The Washington herald., 1921-08-11

When Pete Herman. won back the
bantamweight nipionship by out
pointing Joe Lynch In that. fifteep-
round bout In Brooklyn. he did a
fine piece OF work, but didn't break
any records. Winning back a title
has been done beforel- Still. the
cases on record are very few.
No heavyweight champion ever re-
won a lost world championship.
Several had chance and couldn't
make good. sullivan never tried.
because when he lost to corbett he
was a fat old man and far beyond
all possibilityisf coming back.
corbett tried and was whipped
twice with ease by Jefries
Fitzsimmons lost the title to
Jeffries. and years later trained hard
and made heroic attempt. giving
Jeffries terrific Igruelling before
nature gave out and Fitz dropped
when Jeff dug one into his body and
cracked him on the chin with a
straight left.
Jeffries retired and failed to come
back when he was dragged out
again six years later.
Burns gave II up after losing to
johnson. and johnson became a
hopeless has-been after being
whipped 10y willard at Havana.
Willard might come back. and ac-
rcording to report, seems willing to
try,
One middleweight lost the world
title and came back. This was the
famous Stanley Ketchel. who was
beaten by Billy Papke in Los An
geles. Ketchel was a rare sort Of a
blrd-a man who didn't recognize
the possibility of defeat. Ketchel
was so constituted that he couldn't
feel fear. The chance of losing a
title meant nothing to him. and he
felt in his heart that he could beat
any man he fought. So when he
met Papke again. a few months
later, KetcheI entered the ring with
all the confidence in the world. and
Papke. the champion. was nervous
and on edge.
Ketchel whipped him. But among
all the fighting men I've ever known
Ketchel. Dempsey and Fitzsimmons
were unique in having this feeling
of absolute invincibility. II gave
them fighting strength and an edge
| over all opponents.
Double Comeback.
In the welter class. Jack Britton
is notable for having re-won a lost
world championship twice. Britton
Is a cocky. confident fighter, and
very skillfu1. He has made a re-
markable record in the ring, and
| has held the championship long after
| the time when he might have been
/ expected to crack,
. His cloest rival was Kid Lewis
Lewis was many years younger than
| Britton when he beat Jack and took
the championship away.
He held il for some time. meeting
Britton in a number Of no-decision
bouts. II seemed that age was
| grabbing" Britton, as Joe Cans
used to say. But Jack came back
Unexpectedly knocking Lewis out
After that he beat Lewis again
easily.
| A funny thing-Lewis seemed to
grow old and lose his fighting form
while Jack Britton Is still as youth
full as ever in the ring. and delivers
the goods in championship style
when all OF the men he used to fight
| in his early days have long retired
or been pounded into oblivion.
| Lewis came back" once by beat
ing Britton and retrieving the title
but that was a long time ago. anC
he soon lost 1t again. Still, he class.
ifies as one Of the few champions
| who have been beaten and have
fought their way to the top again.
Such great welters as Joe wal
Cott, Rube Ferns. Matty Matthews
Mysterious Billy Smith and Hone,