Evening star., 1922-12-31

tiIt SlJ''lL Oi @N'N ~
~ ~ IA, in the year 1922. II
ether respects, however. the boxif;g
game ti,rived TO degree coTnparablc
, with all professional and anlateu'
sports throughout the United Statcs
| Indeed. so eager has the publ
been 10 support boxing that TIM
and again the poorest sort G;
matches have yielded rich rcceiP'
to the promoters and PRINCIPALS.
The flavor Of any year OF bcxi.'
j. impaired to great degree by tie
character and quality Of heaEi
weight bouts. \ rafting battle -
the heavyweight title Is always o.
tonic influence that is rejected II.
only throughout all the .pugiiist'
divisions. but IL a general interea'
i, the sport. which is shared By tei
G: thousands who normally pay e
attention d. al to pugilist:c affairs.
But .I;.ca penip''y Was iat, ,,,t out 80
! rpr,"us citie.:, he c5nrncd his aceiV
i,i.s ~ the stage. This va r.
J,empsey's fault. II" IL . real chai3,
1,i,n and likes 10 work =, lie trant-
r.. er"at difficulty Is tha' IT, 30 IL
utclas s.s all contend. r.. %a'e ci
ard p.rhap. another. that there 8 y
t.e;,''ac,s - i-cer,,i.-. for MIN 10 make a
,,,a,..h. even granting t!.ac the I'1blic
would stand for his engagement WIZ
The one exception aboye noted J
FIalry NILS. the negro. me Seco!.
-. ii.ie cxoertior VIII b. mention
'a;.-r Wills and pe;r?ser voir
; ha-. met this year had I NOT nrri
I i. :o1v here popular and Is fro" nt,
, ,Itn ~ the Authorities IN most sta,es
En".:.' to build VI interest IN this
p b. Ut hav,. b.cn underway fo- a yea
low and there are said - be chan'e
~. In. fight viii b. pulled on n
N4y Yyrf CITY hex. september. Tn"
..lircr rersonally does rot ne!:
! .rat tfesc chances are 50 good .
...Iuc ,c:. ons think. Wh'n all Is "a
ana done thcr. are conditions u! %
of the country that svEgest o. III
ycily harding cf mixed fights.
VIII. L. Going Back.
Ard. anyway. Harry Wills or,s
-,,v.. b.eu Z much more forTnidabiF
cuon4nt for Dempsey Two years az"
man he viii b this coming yea
Th. rassagc Of time has meant muc.l
" orr. 50 .ar as physical deterior.
IN. is concerned, TO Wills than -
l.,s 1. rcu.pssy. who right nov =
&c Mig into his prime. Aside fror-
wills. I9"3 contains lizzie promise :;
:.
may nehl dempsey In EeT York. =
tf.a Neu York state athletic cor,
mission cau b. induced "a resciAd .ts
ban on ased fghte-. But no hno,L
!rg fan would excite himself owe"
HAT battle
e.an,. is :. looming figure. but IL
coming year will hardly see him ri7
10y u fight against Dempsey. A.
I-u.. ITirpo. the Argentinan. seems :
Al he X
,.r:ous existence cf IL national ido
On the other side 10 world chanpio:
ship ccntendera offer. Battling s.
RAJ been discredited. Carpenter h
..trn nown zip and Joe Beckett. /.
British champion. is :. th!rd-ra'eT
Tommy Gibbons may be pittcl
;ea!n.. Dempsey. There seems TO i
some thing curious about this 8
going great guns knocking. all OF
ponents galley-west; But his 1s--
showing consisted chiefly. Of the poor
est sort OF i fight against Bartle:
Madden. and as u climax his defea:
by Marry Greb in New York. He dit
show great class against Mfske. VIII"
fcuied him. The problem is whether
Tommy was playing possum VII!
iret, looking toward a. battle Wit
Denipsey. or just what happened
ani caa hit. There are iIIdicatio.
tl'at Dempsey had rather meet :-.l.le 80
any one than Gibbons.
III" lnost important World TIT
I, u changed hands during til .-ei-''
Involved the welterweigLt Ga -
Mickey walker. 4 young mixer from
Elizabeth. y. j.. met jack Rrittor i.
the Madison Square Garden az
walker IS good, rough and ready
walloper but in no sense OF II"
word a great fighter.
The American lightweight chan
pionship was taken from Gene T>u. :
Pittsburgh. This title battle was
built up originally through g fghf
between Tunney and Battling L.
whisky. the aged national title
holder from whom Carpenter had
months before the Frenchman an
Dempsey met. Tunney hand even les
trouble in disposing Of Levinsky tina:
Carpenter had. Moreover. this fiFh.
locked to be upon the level, wherea'
there are experts who believe TIL:
1Svinshy laid down to gorgeOus
Georges. Anyway Greb windmilie
Tunney out of his title when III
two met a: the Madison Squa,'
Garden.
Joe Lynch Came Back.
Tue world bantan.weight title H.l-
captured by Joe Lynch. former III,
l'oider. when he defeated the sick ar,
r .StO cl NAls
the Madison Square Garden.
And later Pancho Villa punch. q.
Buff out Of his national flywcigl..
4, title. Villa halls from the Philippir'
| Islands and has had one Of the mos
remarkable rises pugilism has know.
in some time.
, The high-light battle Of the yea
took place one summer night in tht
famous arena on Bcyle's Thirty Acres
, in Jersey City. where Benny Leonarl Z
, and Lew Tender fought their lor =
deferred battle. It was n ro-decisio:-
bout Tender gained a huge lead y.
the early rounds. but ,GteC In th
fight Leonard began to make proc
ress and at tho end was doing NOR
than holding his own. Ncwsparc
decisions went to Leonard. IL wa
, a. real battle and when Tender an
| Leonard meet next summer, as thei
surely will, the chances are that IL
| feud between the Two boys VIII -
! settled for good and all.
With Johnny Wilson. who holds til
I middleweight title. barred from fight
ing In many states and apparently no
eager to do battle in commomnweaitl:
where his appearance would be pcy
mitted, the New York athletic Coz J
mission bestowed the title upon Da'-
Rosenberg OF Brooklyn. Some tin.
after this benefaction Rosenberg M.
Mike ODowd, former midd,eweiei
titlcholder. With O'Dowd leading by
goodly margin, Rosenberg fouled his
opponent and was disqualified. <"
Michael is now. by grace of the Ne,
pion OF the world This title. how
ever. is only locally recognized. and
none too ardently even in New York.
Johnny Kilbane. worlds champioi.
featherweight. has been inactive al,
year. as usual. Last spring he went L.