New Britain herald., 1926-07-29
DEMPSEY LAST OF
 LONG, TERM KINGS
Heavyweight Champion Has
 Held Crown for Seven years

among the heavyweights has been concluded in the twilight of a fav- ored day for rulers of ringdom-a ! fstic chapter embellished with brilliant performances by Benny | Leonard during a reign of seven years, by Jack Britton and Mickey 1 Walker over stretch of eight years, by Pete Herman. five-year 1 king, and Johnny Kilbane, who chung to his featherweight diadem for 12 summers.
 Dempsey, lone survivor of a long line of monarchs who held sway anywhere from three to IA years, remains to face a crucial test with Gene Tunney. promised here on September 16. And the very forces which have combined to bring him back to the resigned battle-ground i after a three-year absence are the same tides upon whose crest has come an epochal change in boxing - a change which now apparently 1 has shortened the span of the ac- 1 tive division title-holder to only a little more than one year. The end l of the long-term champion has | been hastened by closer supervision of the game from the wings of the stage as the gloved gladiators passed through a series of dramatic events. Thus, the sudden fate which befell Paul Berlenbach, Rocky Kansas, Harry Greb and Mickey Walker has been attributed by ob- servers as much to the iron-hand rule of the New York state athletic commission as ot the development of contenders who were able to overthrow them.
 Three significant factors have worked to bring about the change:
 1-Compulsory defense of cham pionships once every six months.
 -Weight-making requirements and prohibition of fighting outside of classes.
 3-Stimulation of activity.
 Among the so-called little men, the titular span in the last five years seldom has extended beyond one year. A review of the records reveals, however, that avoidance of matches with outstanding contend CTS usually has been protecting shield in the exceptional cases.
 The junior lightweight mantle has been torn from the shoulders of champions four times since the class was established for Johnny <, Dundee less than four years ago; five light heavyweight kings have been crowned since the division was revived for the benefit of Bat ting Levinsky in 1920; two light weight chieftains have come and gone since Benny Leonard relin- quished the ceptre two years ago; seven changes on the bantamweight throne have marked the struggle tive title defenses in the last five half dozen years.
 Mickey Walker beat back welter- weight challengers for almost four years before he finally yielded to the attack of Pete Latzo two months ago. But Walker repeatedly declined to face leading contenders delaying a fight with Dave Shade for two years.
 There was no sign of reluctance to fight. however. on the part oi Harry Greb, who successfully de- tended his middleweight honors al. most three years until dethroned about five months ago by Tiger Flowers. Greb's reign consequently stands out as one of the longest ac. tive title defense in the last five years.
 Contrasting with ring conditions of the old days. when champions by fighting at catchweights, moderr fandom has been able to see a least three titles pass as a result O inability to make the cahmpionshil weight. Johnny Dundee and Loui (kid) Kaplan both gave up th' featherweight crown for that req son, while Paul Berlenbach attri butes recent loss of his light heavyweight championship partl. to rigorous training to reach tn 175-pound mark.
 Brief periods of supremacy hav' prevailed in the lightweight. junio lightweight and featherweight diVi sons. Jimmy Goodrich and Rock, Kansas between them lasted on th 135-pound throne only a little mor than a year. Eugene Criqui O France set modern record fo brevity of rule when he dropped the featherweight title to Johnn, Dundee two months after wrestling it from Johnny Kilbanc. Tod Mor gan snatched the 130-pound laurel from Mike Ballerino eight month after the Bayonne, N. J., fighter ha, lifted them from Steve Sullivan.
 Passing of the bantam title which became almost an annua event after 1920. has been tenn porarily checked through inactivit, of Charley (PhiD Rosenberg, al though Chicago promoters an nounce a forthcoming match be tween the stakeholder and Bu Taylor. If Rosenberg succeeds | passing the test. he may become tn first 118-pound champion sine Herman 10 last two years.
 Rosenberg's tenacious grip on tn diadem has interrupted an epi demic of transfers which at on time saw the crown of four head in a little more than year-wit' Lynch, Goldsteln, Martin and tn present king passing in and out o the royal court.