
Arranged Private Weight
Agreement.
nv CHARLES F. MATuIsox.

Mike ODowd. former middleweight
champion. and JET Smith, long an as
pirant for the honors of that class, have
been matched by Tex Richard to meet
at Madison Square Garden on November
8. In the official announcement of the
match IL Is stated that each Of the box
ers has posted a forfeit OF $2,60Q to
guarantee 15S pounds at the ringside.
This declaration should be pregnant
with interest for the members Of the
| New York State Boxing Commission and
the License Committee. Section of the
rules OF the Army, Navy and Civilian
( Board OF Boxing Control. which are part
of the Walker law, provides that Eight
hours previous 10 entering the ring the
1 two contestants shall be weighed on the
/ club scales in the presence of each other
I and an official OF the club. who shall
/ submit 60 the referee over his own Sig
nature the weights of the boxers"
! O'Dowd and Smith are middleweights,
I and under the Walker law they are re-
CURED to weigh not more than 100
pounds eight hours previous TO ringtin1e.
They are compelled to comply with the
rule. and yet if they are permitted 70
fulfil their private agreement they will
subject themselves to further strain and
one or both enter the ring in weakened
condition and unable to do Justice to
themselves
| The object of setting the weighing
time at eight hours previous to entering
the ring is to give both men fair
opportunity TO recover from the effects
Of hard training before beginning the
contest. Under the ringside system OK
weighing a boxer who has difficulty III
making the required poundage Is apt to
enter the ring minus his customary yigor
and therefore unable to box at his best.
AS n matter Of fact the object OF boxer
who insists on ringsde weight is TO get
his opponent in weakened condition into
the ring.
So far as the Boxing Commission 10
concerned it Is confronted with the plain
duty OF enforcing the law as 1t stands,
and the rules do not contain syllable
permitting private weight agreements
between contestants The law pre-
scribes one weighing, and that eight
hours before ring time. Weighing at
any other hour is plain attempt br
boxers and their managers to evade
the law.
Other rules that apparently need en-
forcing are those which prohibit a cor
poration having an interest, directly or
Indirectly, In a boxer, and which forbid
n matchmaker acting as second 1t is
known that at least one matchmaker has
taken out license as a second.
The welterweight boxing champions
ship of the American forces In Germany
was decided at the Y. M. c. A. Liberty
Hut, Coblenz. when Private Harry Sond-
berg, of Company e. Eighth Infantry,
successfully defended the title against
Private Brooks. of the Provost Mar
shals department. from Pittsburg, Pa.
in ten round battle which went TO the
limit. Sondberg retained the title when
the judges by two to one vote gave
him the decision.
1t looked from the start that Brooks
might win In the early rounds. His
rushing tactics and hard swings landed
on Sondbergs body with telling effect.
However the Quaker City lad withstood
them. though one hard blow had him
groggy After the hfth Sondberg was
himself and gained sufficient points to
receive the decision.
Brooks won the welterweight title
early In June and was selected TO rep
resent the Army OF Occupation in the
Olympic tryouts. II was not n GER
tainty that he would return and new
champion In the person of Sondberg won
the honor. Brooks returned and this
battle was to decide the real champion
Jack Dempsey, who is In Montreal do
| ing exhibition work, announced yester-
day that he had agreed to a fifteen round
bout with Jess willard. former worlds
champion, TO take place next March II
| The location of the fight, he said, had
not been decided
Unquestonably the battle will be
staged In this city. as will all the other
big bouts in which the champion will
take part Now that election is past the
promoters of the Carpenter Dempsey
bout will doubtless announce that they
have agreed TO disagree with the Cuban
capitalists and will stage the bout in
this State.
Jack Shelly has been selected as referee
OF the Lynch-Sharkey match at Madison
Square Garden next Friday night
Skellys work in recent bouts at the star
A. c. was excellent.
4 Marty Burke, Bobby Michaeis, Gene
Tunney and Eddie Fitzsimmons. who
have been III. are reported by their ply.
slcians as rapidly recovering.
Jack Kearns Is trying 20 match Bill
Tate with Harry Wills. which would
seem to be in the nature OF passing the
responsibility 20 the sparring partner
From Boston comes a wan 10. The
effect that boxing fans IN the Hub are
ircensed over the plan of Tex Rickard
TO match O'Dowd and Smith and "ror
Johnny Wilson OF the title.''
Boston fans are needlessly alarmed
Richard has no intention OF filching the
mildleweight crown from the marbl,
brow OF J. Wilson. All that Tex desire.
is to provide suitable opponent for IN.
! said Wilson. 30 that he can demonstrat,
that he is a real champion and not &
sidesteppepr.
After the O'Dowd-Smlth bout Rickarc
will invite Wilson to meet the winner II
J b championship contest in Madison
Square Garden In fifteen round bout (,
| a decision for n good sized purse. Il
/ Wilson then is despolled OF his title 1
/ will be his own fault, not Richards.
I PRO BASKETBALL STARTS SUNDAY.
1 Professional basketball comes into It's o,v
next Sunday afternoon In Madison Squar
. Garden, where two matches will DO contest
; ed, under the direction ~ Tex Richard
I o'clock play In the first game between tn
= Original Knckerbockers OF New YORK an
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