The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-31
SPORIS- CLUBBERS TO IA VE BUSY WEEK --SPORTS
Rosenthal Tells Of Game Scrap By
 Abara, Frenchman
By JAMES J. ooRBETr

i When it comes to gameness, may
 chant my little piece about the most
 remarkable exhibition that I ever
 saw" asked Ben Rosenthal of New
 York who has been identified with the fight game for more than ? years. : Shoot" replied the crowd
 | Seven years or more ago, when I was managing Bill Browns club in New York, a young Frenchman, mid ldleweight, came to me and said he
 was fighter. He told me his name was M. c. Abara, and that he was 21
 years old. gave him tryout with one of the boyes, and he showed up awful. So l told him he wouldn't do and promptly forgot him.
 l Some months later Abara same to me again, told me he had improved
 and would like to have another chance. l gave him a second workout, and the result was much the same. l told him he ought to forget the fight game, oe- cause he'd never do But the kid in sisted that he could fight, and only waited real chance.
 GETS HIS CHANGE
 The next night a Philadelphia :nid- dleweight was matched to meet Frank Wagner who had been Knocking over everybody who faced him in the east The Philadelphia kid took good look at Wagner and ran out of the match The crowd already was in the house. and We tried our best to get substi- tute. l couldn't find one, and in the emergency l rememb bered Abara, and recalled that l had given the kid seat to see the fight.
 T ran up into the gallery and began looking around for the youngs.er. There he was--perched upon a rafter I asked him whether he would fight Wagner, and he told me he would fight anybody in the world. So I told him to jump downstairs and get into ring costume.
 Then I went into the ring as the semi final concluded, and announced 10 the crowd that the original opponent for Wagner had run out There was yell of anger but l silenced it, and told the cash customers that I had un- covered & fighter who certainly would give Wagner and the crowd a run for US money. l went along in elaboration of the kind, and finally declared that Wagners opponent that night would be Portland Jack Dempsey. Abara climbed into the ring, and was so introduced.
 COULDN'T DROP ABARA
 Wagner hit Abara with everything but the girders of the building-but couldn't knock him down. Round after round Wagner pounded the head and body of the youngster-without heinz able to drop the kid. I was amazed at the showing of Abara-but soon became worried. As the ninth round ended the kind stumbled to his corner with both eyes practically closed, poth cheeks gashed in ghastly fashion, with his nose smashed. blood gushing from his mouth and nose, and with his body a mass of bruises.
 1T got the ear of the referee, and whispered:
 "This fight out to be stopped before the kid is killed
 "I can't stop the fight now without precipitating riot replied the ref cree. The crowd has made bets 1n knockout, and if stop the fight, those fellows who lose will commit murder around here. There is only one thing to do, and that is to let the fight go on until Wagner knocks out the kid
 "Abara heard the last part of the referees remarks, and through swollen and bleeding lips, said:
 'There'll be no knockout tonight unless Wagner is knocked out
 ABARA'S GREAT RALLY
 The bell rang and Abara, to the as- tonishment of everyone in the place, | rushed over almost into Wagner's cor ner, and met Wagner as he came out. | Abara feinted with the left and sent | a right-hander to Wagner's face. The | blow split Wagner's cheek from bone to chin. The result was ghastly, and | it's effect upon Wagner was like that | on man hit with a crowbar. Wagner, | wholly unmasked then, could hardly l believe Abara had hit him. But he | was soon to learn little more
 "Abara followed up the smash to | the cheek with left to the other side l of the face, two rights smashed Wag> ners nose and blackened his eyes. The | crowd. ever with the under dog. tore | in and pounded and battered Wagner | from one side of the ring to the other. |