The Washington times., 1921-09-08

Boston Italian, it is not to be thou
promoter is now planning to give tina
Mike Gibbons Is easily the best Of
the middleweights now before the pub
lie. He can box rings around both
Johnny Wilson and Bryan Downey at
any time and in any place. But the an:
cient Mike has quite lost his punch,
retaining hardly more than vestiges OF
his old.time speed Of hoof and hand.
The very fact of his decline, with his
supremacy over the two title. claim.
ants, Wilson and Downey, indicates
their sorry class. -.T+I.- .
Even though Tex Rickard, desiring
to get back some Of his money lost
in Jersey, might make an offer for
n Gibbons Wilson contest, that does
not mean that Wilson would accept.
Indeed, according to those closest to
the southpaw title claimant, Wilson
is never, never, never going to enter
the same ring with the "St. Paul
Ghost" And that's that.
Both Claim HonOrs -
There are today two boxers claim
ing the middleweight championship of
the world. They are the two dubs
who pushed and showed and mauled
each other around in the ring where
Jack Demsey dropped Georges Carp
enter for the long count on July 2.
Everywhere else Wilson Is recognized
is officially termed the champion.
In Ohio Bryan Downey, OF Columbus,
as the title holder who took the
crown through a referees decision at
Boston from Mike O'Dowd, the un-
disputed champion.
( Downey and Wilson met at Cleve-
land. Jimmy Gardner, a great mid.
Alax.ratoht tn his dow fnf,pAd nn0n
the Ohio State boxing board by Will
son. The authorities should never
have been forced into accepting Gard
ner. When they did, they lost all
grasp of the situation. They had no
right thereafter to overturn that ref
eree's decision.
It was an unsatisfactory bout. Bry.
AN Downey evidently caught Wilson
out Of shape and defeated him, BUT
THE REFEREE GAVE THE FIGHT
TO WILSON. The referee was &C.
cused of giving Wilson long counts
and of overlooking his fouling OF
sDowney. The scandal brought about
their meeting on Labor Day. Then
the world realized that both were i'm
possible as titleholders.
An Honored Division.
- Middleweights belong to an honored
division among ring contenders. Who
.eannot recall the great deeds Of Stan
ley Ketchel, Billy Papke. Tommy
Ryan, Bob Fitzsimmons, George La
Blanche, Jack Dempsey and Mike
Donovan? They were real boxers. II
10 thinking over their deeds inside
the squared circle that the degenera'
ton Of the class becomes SO ap'
parant when measured against john
nnUnRV
Mike Donovan was not afraid to
tackkle the great John l.. Sullivan.
He was outweighed by thirty pounds,
yet he was good enough to make 1t
an even thing against one of the
hardest hitters in ring annals. When
Donovan faced Sullivan, the "Bos-
ton Strong Boy" was green, but
terrible opponent for all that.
Bob Fitzsimmops was not afraid
to enter the ring with heavyweights.
and at one time held both the mid
and heavyweight titles, de-
feating the great Jim Corbett to
reach the worlds boxing pinnacle.
Stanley Ketchel pittS' his 165
pounds against the 205c c,ound Jack
johnson and came within hair Of
emerging from that ring at Colma,
Cal, king Of them all.
picture either Johnny Wilson or
Bryan Downey climbing through the
ropes to face Jack Dempsey, the
present worlds titleholder? Neither
can we.
Early Ones Were Great.
The early middleweights were
great fighters. They did not hesitate
to step into the ring against real
They had to, II they
would eat. They all ate. Merely be-
cause a man weighed 100 pounds
did not prevent his facing and de-
heavier. Indeed, some of the first
titleholders lacked 40
pounds on the scales.
Mike Donovan was the first mid.
to flash to the front, claim
ing the crown in 1874 and defending
II against all opponents for eight
years. When he retired nobody re-
placed him for a couple of years,
but his successor proved to be even
greater. He was the famous Non.
pareil. Jack Dempsey.
In all the history OF the ring in
America the original Jack Dempsey
is praised to the skies for his box
ing skill, his gameness, bis speed Of
foot and hand and eye and his ring
ability. He, too, met all Corners, win.
ming down to that awful day when,
possessing nothing but a brave mans
heart, he refused to quit before the
powerful Bob Fftzsimmoons at New
Orleans. Dempsey had won with
lSnockouts. He would lose by the
He did.
Bob -Fitzsimmons Is so recent that
almost everybody but children know
his story. Built like a freak, the