New-York tribune., 1922-03-21
Mid get Smith
is Outpointed
BY Joe Burn,ar,
Chicagoan's Work in Late
Rounds Wins Bout; Mar
lin Loses TO Seiger on Foul
By Jack Lawrence

Joe Burman, of Chicago, fighting a
game and impressive battle, outpointed
Midget Smith last night in a twelve
round bout at Madison Square Garden.
The decision. in our opinion, was a
Just one, although the Midget Smith
that Burman beat last night was very
far from the cyclonic blond haired
bantam that Madison Square Garden
fans have known in the past
The Midget, to use a phrase from
the ringside, was not doing his stuff.
He failed to do it since being laid up
recently with a light attack Of pncu-
monia. but that should not detract
from Joe Burman's victory. The Chi
cago boy had the better Of the late
rounds by such wide margin that the
Judgment of tho referees could have
gone only one way.
Smiths punches lacked the oldtime
drive, and he made a wocful mistake
in directing his attack to Burman's
Lody, which was like corrugated steel
During the rare occasions when Smith
elevated his attack to the Chicagoan's
Jaw he Jared better and had Joe back
ing up. But tha Midget inva rably
returned to the body stuff and this
got him nothing. Neither boy carried
a dangerous wallop, and the decision
in Burmans favor was based on points
only.
The weights were llsa4 pounds for
Smith and 11Sl2 for Burman. The
pair battled furously in the first three
rounds, both dcvoting their attention
to irhicting as much body punishment
as possible. The blows to the Jaw
when the attack shifted, were .hard
and destructive. These sessions found
matters about even and it was not until
the fourth that either showed to any
advantage. In this session Smith al
ternated ripping drives to the jaw and
body that shook up his opponent and
apparently caused him to B5salize that
he was in real fight. 3
Rounds Lack Action
The battle gradually slowed dowr
after that and the milling in the fifth
sixth and seventh was anything but
fierce. Burman seemed to relv upon
a left hook to the body followed by
a left to the chin, but even when both
blows connected they appeared to lack
steam.
1t was not until the eighth that Bur
man began to show anything like
speed. In this session he rolled into
the blond-haired bantam and pummellet
him with lefts and rights TO the body
and head. This round seemed to give
the Westerner confidence, and in the
ninth and tenth the power Of his at
tack increased There was little clinch
ing, and Referee Patsy Haley had little
do D,,,., IL
Chicago battler landed the more tell
ing and more Furnishing blows
The rough handling which he tool
in the tenth brought the Midget to lf
in the eleventh, and he waded int
Burman with both hands. One right
hand jot drove Joe back to the rope
and made him think bit before h
came back. Throughout this session
the Midget was the aggressor
The last round was clinching be
in which both boys whaled heroi
slams to the body. Toward the las
Burman drove two hard hooks t.
Smiths chin that forced him to re
treat to the ropes.
Seiger Wins On Foul
Pepper Martin, schoolboy friend o
Waite Hoyt, met Sammy Seiger in tn
semi-fnal and there was plenty o
pepper paprikra and tobasco from tn
tap of the first bell. The pepper,
Pepper Martin was the subject of a 10
of high pressure booing when An
nouncer Joe Humphreys told the as
sembled multitude that Martins man
ager had claimed Seiger's forfei
because the latter was a pound and
quarter overweight.
This bout led to one of the wides
scenes ever enacted in the Garden
Martin. swinging a right hook to tn
body in the third round, had his han,
pushed down by Seiger's guard. Th
blow landed low and Seger fell to tn
floor in paroXysm Of pain. His sec
onds rushed into the ring and carrie'
him to his corner, while Martin
amazed, remained in the center of tn
ring, looking as though he expected
Sammy to get up and return to tn,
fray.
When Martin and his seconds realize,
that a claim of foul was to be raiset
they began to do something that re
sembled an Indian dance In the cente
of the ring. The crowd booed ant
eheered and Kissed while young NJ,
Seiger writhed in pain in his corner
Several spectators seated at the ring
side climbed into the ring and startet
to attack Seigcr's seconds and at tn
same time several impromptu battle
started in the crowd.
Spectators Join In
At least three fights were going o.
within the ring at the same time, an,
the Garden patrons would probabl
have been given their real money
worth if uniformed men, representa-,
a private detective agency, had no
swarmed through the ropes and pre-
served semblance of order. The
came in armed with clubs and it locke
for a time as though they would hav
to use them. Seiger was finally car
ried out through a zane of battling
fans and the reserve police force Of tn
Garden Strengthened things out.
Martin had all the better of the frs
two rounds, although Sammy was Civ
ing him a very rough entertainment
The fight was as fast and furious Will
it lasted as any one could wish. Their
was not low blow struck until tina
one that ended the fight.
Johnny Mendelsohn and Pete Hartle,
provided the first real action of tn
evening. Their bout was thrile
from the first bell to The last. 1t wa
Mendelsohn's debut in the Garden.
Mendelsohn got the decision an
seemed to be delighted but the crow,
gave the greater ovation to Hartley a
he left the ring