Evening star., 1923-06-03

10 lllulHpH. NllDdHt, WHO Ildu uclu
q shade the better of the defensive
unable to stem the tide of Criqui's
The finish came with sensational
Buddenness in the sixth round, and
when kilbane's gene. alship appeared
to have baff1ed the former poilu's
fiery onslaught. Time after time he
had weathered a storm of rights and
lefts TO the head and body, but Criqui
was not to be denied. Starting from
his corner In the sixth round with
determination in his features. he
feinted, then whipped in a terrific
left to the body that staggered the
champion.
other left, but Criqui shot in right
cross to the jaw and sent the Ameri-
can back on his heels and toppling
to the canvas. At the count of six
In getting to one knee, but, grogSy
and weak, he fell back as Referee
Jack Appel tolled off the count of ten.
1t was only the second time in his
long ring career that Kilbane had
been counted out. In 1917, when at
the height of his career as feather
weight king, he went out of his class
TO meet Benny Leonard, lightweight
champion, and was knocked out In
the third round.
Dramatic Scenes mt End.
Dramatic ringside scenes followed
Criqui's sudden triumph. The chal-
lenger, himself almost stunned by
the quickness of his victory, was
quickly seized by his jubilant seconds.
Freeing himself for a moment. how
ever, he rushed to the fallen title
holders corner and kissed Kilbane on
each cheek.
Then. as the crowd enthusiastically
nnl1f ff,,a ftn pha 1NFNfn ~iftNtf
was carried from the ring by his
manager Robert Eudeline, and sew
eral poilu comrades in uniform. who
had escorted him to the ring before
the bout 20 the strains of the Mar
seillaise." 1t was several minutes be-
fore way back to the dressing room
could be cleared.
The principals in the most pic
turesque international boxing event
since the Jack Dempsey-Georges Car
pentier battle two years ago, kflbane
and Criqui were a marked contrast.
The champion. gray haired and
thirty-four, was all smiles as he
climbed through the ropes and went
through the preliminary ceremonies.
Criqui, however. apparently in finely
drawn condition, was silent and un-
moved, look of determination on his
face such as 1T might have worn be-
fore the zero hour as he waited in the
front line at Verdun in 1916.
Criqups Stamina Factor.
From the first tap of the gong
Criqurs rugged aggressiveness gave
hint of what was to come. Kilbane
fought off the Frenchman's rushes
cooIly and cautiously in the first two
range. He ciinched repeatedly as
Criqui tore in and blocked most of
the challengeTs rushes.
From a comparatively slow pace
Criqui plunged into a faster clip in
the third round and worried the
champion with a series of jabs and
hooks to the head and body. Often
the challenger missed his swings, but
his defense left the champion few
openings. KIlbane, who was ap
parently fighting well within himself,
took the aggressive for a short time
in the fourth. He stung the French
man with several shots to the jaw,
but the chin that had stopped a
bullet proved a durable target, and
the challenger bored in unchecked.
Kilbane Worried I'm Fifth.
Criqui brought blood from Kill
bane's nose in the fifth and jolted the
champion with hooks to the jaw.
Plainly worried. Kilbane fought back
gamely, but found an impregnable
defense.
The sixth was over almost before
1t started. Criqufs fiery attack this
time. was not to be denied. His two
punch assault sent the titleholder
down after l minute and 81 seconds
of the round had elapsed.
Criqui's victory was clean-cut and
decisive, but experts tonight were
from the form that won the feather
weight crown for him in 1912 in a
twenty-round battle with Abe Attell
at Los Angeles. Defensively, Kilbane
retained much Of his old-time skin.
but his stamina and punching power
were not the same. His footwork
from the start showed that his legs
did not have the strength to carry
him through a grueling champion
ship contest. They failed him when
he tried to rise after that stunning
punch on the jaw.
VfctOrs Picturesque Career.
Criqui, whose victory gives him the
place in Frances pugilistic hall of
fame formerly held by Carpenter,
has one of the most picturesque ca
reers in ring history. Now twenty
nine years old, he started boxing
nearly fifteen years ago in his school
boy days. He did not attain much
prominence, however. and when the
war came he was among the first to
go to the front. The bullet that tore
away part of his jaw at Verdun.
covered after a remarkable operation,
in which the bone of a sheep was
grated in place of the shattered bone.
Undaunted. he again turned to the
prize ring and after several years of
battling won his way to the Eu-
ropean featherweight championship.
knocking out his two foremost rivals.
Arthur Wyns. Belgian titleholder.
and Billy Matthews, English claimant.
Criqui has an especially likable
personality The scar of his recon-
structed jaw lends grim. but never
theless softening, appearance to his
face. His quiet. gentlemanly manner
has won him many friends since his
arrival in the United States.
Promoters Face Big Loss.
The crowd was a big disappoint-
ment to promoters, barely a third
of the big National League base ball
park being filled. The upper. grand
stand and lexser-priced seats, under
cover, as well as the ringside section
on the field, were sparsely occupied.
Prospects of big financial loss as
a result of the poor attendance faced
, promoters, Ii was said tonight.
Receipts were estimated at $4,000 by
Matchmaker Tom O'Rourke, while 1t
was understood that Kilbane was to
receive 100000 and Criqui $4,000.