The evening world., 1921-03-17
BN Robert EdQren.
&C A LII right Mike can start
~ loading steamers Friday


morning." That was john
ny Wilson's answer when he read
Mikes statement that he'll never
pull on another glove II he fails to
stop the champion.
This ffteen- round championship
bout between Wilson and former
champion, Mike O'Dowd will nearly
complete the list of championships
contested in the famous Madison
Square Garden since Tex Richard
took charge. Heavyweight champion
Dempsey defended his title there. So
did welterweight Jack Britton, light
weight Leonard and bantamweight
Pete Herman. The latter was the only
loser, when Joe Lynch conquered
him. Johnny KiEbane hasn't as yet
risked the featherweight honors in
the great arena where 50 many splen-
did champions have fought in years
gone by.
As a rule, champions hold their
titles in the Garden. And If the dope
that comes down from Wilson's
camp is right, Johnny isn't very
likely to prove the exception. There
is plenty of evidence that Wilson
can fight. Hector McInns, who ref
creed the bout in which Wilson be-
came champion at O'DOwd's expense,
says: ITS always hard to give a
decision against a champion. II there
had been any way to give O'Dowd a
fifty-tifty break after he met Wilson
would have done it. But Wilson
beat him so far that there was moth
ing to IT.. Only a robber could have
given Mike even a draw"
O'Dowd, war veteran and inter-al-
lied champion, as well as former
worlds champion middleweight, is
well known all over the country. Will
sons fighting ability has been shown
little outside OF Boston. But Wilson
was a New York boy and began his
fighting career in New York. 4 few
local ring fans remember Johnny's
first and last main event here.
1t was up In Sulzer's Casino, the
old American Sporting Club. Billy
Mccartney and Paddy Donnelly, the
promoters. still tell about 1t.
Leo Flynn furnished three fighters
for three events" says Mccartney,
"and Johnny Wilson was the star of
the bunch. He was to fight X. o.
opened early but nobody came in.
rushed out into the street with an
armful OF comps and gave them away
so that we could make some kind of a
showing around the ring l think
when the first bout went on there
were eleven paid admissions. And
you never saw such n fighting night
in your life Leo's bunch was all beat
up, and the fellows who fought them
a
up to fight K. o. Sweeney, and when
lamped Wilson 1 thought 1t was all
off. Sweeney was a pretty good fight
or and at the top OF his form. Will
son looked awkward, like all south
paws, and he looked sea ared. Sweeney
went after Wilson. crouched and ugly.
And Wilson leaned over sideways and
hit Sweeney a stiff poke with his
right and crashed him with his left.
| BY the time Wilson had crashed
Sweeney a few times Sweeney was
on the floor He was on the floor
several times Then he put Wilson
down a couple, but Wilson got up and
| handed X. o. an awful trimming. He
crashed X. o. for the last count in the
tenth round. Then came the paying
off. The boys were on percentage and
| there was exactly Sl170 each for Will
son and Sweeney, and $751; 10 for Leo's
| llTtb men. L no BdAp " t<A NAliH ASCS
offered Paddy $3.50 to pay his fighters
off for him. He didn't dare to go
near them. But Wilson took it all
right. He was tickled because he
| knocked Sweeney out. Wilson took
his S11.70 with thanks, and asked fol
another bout on his showing. I've
been getting from SIS to $50 for pre-
liminaries,' he said, and I get $1L7C
for my first main event. When I'm
champion will be fighting for moth
ing"
This part Of Wilson's guess was a
little off AS champion tonight he's
getting $40,
The Sweeney fight, by the way, was
in June, 1915,
Wilson did lot OF good fighting
when he wac in the preliminary class
He fought twenty battles in the old
Olympic Club and won a good per
centage OF them with knockouts He
always used the southpaw style OF
milling.
Wilson uses his extended riEht
hand better than any other southpaw
since little X. o. Browns time. He
hits n hard punch with the straight
right. which Is the equivalent of the
straight left Of the boxer who fight:
in the usual way.
In Roston, where Wilson has done