San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-04
GIBBONS Gets
BIC CHANCE IN
JOHNSON BOUT
Rose to Heights Under
Handicap, Slipped Back,
Now Up Again.
ONCE mikes BROTHER"
Now It's Other Way Around
and Mike Is "Tcm's
Brother"
ONCE mikes BROTHER"
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.

best showing against men who are heav.
Ter than they are Tommy believes he
has the skill to avoid Dempsey's wal
lops and the hitting ability to punish
the champion severely, if not knock him
out.
William Muldoon, chairman of the
New York athletic commission, whose
autocratic rule of boxing in the state
is tolerated because it is frequently wise
and always honest, says that Gibbons
may not fight Dempsey. not because
Tommy is not a first-rate pugilist but
because he underweighs, the titleholder
by some twenty-odd pounds. With a
great many heavyweights, says Null.
doom, this objection would not be reg
istered, but 10 fighter. he believes, can
yield so many pounds TO Jack Dempsey
and have a Chinaman's chance of win
ming.
Tommy Gibbons attitude toward Null
dOon's Outgiving has not been obtained
and will not be because, of all fighters,
the st. Paul mauler is modest, self
contained, diffident. In his early days
that is to say before 191S-when
Tommy was sparring partner to his
brother. the celebrated Mike Gibbons,
all that the boy was ever heard to say
was in praise of Mike. lie seemed
quite willing to obliterate himself.
Had a Family Row.
Later, when Tommy became famous
and Mike had retired. the older brother
sought to continue his role of mentor
and critic whereas Tommy had ideas Of
his own as to how he should perfect
himself in ring craft. The result was
some passing bitterness between the two
brothers. a state of mind generally re-
GREETED by friends as well as by those
VII, knew Of the men only in their
public capacity.
At all events. when Mike was in his
prime, Brother Tom, born in 1889, was
known only as a sparring partner,
quiet, studious youth who had very
little to say and carried himself with
an air of self-respect. In 1913, as n
middleweight, he began TO fight on his
own account and gained sCme reputa-
ton by outpointing Tommy Bergen, n
much more experienced fighter. In sub.
seduent years he defeated all sorts OF
good men. but so much was Tommy un-
der the cloud of the reputation of Mike
that in most cases when he defeated a
real fighter the public took the stand,
not that Tommy was developing into
great pugilist, but that the better
known man was going back.
These were the opinions expressed
when Gibbons beat Jack Denning and
Buck Grouse. When he outpOinted
Billy Miske in Wisconsin he received
no special credit because Mike was not
then known in the East. Nut Miske
had done nothing that was more indica-
tive of great promise.
Performs Signal Feats.
In 1915 he performed two signal
feats. He beat Billy Mske again and
he gave Harry Grcb a nice pasting.
The trouble with the Greb fight was
that the Pittsburg windmill at this
time was even less known that Miske.
In the next few years he defeated such
able pugs as Bob Moha, George Chip.
Mick King, Bog Roper and Jimmy
Darcy.
but while he was doing all this he
was not Getting his share OF prestige
because he was still Mikes brother and.
according to the critics, would never be
as good as Mike if only for the reason
that one family il not supposed to pro-
duce two great fighters.
In 1921, however, it dawned upon
the eastern fighting public that. good
as Mike had been. he was not in his
brothers class, this because Tommy IN
gaining weight and entering the heavy
division had developed a punch that
acted upon an opponent very much az q
pill of opium the size of n golf ball
would act. He produced it first for the
r Mal,hnsr n-hr wont IN
sleep in one round. Next he disposed
of handsome Al Reich. This brought
him TO the favorable attention of Leo
Flynn, who was then doing the match
making. for the Madison Square Garden.
He put Gibbons against Paul Sampson.
Becomes Famous Overnight.
1t was not only the fact that Samp-
son lasted but two rounds but the NIFTY
way in which Tommy went about the
business of slowing him away that
caught the fancy of the boxing critics.
He became famous overnight. His style
was hailed as perfection. His pOise.
his delivery of blows. his hitting; in
fact, everything about him was ac-
claimed with unstinted praise. All that
year he piled up n list of Knockout
victims, including Porky Flynn, Larry
Williams. Jack Heenan. Ray smith
Jack Clifford. Willie KeelPr, Willie
Meehan, Dan O'DOwd. Bill Reeves, Joe
Burke. F. Allen, Hope Mullen and
other second-raters.
Then, just when he doomed as Demp-
sey's logical opponent, his prestige re-
ceived jolt when he failed to stop
BARLEY Madden in ten rounds, although
he gave hartley fearful pasting. IT.
err he received another shock. Harry
Greb won a decision over him at the
Madison Square Garden. Since then
Tommy has been travelling about knock
ing 'cm cold in an effort to regain pub
lie favor. And he has succeeded TO this
extent: he has enlisted the favor of a
lot of keen followers of pugilism who
think he could keep Jack Dempsey at
bay and wallop him hard for twelv or
fifteen rounds. But the Dempsey battle
must await Gibbons fight against
Floyd johnson. the young lowhn. who
has Just flashed into the limehSht.
If GibbOa. can halt the progress OF
johnson he will restore himself to favor
and it would not be surprising to find
him pitted against the champion OF the
world in Jersey some time this year.