The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-21
LIE CHATHAM FLOORS LANKY FOE WITH LEFT HOOK TO THE
 JAW N THE SECOND ROUND
Berry No Match For Roper, Who Strikes Single Blow To End Bout
By MAC

If you can take the medicine you've chosen for yourself, then you're a man, my son, a man." Such were the words of the immortal sRudyard. or something to that ef- feet Every one of the hundreds of fans who crowded and damned into the Birmingham Athletic club gym fnasium last night-riValing even the fit Of the genii in the jug from the sea-is taking his medicine on the morning after the night before. when Bob Roper knocked out Tom Berry in two rounds at the B. A. c. Some are grinniug sheepishly, and others scCwl with the unpleas- -anthess of the realization of their folly. But they're taking their medi- eine-every man jack of them-fCr they have no kick coming, and they know it.
 There were hundreds of fans at the club Monday night and the crowd adjusted itself to the B. A. c. gym even a S smoke fills out the bottle into which it is blown And every one of them had gone to see Bob Roper. fighting captain" Of the heavyweight world, knock Tom Berry cold in as few or as many rounds as was necessary.
 one RIow Wins Bout.
 And they saw the deed performed ever more spectacularly than the most hopeful had dreamed. The %Fighting Captain" struck but one blow n the whole fight-tagging not eounted--bat that one lick was suf- ficient tC end the fight
 It came in the second round and even before the surging craning railbirds mad found time to become startled. the perfectly matter of course count of 10 had been tolled. and the affai1 was over Berry had started off in the first round running truer to form than Man O War. The sCinclnnati battler elected to stand the chunky Roper off, and he used his long left hand to fairly good ad- vantage. Bob Roper set his head between his shoulders, grinned even more eV1ly than the ghastly white skull that was embroidered on his Jet black trunks, and relentlessly pursued his foe around the ring. not ever delgning to strike blow at the .ssngling, quivering length of lanky Tom Berry.
 Berry's Real Mistake.
 The second round came up. Berry started off as if he would continue the tactics begun in the initial ses- sion. lis long left shot out and snakeG inside Ropers guard. The blow glanced off Le Capitan's broad, Inviting nose, and it's result was elec- trlfying. Bob Roper uncurled as a finely tempered watch spring, and a left hook was started as the doughty Bob literally sprang on his foe. The blow took Berry on the right jaw and down went the conqueror of Battling Siki, down went the man who had pulled the claws of the Black, Leopard of the jungles of Sengal.
 It was a knockout-there was scarcely any doubt at all that Roper had landed legitimate sleep pro- ducing punch-and Dave Evans could have waited minute or so before beginning his count of 10 and then had time for lunch before Berry finally came to his senses. Gallant to the last. the grin of the skull gone from his lips and in it's place look of genuine concern, Bob Roper helped lift his erstwhile foe from the canvas and carried him to his corner.
 Nobody Hurt.
 Hurt. BuddyT queried Roper, and Berry gasped back "Ell naw." So that's that.
 The public paid something like S2,000 to see Bob Roper get" his man, and Le Capitan did not disap- point them. This morning they are grinning sheepishly-thGse who are not scowling-and wondering to themselves how perfectly natural 1t all seemed, how like the blood and thunder authors like to write about Roper weighed 1S2 pounds and Berry 1S0.
 PRELIMINARIEs
 Tom Lacey and Kid" Pacely opened the preliminary card with terrific 1O-round wrestling match. Wrestling from the minute the first bell rang until the last the two men put up a bout that raised the fans from their seats many times. The bout went the fUl 10 rounds to a draw. Both wrestlers gained one fall but neither could put the other down for the third fall, although several times both had good holds and almost floored his man.
 Pacely got the first fall in the fifth round with body hold. Lacey got his fall in the seventh round with q body scissors and an arm lock. Several times the bell sounded op- portunely for one or the other wrestler. In the fourth Pacely got a dangerous toe hold on Lacey when the bell rang. In the third Pacely was in a bad hole. Pacely had a bad toe hold on Lacey when the bell rang, ending the bout
 The first boxing bout was one of the greatest exhibitions of game ness ever seen In a B, A. C. preliml- nary card. Paul McGinty and Earl Kid Craddock boxed four rounds to a draw. McGinty had a slight advantage in the first two rounds but in the third Craddock landed d heavy blow to the body and McGinty went down. Four times he went down in succession, three for the count of nine, only to come up again. He weathered a gruelling attack during this round and came back in the fourth and although he could hardly stand up slugged Craddock into helplessness and stood swinging rights and lefts to the head without enough strength left to administer the Knockout blow.
 Bogie Saab won a decision over Sailor Kelly in q four-round bout. The Sailcr never allowed Saab to put over his knockout wallop, aI- though the Boys club boxer kept him on the defensive most of the time.
 In the semi-finals Big Boy" Ed seconds threw In the towel inwento wards won a technical knockout over Red" Pharr. Pharr came in fast and showed great willingness to fight. He rushed Edwards until his second threw in the towel in the second round after he had absorbed a large number of Edwards terrific wallCps to the head and body With a little more science Pharr would have put up great battle with the Boys club middleweight.