The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-02-01
Hy EDWARD J. NEIL

ASSOCIATED Press Sports Writer)
New York, Feb. 1.-SP'-B Body
punching is lost art, according to
Patsy Haley, tiny dean of New York
referees. and there is very definite
reason for it.
In his day as a bantamweight
battler, the diminutive PATSY. now
white haired, but spry and 1.-THE as
the spcediest Of the present day
crop, fought such rib crushers as
Kid Lavigne. whom he termed
the "best of them ALL" Oscar Gard
ner, Joe Cans. and Battling Nelson.
And he learned about body punch
ing from them.
''In those days." said Patsy as he
pcrchcd at the Madison Square Gar
den ringsdc waiting to step into
the ring as referee, Fifteen rounds
was the routine distance and twen-
ty the route for most fights. Body
punching was necessary.
Saps Strength
"Slugging to the midSection rare
" took toll before the twelfth
round or 80. From that until about
the seventeenth you could see a
fighter being battered about the
body gradually weaken until his
strength finally was Slapped and ne
was a 'cinch' for finishing smash
to the head.
4 "Therc was one exception, Of
course, in Bob FitzsimmonS, Ruby
Rob- Fitz never had to wait un-
til the late rounds to take them
after due softenisL. He was the
only man | ever saw who could
fiddle around bit with his left,
make an opening and then paralyze
opponents ranging from middle
weights to heavywcights with a
single body punch. But there arc
no more Fitzsimmons.
Flashy Fighting Now in Style
"Now things are different. Fight
ers go in to 60 ten rounds. The
public wants the spectacular be-
cause fights are shorter and body
punching has become unnecessary
Often YOU see one youngster land
dozens of blows to the ribs in the
early part Of a round only to have
. his opponent get left jab work
( ing. stick it into the other fellows
t nose half dozer times, draw blood
, and win the round just on the
, plaudits Of the fans.
!, Its the flashy stuff that goes to-
day-not the tough, rugged scrap
S ping that the old timers revealed in
: It's just a matter Of grabbing thu
G duke and the easier the grabbing
J. the better"
S In the past ten years, Patsy, wh'
f fought all the stars Of two decade
t ago in the bartam and Lightweight
G divisions while weighing only IL.
d pounds. has seen but a half-dozcl
real body punchers.
n with the sole exception Of lie
e Lomski. the light heavyweight
e there isn't real body puncher i
n the ring today as measured by tn
y, old style, and that goes for JAG
ID Dempsey, too. They just don
!" know how.
ID To-day you see them ir Their
ID hooking punches to the body, bring
k ing 'en up from the knee, with e
~ bows standing out from the bod.
ne Naturally many blows go wilt
n There is lot OF fouling, an
e, youngsters Just coming Up al
b. scared to perfect the art.
f. "Now Lomski punches to Il
n body the way the old timers di
ed stepping in with all his heft behir
the punch, elbow tucked into h
ne ribs, forearm parallel with the floo
or crushing straight for the hea,
by That's body punching. Dempsey
in great puncher, but hooker &
n the same and many of his punch
cd have been questionable There
never any how Of foul when Lor
ski rams to the body