The New York herald., 1922-11-02

/
The bell saved him. Touching forty,
which is an advanced aged for an ath-
lete, Britton came out for the eleventh
with all he could gather together and
made gallant last stand. For two full
minutes he carried the fight to his
young tormentor and Walker was for
| the time bewldered and baffled at the
desperation of the veteran. 1t was
magnificent, but 1t was useless that
last display of sheer courage, that at
/ tempt to bluff old Father Time him
/ self.
At the end or the round Britton was
staggering wearily. He had given the
1 last ounce that was in him and 1t was
useless. Thereafter he set himself to
last the fifteenth round to pass from the I
championship standing on his feet In
the twelfth. round Walker landed
wicked left just above the belt and
Britton once more crumpled, sagging
slowly to the mat At the count of nine
he pulled himself up wearily and COW
cred up.
Passes title on Feet.
For three more rounds the youngster
with the bright, flashing eyes and the
terrier face worried the old man. but he
could not send him down again. Brit
ton reeled groggily. his jaw sagged and
the whites of his rolling eyes were ghast-
ly. but he would not drop. They might
have thrown the towel from his corner
in any of the last three rounds, put
they let him stay. They let him pass
| from the championship standing on MS
| feet.
| 411 LA In nh
/ announced that all bets had been de-
clared off by order of the Boxing Com
! mission and with the consent of the clup
officials The sudden and mysterious
I'switch in the betting few hours pc
.fore the bout roused the suspicious OF
! the Boxing Commission and this deci-
sion was made as the result of sort OF
/ drum-head court martial. at whfeh some
well known gamblers were questioned.
The fight itself should be evidence
that there is no cloud on the new title
acquired by Edward Michael Walker OF
elizabeth. N j. Nor was there anything
shady in the passing Of the veteran, Jack
! Britton He took some terrinc punisn-
/ ment, punishment that no man VINO Went
into the ring with the intention OF oeing
4 beaten would take. He took 1t gaiiantiy'
wearing that rather bored ana SAD iooA
! which he used to wear, winning or losing.
call the poker face. No vicious ight
! comes tn his eyes when he strikes TO
] knock them out Never has he worn
| smile of triumph and never was there
an expression of worriment when he ieit
himself hurt or in danger. To the last
his face remained impassive
Are Descends on Jack.
I From the first 1t was evident that
/ Britton was not the Brtton oil rev
I wears ago His age descended upon him
suddenly in the ring last night-age al
WAYS descends suddenly and unexpec-
! tedlv upon professional athletes. 1t
came TO Britton as IL came to Sullivan
and Fitzsimmons. and Britton met IL
with less emotion than either OF these.
Britton showed himself the true ring
philosopher.
OF course, the new champion IS
| better man than the Britton OF last
night but TO the Britton of a few years
ago he is a novice His punch Is not
| hefty but 1t Is effective enough. he
swings and he hooks persistently. When
two miss one lands and the one that
lands has enough force to count
Somehow the straight left of Britton,
one of the most wonderful that the ring
! has known, was not in evidence las,
night The new champion. twisting aud
hooking. ducked around II ana landed
10 the head and 10 the body with /
monotonous regularity. The first sign
Of impending disaster for the old cham
pion came in the third round. when
Walker hooked him TO his launches
with a long ef. swirg that glanced Off
the long jaw of the veteran.
A Face Like McGovern.
Britton leaped to his feet quickly and
carried the fight to Walker with vigor. |
but in the sixth round the boy with the
terrier face, a face like that of the late
Terry McGovern. began to press the vet
eran and he landed persistently with |
hooks to the head and the body. Britton
began to tire perceptibly. the spring
went out of his feet and the snap went
out Of his punches.
Walker continued to batter systematic
cally at the faltering veteran, and as
Britton slowed down II became evident /
to the pack at the ringside that cham !
pion was about to pass. They pressed
closer. and that low. inarticulate growl I
that comes when a champion Is about to I
be pulled down was heard. Nothing else /
only an occasional fragment OF foolish I
advice to the boy with the terrier face.
As he weakened visibly under the bat
tering the face OF the veteran remained I
impassive. Perhaps there might have
been a shade OF wistfuincss In II as
he longed for the spring and the fire /
that was his Just few years ago. But !
the carrying of that professional ex-
preston TO the last was a piece of
sheer grit, for Britton was facing q !
dual tragedy. the loss OF his title and 4
the realization that he was an old man. I
( Perhaps the latter was the bitterest.
So Passed n Hero.
So passed the hero Of five hundred
fights and to the best Of my knowledge /
only one OF them dubious one, the
last bout with Benny Leonard 1t was
the memory of this one that caused I
the Boxing Commission TO start the /
investigation that might tend to caet /
cloud around the gallant finish of |
the welterweight champion, but to my
mind that is grossly unfairN
In his defeat last night Jack Britton I
late welterweight champion, was as
gallant a figure as | have seen In the I
B prize ring. lie staggered out OF the chair
into which he ssgged when the last bell I
rang and reached out his hand TO
Walker. the lad with the terrier face
and the retrouse nose
II wish you luck, kid" he said. And !
then there was just shade OF envy i'm
the poker face. lie envied Walker his |
youth. nothing else.
Rumors stir Fight Board.
srt,.,.o ,..ora N N eariu oe rpv,,nre IL, tIo