The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-21
(By Associated Press)


NEW YORK, Dec. 21.-In the squar-
ed circle realm of pugilism where
titles are knocked down to traders
with the hardest or the truest punches
business was brisk in 1921.
There were many bidders for the
title of the bantamweights and a mill
ion punches, more or less, were offer
ed by a group of traders well known
to the sporting public. Irish Joe"
Lynch of New York's West Side, by
virtue of a high bid last December,
came into the year with the title. He
then engaged the old holder Pete Her
! man of New Orleans, and lost when
Peters brand was recognized by the
| autioneers - some people call EN-
| iudges-as the better of the two.
Peter, however, went to sleep one
night in the market at Madison Square
Garden, and Johnny Buff, a jaunty
title Jerseyite, outbid him. Johnny
let Jack Sharkey, another New York
boy into the bidding later, but he pro-
tected his title handiIy.
Then Buff went out to Milwaukee,
where there are not any auctioneers
! and it's only the hard punches that
| will take a title. He met Pal Moore
| of Memphis, Chicago and other places,
| and, while Pal offered more punches
and of a better quality, according to
| some of the witnesses he couldn't find
real hard one in his store. Buff
| came back with the crown.
! New One on Market
! Not so long ago there was a new
title placed in the market-one for
$50 Founders, or Junior lightweights.
! Upon the scene came one Johnny
Dundee, a former Italian fish market
! clerk who more than a decade ago
was given his Scottish name in one
shake Of the finan-haddie tail by
Scotty" Monteith a Bonnie boxing en-
thusiast from the land Of thistles
Monteith started Johnny on a career
and Johnny realized his ambition after
| IL years by winning the new title in
a bout with George CLANCY of Balti-
more. when CLANCY was disqualified
for fouling.
| Johnny Kilbane, grey-haired king of
! the feathers was least active of the
lighter men. He engaged in an af-
fair out in Cleveland, several months
L
and after some rounds of punch trad
ing and claims of fouling by Frush,
Johnny offered his hardest right and
retained the title.
Benny Leonard expert fist thrower
of the lightweights, got into some
trouble at the outset Of the year, when
in a bout with Richie Mitchell from
milwaukee way he got careless or
something in the second round and let
Richie bid high to the jaw with a
right. He was very much taken aback,
but realized that he was a business
man and retained the title with a
hard right in the sixth. The auc-
tioneer told Richie that his bidding
was getting weak and he'd better
stop. Richie obeyed. Later Leonard
engaged in II rounds of punching with
a rugged Italian-Rocky Kansas by
name-and won.
Leonard's Bouts.
i Leonard has not been engaged in
any other important deals, but he Ell
tertained Sailor Friedman of Chicago
in Philadelphia recently and exhibited
in this town with a weller, George
Ward of New Jersey.
Leonard May, during the course OF
the coming year, make an offer for
the welterweight title held by Jack
Britton, whose punches, some aspir-
ants for his title may grow harder as
the years go by. Britton had one i'm
portant engagement during the year
in February he defeated Ted Kid
Lewis, the British wallop barterer, and
former title holder.
The middleweight king, Johnny vii
son, whose popularity with pugilism' :
followers has been likened to that OF
an enforcement agent at a bartender s
party, has had several bouts. One in
Cleveland he engaged Bryan Downey
an awkward but hard, puncher, and
after being floored several times was
, awarded the bout on an alleged foul
whereupon loud hulabaloos were raised
in the fistic world. Downey claimed
he had won by a knock out-Wilson
claimed he had been fouled, and they
decided TO try again.
Uninterestng Affair.
, The result was a uninteresting nc
decision affair in Jersey City; the
New Jersey boxing commission de
cided that Wilson's showing was very
very poor an dthey ordered his S37, 500
purse held up. Downey went away
claiming the title but, according to tins
laws of barter and trade it still was
Wilson's. Johnny got his money only
a few days ago when the commission
? relented and he is expected to NEE
Harry Greb the Pittsburg pug will