San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-08
- By Damon Runyon '-A'
Copyright. 1925. International Feature
Service. Inc.)

ing young fellow. His history is
tinged with a pathos calculated to
make him an object Of gentle SYM
patty. He became deaf and dumb
through illness when a child, and his
hearing and speech was suddenly re-
stored to him by an electric shock
from a live wire when he climbed
telegraph pole one day to rescue
kite that had become entangled IN
the wires.
The element of an humble begin
ming which the big town loves IN It's
heroes. is in his story. he is the
son of a poor family, and he drove
taxi for a living before he became a
fighter. Almost overnight he rose TO
fame and fortune.
He is managed by old Dan Hickey,
n decent man, veteran of the Queens
bury Realm, and for years boxing
instructor of the most powerful or
ganization of the kind in the land,
the New York Athletic Club.
I know of no fighter more calcu-
lated to popularity in his home town
than Paul Berlenbach, and know OF
no fighter more unpopular. And
think / know why.
/ think it is because great many
ringworms made up their minds early
in Berlenbach's career that ne
couldn't fight, and never would Dc
able to fight, and loudly SAID so.
Therefore his continued climb 10
success is a constant contribution OF
their opinions. think there is notn-
ing more irritating and discomfort
inc than TO have ones opinions con
stantly disproved, especially If one is
given 70 making his opinions pubic
know men otherwise reasonaDiy
sane who positively hate Paul Der
jenbach because he keeps licking fei-
lows they pick to lick him. More
over. they have been picking fellows
IN, lick him from the time he first
showed up in preliminary at Oh
Madison Square Garden, heraideu aS
a knockout wonder.
Whenever he bowlcd an opponent
over down at the Garden. the cry
was invariably raised that the oppon-
ont was "set-up," although re-
cali a couple of instances when the
onnouent was favorite i'll the betting
over Berlenbach.
This crv resulted in the New York
State Boxing Commission taxing an
astounding attitude toward berlen-
bach. 1t began editing his matchcs,
in a manner of speaking. 1t resuite'i
in Berlenbach being practically forccu
into a match with Ovila Chapdelaihe'
otherwise Jack Delaney. OF brlage-
mort. although 1 always thought pan
Mickey would have been well WITHIN
his rights to tell the commission 10
mind its own business.
shall never forget the PAGAN OF
exultation that was lifted when Ber-
lenbach was knocked out by Delaney.
The roof of the old Garden fairly
hnlred under the cheers. Men went
home that night as happy as If they
had been avenged for the wrongs oil
vcars. think some of them really
felt that way about 1t.
think that was Berlenbachs
eleventh professional fight. \ little
over a year later, scarcely recovered
from a severe attack Of tonsilitls. he
won the light heavyweight champion.
shin from one of the master boxers Oh
the period. Michael McTigue.
Meantime, the Observation-Disclosures
had gotten in the habit Of booing him
whenever he was presented. Thcy
began booing him along about ms
second battle in the Garden, which
was about the time they decided ne
y,os meeting "sct ups" and that he
couldn't fight.
He was even boocd rs he was leav-
ing the ring after being beaten by he,
laney. lie was booed when ms manu-
was lifted as the new holder OF inc
light-hcavywcight crown. lie was
given an extra booinS as he was quit-
ting the ring not long ago after clu2-
bling young Jimmy, Slattcry OF But
falo. TO the canvaAl floor.
Many ringwOrms were unusually
angry at Paul Bcrlenbach that night
because he had so decisivcly con-
tradicted their opipion that Slattery
would beat him. And now one of the
. biggest matches that could be made
for the Island Of Manhattan is re-
t-n match between Bcrlenbach ana
lack Slattery. because the Bcrlen-
bach haters want vengeance all over
again.
can understand the unpopularity
of mn oyer-cautious fellow, who re-
fuses TO give crowd run for its
money. can understand the unpopu-
larity of cowardly, or foul fighter
or OF an intensely conceited fellow
who makes his conccit apparent to
the crowd.
But Bcrlenbach is none of these.
He is always plodding in trying to
10 fight. He has plenty Of courage.
he fights fairly, barring an occasional
excusable lapse into the tactics he
learned as an amateur wrestler. and
which easily can be corrected by the
referee.
He certainly has no conceit. He IS
the most humble looking individual l
ever saw in the ring. He is n stolid.
ox-like fellow in dcmeanor and ac-
tion. His style is slow and cumbcr-
some. But it seems TO rue that il one
il 70 work up any telling about the
matter. and be mad at anyone, they
ought TO be mad at Berlanbach's on
moments for not out-galloping him,
rather than at Berlenbacb.
I claim he is pretty good fighter
He must be pretty good to win
worlds championship in two years OF
fighting. But / do not expect to con
vince one single members of the