The New York herald., 1922-03-05
Glories of johnson, Belcher,
Savers and Mace Mock
It's Present.
MOLYNEUX WAS TRICkED
Negro Should Have Taken the
Title From Cribb i'm Their
First Battle.
by DANIEL.

ny DANIEL.
Jeffries. Johnson and Willard have
risen and gone from the heavyweight
championship armament In America
and now virile Dempsey is at the
zenith. France, once despised in in
ternational boxing, has developed its
Carpenter. And while ths United
States brings forth one shining light
after another in the roped square
England, birthplace OF modern boxing,
gnashes It's teeth and towls in an
guish--and in vain--for another
Relcher, another Cribh another Say
ers or Mace. IT failed itself It
has looked TOW .5 colorlcs-and
there, too. 1t h u-. with disapp at-
ment.
While Ems ana wallows in tae
slough OF despond ia boxing and von-
6ers why America can devei1p its
Titans OF the ring and Merrie Eng
land can boast of no more potent A
champion than Beckett, it likes to
bark back to the old days when the
British Lion was rampant--back 10
the days of bare knrcklcs and London
Prize Ring rules. 1t likes TO think
back TO the time when Tom Cribb won
the championship. when the valiant
little Pcrr.ns stood up with the bulky
johnson for sixty-two rounds-when
Jem Belcher contested with Cribb--
when Mendoza rose to show real
modern school which perhaps was the
4lx n - Ia
English heavyweight.
While America sits back TO watch the
exploits of its Dempsey. its Leonard,
England takes Pierce Egan's Boxiana
from its shelf and delves into the Hon.
eric doings Of its gladiators of the good
old days. Egan sings extravagant
praises of nearly every one of the Eng
lish battlers of the long ago. He makes
each prize ring paragon-each a won
der fighter, a sui generis expert With
fists and power. But England likes It.
Egan Did Great Work.
Egan no doubt exaggerates the quail
tiles of his boxing figures--as no doubt
We are led to exaggerate those OF many
of our own champions OF the past and
present. But his Boxiana is remark
able work. Had Egan not set down the
boxing the history OF the sport would
be as hszy as the legends which sur
round the life of Shakespeare.
Egsn traces the heavyweight cham
pionship back to the first title holder,
James Figg, who won the honors in
171s. Then came Tom Pipes and Jack
Hammersnaith and in 1882 Jack Brough-
ton became the champion. Broughton
was the first real title holder and with
him began the solid history of boxing.
He held the championship for eighteen
years and opened an arena I'm which the
foundations of tho modern sport were
laid.
After BrouEhton came Jack Slack.
then George Taylor, then Slack again
and a long succession of title holders
and claimants. II IN OF tho time OF Tom
Crib which We wish TO tell about in the
nlaln--about the remarkable Cribb and
his remarkable fights with Tom Molly
neux, the Moor one OF the greatest
negro eXponents in the history OF the
ring.
Molyneux was not the first. negro in
British boxing. Richmond came before
him. But Molyneux, who was a bull.
slugger and clever fighter too, was the
greater of the two. From Molyneux We
roll along the years to Peter jackson,
by some regarded as the greatest holder
OF the heavyweight title. Then We
come TO Jack Johnson and the modern
school OF negro heavyweights. among
them Sam Mcvey, Joe Jeanette, sam
Langford and Battling Jim Johnson.
And now we find another negro standing
out as a contender for the worlds title,
Harry Wills.
MoIyncux Was Tricked.
Johnson was a champion-of tho
world. Jackson was n champion-of
Great Britain. And Molyneux would
havo been a champion IL he had got
square deal in his first battle with Crib.
This was fought on December 10, 1910,
on Copthai Common, In a drenchins
rain. In his account OF the battle In
Boxiana. Egan says nothing about the
trick through which Moiyneux was
robbed OF victory and tho title.
But In a later article, In referring 70
the death of the negro mt Galway.
ireland. Egsn writes: His first con-
test with Cribb will be long remembered
by the sporting world. 1t will also not
be forgotten, IL Justice hold the scales.
that his color alone prevented him from
becoming the hero OF that night"
Egan refers 10 trick on the part OF
Cribbs seconds at n time when the
champion was all out in his corner in
the twenty-first round and unable TO
come % scratch. f,k seconds then
rushed up TO Molyneux and accused him
OF holding bullets In his hands. Such
action would have hurt the negro moro
than tha titisholder. But the charge
brought about q sduabble which lasted
long enough for CRIB to recover. Such
tricks were ouits common In those
days. The whit. man then made
gallant comeback, and beat down the
negro. who. incidentally. was not In the
best or condition. lie was becfy and
puffy, and IN the fortieth round fell
from weakness, giving CrIbb the fight
BY knockout.
On September Is. 1911, Crib and Molly
neux met again-and this time the
negro was just as dlssipated as ever.
while the whits cha mpion was In pretty
good condition. Again he had been
trained by Capt Barclay. n famous
conditioner, whose memoirs make mighty
interesting reading. This time Cribb
proved his mastery in eleven rounds.
More than 10000 saw the scrap, which
was held at Thistleton Gap. Rutland,
for COO suineos.
Bntticd In QungmIre.
Let us read what Isgan has to say
about that first battle OF forty rounds
rfse ring had been pitched Al the bottom
OF hili-~a fine accommodation for tho
spectators. but mighty bad idea for
the boxers. for the downpour made ths
ring swamp In no time. Says Egan
about the ninth round: