The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1922-11-25
RING CHAMPIONS
!. LOSING; |, Nc; CROWNS own
Coming Year Looks No Less
Bumpy for, the Present
...... Title Holders
::;sl BY HenrySLe Farreli)

/; |; I. United E%eSS SpDrfS S14stOfl -
5. XeRs: Y o1as. Nov .15s- q Ring eharnS
piisns had Ssaaauigh year; IN 1872 z and
the road down throug the coming
year looks no less bumpy for the pre-
sent title holders u rs ',@--7,''ssess -
q Johnny Buff headed the losers OF
1922 by dropping bothdthe flyweight
and bantamweight titles; Jack Brit
ton, after long reign AS 'swelter-
weight champion, was deposed; Gene
Tunney lost the light heavyweight
crown and Georges Carpenter ended
his regime as European heavyweight
titleholder.
Among the present champions,
only Pancho and Jack Dempsey
seems to be out. of dire danger OF
dropping into the list of ex-chan,-
pions in the next year. So,
Most of the. critics agree that Villa,
the little American hyweight cham
pion, is the best boy at his weight in
the world, It is generally believed
that he will annex the worlds title
if he succeeds in coaxing Jimmy
Wilde, the little Welshman, into the
ring. 95;:e.&@&> ..&5'i>'~ >t'-
Villas only danger IS that he will
outgrow the fyweight class but even
at that his chances to annex the BAN
tanweight championship, in time: from
Joe Lynch are very good. -. ~:
Dempseys only great threat comes
from Harry Wills or Tommy Glib
bons. Beyond all doubt, the heavy
weight champion will meet one; or
both of them before another. year
rolls around. ..-
There is no denying that Wills is q
very formidable opponent for DEM
psey but there will be lot of mon
ey laid that Dempsey will win from
the big colored fighter.
Gibbons ought to make a good op-
ponent for Dempsey. The disparity
{ of weight is not big factor. His
chances against Dempsey are almost
as good as those of Wills. Dempsey
ras always had trouble with a small,
fast opponent.
By following the same tactics that
have had them in bad for several
years with the ring works. Johnny
Wilson and Johnny ~Kilbane may
succeed in holding their titles indefi-
nitely, as long as they refuse to meet
any opponents without getting the u.
s mint for their labors. =.
Kilbane is frank in admitting that
if he separates from the title he
wants a, huge pile for doing it,, but
Wilson will not give his rivals a,
chance under any circumstances.
In as far as Wilson and the mid
dleweight class. is. concerned, the at
titude Of the. champion is a shame.
He is making no money out of the
title and yet he hangs on to it. with
the attitude of the dog in the man.
ger. -. , ,,,.e.-~
Benny Leon ard is another one OIL
the books for succession in the next
year. Leonard may not have gone
back as far as is generally believed,
but it is almost a unanimous opinion
that he will never be as good as he
used to be at 1876 pounds. 49,:
Mickey Walker, the new welter-
weight champion. didn't get the cred
it due him for taking the title away
from Jack Britton.
While he may not be the polished
artist that Britton was, he is young,
has terrific punch and has enough
intelligence to learn fast. '--- -. '-'' -
Joe Lynch is such an erratic per-
former that he is anything but
good bet to retain the -bantamweight
championship. : Henry Greb may re-
tain the light heavyweight champion
Fship as long, as he stays from Tommy
Gibbson and Gene [Tunney and as
long as he works with referee who
will let him get away with every foul
IN the book. a.
] - 1870: =