The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1921-02-05
By Robert EdgreH.

hurry, because Johnny might night
some challenger for his featherweight
title and become one OF the e1- cham
pions. Johnny has held the feather
championship for nearly nine years,
and that's a long time. Too long,
Johnny's ohallengers say, now that
. Kilbane Is admittedly growing rather
tention is devoted principally to buy
ing and selling real estate and col.
lecting rents.
& 1t took Kllbane a long time to show
signs of slipping, but II declining an
offer of $50, 900 in Tex Richards good
money to defend the old title against
a picked challenger isn't evidence OF
decline and fall from championship
class, what is?
1 have no trouble in remembering
the time when Johnny would have
been glad TO fight any feather in the
world for fifteen hundred or for the
fun Of it. II Kilbane was Kilbane he'd
do it now.
Johnny may be fair, fat and thirty
one to-day, but he was the genuine
and original Fighting Mick" when
he beat Able Attell for the feather
weight crown at Vernon, Cal, Feb.
2, 1912. Surest thing you know, that
boy could fight anything from Mex
team wildcat to a grizzly boar and get
away with 1t.
He had a poke like a lightning bolt
and a sidestep that made his oppO-
nents miss more swings than there
are on adj the gates in the country.
Talk about a dancing fool" That
vas Johnny Kilbane when he felt like
dancing. He could hop, skip and
Jump around a ring in way that
would make Johnny Dundee look like
q loaded truck trying to go up Fort
Lee hill on an icy morning.
They couldn't hit Kltbane with a
bucket OF birdshot and that's all
there was to IT. He invited punches,
and when they arrived he simply
wasn't there. And all the time he
was slapping and tapping and laugh
ing and chatting and making a mon
key out of the earnest young man in
front Of him, until people in the front
row laughed so hard they fell on their
seats.
PUNCH THERE WHEN WANTED.
Yet when he wanted to, Kilbane
surely could Tight! There was an in
, stance of this one time back in 1911,
when he fought Joe Rivers, the sen
sational little Mexican sluEger, VINO
was several times within an ace OF
being the worlds lightweight cham
piOn.
The FIRST time Kilbane met Rivers
was May 1, 1911, At that time XII
bane was Just beginning to take the
star part in Jimmy Dunn's stable
q He had beaten several good feathers
and had lost q few decisions, averag'
4 ing very well. But he had no grea'
i record yet. He had lost a ten round
decision to Abe Attell. and in f1v'
years of boxing had fought perhaps
100 small fights. But he was pop
uiar little fellow because class stucl
out all over him. He had a fighter!
speed, skill, judgment Temperament
and build, and the crowd liked to looI
at him.
This FIRST time Joe Rivers outboxeC
Kifbane and won a twenty-rOund de
cision over him. KiBbane takes grea
pride in the fighting ability OF tn
Irish race, and the thought that hi
Colors had been lowered by a MeGi
can stung him hard. He went East
boxed a couple Of short bouts and re
turned to the Coast to night River
again in September.
During the early rounds OF tina
night Rivers had the better OF II
The Mexican was a wildcat for &C
ton when he was confident OF win
ming, and he had beaten Kilbane be
fore. But under the failing blow
tEat broke through his guard an
caught him in spite Of his swift foot
work, Kilbane only grew more grim
ly determined. The fight half Owe
l. -
for an opening and a chance to tim
a knockout punch. In the sixteent
= round he cracked Joe on the chi
with a terrific fight and knocke
him cold.
That made Kilbane's reputation
He beat frankie Conley in 20 round
at Vernon. went East and fought
no-decision Grounds with Charli
White, returned TO California an
was matched with Abe Attell.
At that time Attell was rega riG
an absolutely invincible feather
weight champion. He had held II
title for many years, and when theI
were no more featherwcight contend
ers good enough TO give him hgf
he took on the best OF TIE likhtwe Ght
AtteN was wonderfully skiltm an
he could fight on even terms wit
the best lightweightS, while still
featheFweiRht himself. Among II
great lightweights he met were Owe
Moran, Tommy Murphy, Charl
White, Matt Wells, X. O. Brow
Eddie Hanlon, Eddie Kelly, u
Nackay, Freddy Welsh and Battlin
: Nelson.
When Bat was worlds champion
the lightweight class Atten fOuGl
him twice, a six-round draw
Philadelphia and a 15-rouhi draw
California. And he rushed Mel n
and fought him toe to toe all Il
way at that,
ATTELL GOT MAD.
Attell naturally figured. to the e.
perts, an easy victor over your
Johnny KiIbane. Imagine the SUI
prise in the packed arena at Verne