San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-19
cWiII Go Down in Ring
= History as Remarkable
Champion.
WINS AT AGE OF 30
AT Best When Most Stars
He Met Have Faded
Out of Sight. -,
BY ROBERT EDGREN.


Johnny Dundee is going down In
ring history as a remarkable figure
among the champions.
Almost all champions reached their
titles while still young. Dundee be-
came a worlds champion for the first
time in his thirtieth year. for Johnny
will be thirty on November 90. As
he began fighting at eighteen, and
was meeting the best bantams and
featherweights in the country within
"a couple of years, he might have
fought his way up to q worlds cham
pionship long ago if he'd had
chance.
The only reason Dundee missed
being q champion years ago was
johnny Kilbane. Not that Kiloane
was a Litter fighter. Kilbane had
s the title and wouldn't fight Dundee
= again after the little Italian chased
him around the ring for twenty
rounds in 1913.
The referee decided that fight a
! "draw," but Kilbane must nave
known in his heart that Dundee beat
him and could beat him again. Other
wise, be certainly would have given
Dundee another chance. There were
plenty of offers from promoters. And
Dundee was willing.
Kilbane boxed ten round, no
decision bout with Dundee the year
before. l remember that bout as one
of the poorest ever held in New
York with a champion as one of the
lcontenders. 1t was shortly after
Kilbane had won the title, and he
was already playing safe
80 Dundee Has Retained Youth.
Light as a feather. able to fight
or box, he contented himself with
floating away from Dundee's rushcs,
and with aping Dundee's bobbing,
oducking, teasing style when Dundee
tried to draw him into a mixup.
Dundee learned enough about Kill
bane in that fight to hold him even
in twenty rounds In another en-
gagement he would have beaten Kill
bane. What Dundee would have
done TO the gray-haired and dignified
old gentleman that was Kilbane when
kilbane fought Criqui would make
good stuff for Ring Lardner to write
about. 1t would be just in Rings
line. For Johnny beat Criqui almost
as easily as Criqui beat Kilbane.
The curious thing about Dundee
is that he has retained his youth.
For several years / have been watch.
ing Johnny's ring work and wonder
1ng when he is going TO blow up.
And here he is winning a worlds
championship!
In the big test, which seemed to
have come along almost too late.
Dundee had the fighting stuff to 20
IN and beat hard-hitting, game,
tenacious champion like Criqui-to
'eutslug him and bring him down. He
could rise to the occasion when his
big chance came.
j. remember another interesting
evening in Dundee's life. He had
been knocked out in a round BY a
youngster known as Willie Jackson.
Everyone thought Dundee's fighting
days were over, and that his trelnend-
Gus activity in all his fights had
worn him down and DESTROYED his
stamina. Dundee, it seemed. was
through. This was in 1917, six years
ago.
+ Dundee went at Jackson the even
ing OF the return match apparently
without thought of the punch Jack
son had landed on his chin in Phila-
delphia. He forced the fighting at
!! terrific pace.
Big List Of Victims.
jackson was wicked, aggressive.
tremendous hitter. But Dundee fair
~ buried him under hailstorm of
blows. jackson, a youngster. couldn't
stand toe to toe with the veteran he
had knocked out.
Today Dundee is a new worlds
champion, and Willie jackson has
gone through a brilliant boxing
career and, since being knocked out
by Johnny Shugrue last year. has
almost drifted out Of the limeligbt
You get an idea of what Dundee
has ACCOMPLISHED in the ring by plane.
lng over list of the famous little
Fighters who met him. in their best
1days. and have almost been forgotten.
while Dundee still goes along withou;
showing sign of deterioration ms a
boxer. 1ou might have TO hunt long to
ind some of them today. There were
.Houng Brown. Johnny Lore. Leo
johnson. Frankie Fleming, Babe Cul-
len. Eddie Sherman. Young Shugrue,
Joe Azevodo. Joe Rivers, Matt Wells.
Matt Brook. Stanley 'loakub, Ever
Hammer. Chick Simler. Tomn,y
Houek, Packey Hommey. Patsy Cline.
Freddy Welsh. Frankly Callahan, and
hundred others of scarcely les.
fame. There were notables like Leach
Cross. Willie Richie, Matty Baldwin
and Joe Mandot.
Battied Many Lightweights.
Among the world champions Dun
dee has fought are Benny Leonard
tseveral timesl. Richie. Kilbane. Nc
Govern. Welsh and Eugene Criqui.
AS rule they didn't fight Dundee
while they held championships. They
were wise-Dundee. never much owe:
the featherweight limit. met many
lightweights. A few pounds never both
cred him. He made up for the lack of
weights by using more speed, more
cunning. more stamina.
Benny Leonard was one champion
who stood seady to box Dundee ahY
time. Leonard always had Dundee
measured and could at least easily
hold him safe. But Leonard was al