The evening world., 1922-02-23
ReWVing Interest in Light
49,. Heavyweight Class.


the ownership Of the American light |
heavyweight title.
Funny, but the light heavyweight |
class never has been taken very ser. |
ously by the public, although some Of |
the best fighters we've ever had have |
been light heavyweights-too big for |
the middleweight and giving a tremen. |
dous weight handicap to the big men
o. the ring.
TIE light heavyweight class should |
be one OF the most interesting. A
bout between big men looks good
when the men are evenly matched |
The IT'S Founders look like heavy
weights. and II isn't hard to find
number of men in that class who
could meet each other on even terms.
In the heavyweights the champion al
most invariably stands out so far in
advance OF all contenders, through |
bulk or ability. that he has a lonely |
time OF II.
I've seen histories OF the light |
heavyweight class printed lately. all
Inaccurate. The class originated at
Fort Erie, July 4, 1908. Al that time
Jim Jeffries was heavyweight cham
pion, and as much in a class by him
5Aef as Dempsey is to-day. Smaller
men had no chance to fight Jeffries.
g OF the men around IT'S pounds, who
would have been considered good
sbeavyweights before Jeffries's time,
George Gardner and Jack Root were
about the best. Gardner and Root
we're matched TO fight at Fort Erie.
They had fought twice before, Gard. |
ner winning once on a foul and once
with seventeen round knockout.
But Root was n great fighter for all
that After losing to Gardner the
second time he beat the wonderful
blond Viking, Kid Carter; beat Mar
win Hart and beat Kid Mccoy, de-
cision. In ten rounds.
This earned Root another chance to
fight Gardner and there was so much
interest in the bout that the pro-
moters thought up the scheme Of
making 1t a new championship af-
fair--the light heavyweight. The idea
was well liked by the public at that
time. Gardner knocked Root out in
twelve rounds.
HOW FITE WON AND LOST
TITLE.
Gardner was built like Bob Fitz-
simmons, but bigger and stronger. He
held the light heavyweight champion
ship only until the following Nov. 25,
when FitZsimmons beat him in twenty
rounds. This was Bob Fitzsimmons' s
third worlds title, as he had been
middlewelght and heavyweight cham
pon. FitZsimmons, over forty years
OF age, lost the title to Jack O'Brien
In 1905, collapslng in his corner
through exhaustion and being unable
TO come out for the thirteenth round.
May s, 1907. O'Brien was beaten In
twenty rounds by Tommy Burns.
That about finished the light heavy
weight class, as Burns didn't care
for anything less than heavyweight
honors, and went after the big title.
Burns travelled to England. Ireland
and Australia, after knocking out
Australian champion Bill Squires in
California, and became heavyweight
champion by virtue of whipping the
champions Of different countries.
Others have tried 10 resurrect the
light heavyweight title. Jack Dillon
was undoubtedly as great a light
heavyweight as ever claimed and de-
Tended IT, until his health broke
down. Levinsky beat him and was
hlNtIllStu dS llEll utdNy "tlS III Cldlll-
pion until he lost the world title TO
Carpenter and the American title to
Gene Tunney.
Harry Greb is one OF the best box,
eIs in his class. He can make the
.middlewelght limit of 100 pounds and
had a forfeit posted to mako this
weight for Johnny Wilson when Will
son crawled out of the match. He
fights heavyweights as cheerfully as
lighter men and doesn't care how big
they come. He has outfought Bren-
nan and other good heavyweights and
las knocked the ambition out of many
would-be contenders forthe heavy
weight championship.
Greb was anxious TO box Carpenter
when the Frenchman first came tc
this country and his hackers wisely
turned Greb down and selected ole
Bat Levinsky as a victim. It might
have been a different story with Grel
in the ring
Grcb isn't extremely clever and m
isn't a knocker-o out, but he piles il
and fights all over his man in wa!
that upsets cleverness and makes /
hard to use n punch when fighting
him. lie has worked with Jacl
Dempsey in training quarters and i
Iull of the idea that he can take any
thing that Jack swings, and outfigh
the heavyweight champion in IN
mixing.
- Gibbons has renewed his lon
knockout campaign this year. He
8 clever. heady fighter. fine boxe
yzWith a hard right hand punch and
left that isn't 20 be overlooked Fc
some time he has ignored Grebs fr,
quent challenges The bout betwee
these two hustling light heavyweight
viii be full OF action and very likcl
y will provide a setback 20 the an
bitions Of one OF them.