San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-26
I1agga4
Mccormick q Champ.
But Never Knew 1t.
Once Beat Levinsky.
For Lishtheavy Title.
Was Good Fighter.
BY Damon Runyon--A
Copyright. 1925. International Festurs
Service. Incl

Service. Incl
r RECENTLY encountered on the
i Rue de Ears Scramble. Boy Nc
Cormick, of India, Ireland and Eng
land, the man who once won a cham
pionship title and didn't know it.
At least he didn't know it until /
CHANGED to mention the matter to him
some years later, over in London,
whereupon Boy Mccormick opened his
squinty eyes very wide, waggled his
bashed-in nose. and ran his fingers
through the stiffish red hair that
stands upright on his head, giving him
the appearance of wearing fright
wig" -,
$50 / did, 80 / did! But twas a
small matter at best.
And he thus philosophically dis
missed from his mind the loss OF
vast opportunity. The water that has
gone over the wheel never worries
Boy Mccormick.
In 1920, in Portland, Oregon, Boy
Mccormick took decision on foul
in seven rounds over Battling LIE
veinsky, who claimed the heavyweight
title by virtue of twelvc-round deci-
sion over Jack Dillon, the recognized
champion, in Boston in 1916.
1t was later in the same year that
Battling Levinsky was knocked out
in four rounds by Georges Carpenter
in what was called battle for the
light-heavyweight championship Of the
world. 1t was two years later that
Levinsky lost the ambiguous title OF
American light-heavyweight champion
TO Gene Tunney.
When he won from Levinsky in
Portland. Boy Mccormick weighed
about 1862 pounds; therefore, he was
well within the Interchangeable
limit.
But he never claimed the title,
which l think rightly belonged to him.
I do not know why. Nor does Boy
Mccormick, for that matter. Prob
ably it never occurred to him, or to
his manager of the period. though
that manager was the astute Mr.. Will
Gibson.
The light-heavyweight title had not
then attained any Importance or value.
Even Levinsky seldom thought of NEIL
tioning himself as the hght-heavy-
weight champion, though a few
months later he made considerable
money out of that pugilistic estate.
Boy Mccormick, who is back in this
country again seeking engagements
as an exponent of The Manly Art or
Scrambling Ears, now claims the title
Of light heavyweight champion OF Eu-
rope and has all this printed in green
ink on his calling card, with the harp
of Erin in one corner as convlncer.
He went direct to the Pacific Coast
when he landed here in 1919. and he
fought eighteen battles in this coun-
try without losing decision.
Boy Mccormick was a good fighter
in those days. He beat Gunboat
Smith, Frank Farmer, Bob Roper,
Sailor Petrosky. Willie Meehan, Jim
Flynn and Levinsky. among others,
on the coast, and drew with Tom Glib
bons. Then he came east, and beat
Johnny Howard in fifteen rounds at
Madison Square GARDEN in 1921, later
taking a decision over Len Rowlands.
" M" ~ 10
first fight over there he lost to Joe
Beckett at Covent Garden, the referee
stopping the battle in the twelfth
round. Then he lost to Ted Kid
Lewis in fourteen rounds.
Judge that Boy Mccormick must
have dropped all his fighting ability
overheard en- route home, after quit
ting these shores.
His last fight in the United States
was in February. 1921. His first
fight back home, the one with Beckett,
was in September Of that year. 1t is
difficult to believe that a man good
enough to hold Tom Gibbons to draw
could get bad enough in seven or eight
months to lose to Beckett.
Gibbons was accounted great
fighter when Boy Mccormick met him.
A year later Gibbons was the most
feared light-heavyweight or heavy
weight in the land. A draw with
Gibbons only about year back would
have made any young fighters for
| tune.
Boy Mccormick Is most pessimistic
over the outlook for the development
by the British Empire Of n heavy
weight exponent of The Manly Art of
Scramblng Ears for years to come.
He attributes it largely to the
scanty purses in ENGLAND. In other
words. as Boy Mccormick sees il.