Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-01-03

|
three worlds and two American titles
changed hands. With the exception
OF the heavyweight ranks in which
Jack Dempsey remained supreme but
inactive. all the crowns were in
jeopardy at some time.
! Four OF the titles changed hands
| IN New York while the fifth. the
worlds light heavyweight champion
ship, passed into the possession of the
Senegalese. Battling Sikh, when he
Knocked out Georges CARPENTER in
Paris last September. Sikh also ac-
CURED the European heavyweight
, title by his victory. Since then. how
ever, he has lost whatever prestige he
gained by drawing a long-term sus-
pension from French boxing authori-
ties for improper conduct and adding
| fuel to the flames of controversy with
| unsupstantiated charges that his
bout with Carpenter was intended
as frame-up for Georges to win but
that he double crossed the eX-poilu
! by change of heart" during the
bout.
Johnny Buff. veteran Jersey City
boxer, met double disaster during the
year. losing the worlds bantam
weight title to Joe Lynch of New
York, former champion of the di-
vision. in July and the American fly
weight crown to Pancho Villa, the
Filipino sensation. in September.
Buff. minus much of his former
prowess through long illness, was
knocked out by Lynch in the four
teenth and by Villa in the eleventh
| round. He has not appeared in the
ring since then.
Another veteran went down to de-
feat before stamina and youth when
Jack Britton, king of the welter-
weights for years and one of the
crattlest ring generals of all time,
, lost decision and his world title to
Mickey Walker. of Elizabeth, n. j.,
| in November. But a few months be-
fore Britton had put up one of the
best fights of his career against
| Benny Leonard, lightweight title
| holder, winning on technical foul
III the thirteenth round.
The American light heavyweight
title changed possession twice. Gene
Tunncy, Greenwich Village favorite,
took the honors from Battling Levin
Sky in January by the decision route
but lost the crown in May to Harry
Grebe, of Pittsburgh, who gained a
decision after a hard fought 15-round
bout
The situation in the feathcrwcight
and middleWcight divisions was COM
plicated by decisions of the New
York State Athletic Commission
which took away the licenses of the
respective titleholders, Johnny Kill
banc. of Cleveland. and Johnny
Wilson, of Boston, and declared their
laurels open to competition so far as
, the Empire State was concerned
kilbane was outlawed for refusal to
accept challange from Johnny Dun
dee, of New York, and Wilson for
ignoring an agreement to box Harry
Glcb, Pittsburgh mauler.
Dundee and Danny Frush, English
boxer who took up an American resi-
donce in Cleveland, We're picked by
the New York Commission, as logical
contendcrs for the featherweight title
and the former acquired what honors
the commission was capable of be-
slowing by knocking out Frush in the
ninth round of a contest in August.
Likewise, Dave Rosenberg, of
Brooklyn, was declared middleweight
champion by the commission after
victory over Phil Krug. of Harrison,
n. j.. in August, but the honors were
transferred to the veteran Mike
O'Dowd. of st. Paul. former title
holder, when he won from Rosenberg
on n foul in the eighth round of Il
contest staged Thanksgiving Day.
The Middle West also ceased to
regard Wilson as middleweight king
and the recognition was conferred by
boxing authorities in several states
on Bryan Downey. of Cleveland.
|. Benny Leonard was the busiest
champion of the year. The light
Ii
summer program when he fought in
succession Jack Britton, Rocky Kan
sas and Lew Tender. He lost to
Britton on foul, knocked out Kan
sas a few weeks later and late in
July defended his title against Ten
Ter. Philadelphia south paw, in
sensational 12-round no-decision
bout at Jersey City, n. j. Leonard
received the popular verdict at the
ringside. but he was given one of the
Stiffest battles of his career and came
close to dcfeattin the eighth round
under Il staggering attack by Tend
Ter.
Leonard later defeated Ever Ham
NOR, of Chicago, in Il contest at Mich
ican City, Ind. but Il serious infec-
ton of the mouth, the result of in
iures sustained in the Tender fight,
has since kept the champion out OF
active. competition.
Charley White, hardhitting Chi
cagoan. established himself as one of
Lconard's most formidable rivals and
may be matched with the champion
in the near future. Whites latest
and most impressive triumph was his
knockout of Richie Mitchell, of Mil
Waukee, in the tenth round of a 15-
round contest
Officially Dempsey's heavyweight
title was at stake once during the
year in q four-round encounter with
q middleweight sparring partner,
Jimmy Darcy, at Buffalo. n. Y, in
July, but there was little risk in
volved. The New York State Ath-
letic Commission ruled that under the
boxing statutes a decision must be
rendered. and Dempsey willingly
complied with the technicality, re-
rceiving the official verdict.
Dempsey also formally accepted
the challenge of his dusky rival
Harry Wills, for a title bout, but that
was as far as negotiations proceeded.
it being agreed that match could
not be promoted before next summer.
Wills prestige gained little from his
performances in several bouts in New
DIRK Win Negro OppOuontS, Dul Ilc
remained generally regarded as
Demnsev's strongest rival.
Two other figures, meanwhile, Gre
ated interest in heavyweight circles
Floyd johnson. of Iowa, and Luis
Angel Firpo, Argentine sensation.
Johnson has developed rapidly and
included a knockout of Bob Martin
among his victories. He will face
his hardest test next month when he
meets Bill Brennan, rugged Chi
CagOan