New Britain herald., 1928-08-24
JACK BR|TT0N IS
king OF Them ALL
Famous Old Champion Has
| Chance for Comeback

He was in his hey-day when Nell
son. Wolgast, Richie and Welsh
were fighting. Today he should be
fat and forty, but he is neither. He
is 1.-the, slim and 43.
Jack Britton,, former welter-
weight champion o, the world, has
Times jaw that the old man ever
felt.
Five thousand fight customers
got the thrill of their lives the other
night when Britton slipped into the
ring to face Tony Vaccarelli a 25-
speed and punch that is nothing
to sheer at. There were Jumps in
5000 Threats as the old master
stamped in the resin and limbered
up his arms for the fight that was
either going to send him over the
hill to the poor house or put him
back on the high road to riches.
Britton scored a brilliant victory
and a mighty roar went up through
the crowd as they realized they
Jack again had his foot on the Id
der of fame which he scaled SO
brilliantly two decades ago. Despite
a line OF fat around his belt, Brit
ton stepped out and set the pace
through the fight with Vaccarelli
to win six of the ten rounds and the
decision.
A Great Comeback
Perhaps it was the most thrilling
comeback in the world of sport
since the day Jim Jeffries vainly
tried to beat off the attack OF Jack
Johnson and went down to the can
vas, greater fighter in defeat than
he had ever been in victory.
You may pore over the dope
sheets and confidently utter the old
maxims. They ne>e r come back"
and Youth must be served" But
just when you think you are 100
per cent right. along will come
grizzled old man like Jack Britton
to knock the calculations of mathe-
maticians sky high.
Britton is asking and giving no
quarter because he is 43 years old.
He steps to the center of the ring
with his aged legs twitching with
the desire to fly into action. For
25 years he has been taking punish
ment in the face and in the body
and has refused to wilt, for the
name of Britton has long been
by-word for courage in the ring.
Clean living has helped him in
his comeback. Long before Gene
Tunney was ever heard of. Britton
had turned his back on the bright
lights and the foaming mug and
had decided that If he was going to
be a world champion he might as
well sign Mother Nature up as one
of his allies. She has stayed with
him nobly.
He Met Them All
Britton has met them all-good
and bad, hard hitters and set ups
and although he has been outpoint-
ed at times he has come plunging
back for more. Leo Houck, Harry
Stone, Ray Bronson. Packey McFar-
land, Willie Richie, Willie Beecher,
Leach Cross, Young Ahearn, Eddie
Hanlon, Charley White, Matty Bald
win. Phil Bloom, Soldier Bartfield,
Johnny Griffiths, Mike O'Dowd, Joe
yelling, Bryan Downey and Harvey
Thorpe have faced him in the ring
and can testify what fighter he is.
Eleven years ago Britton did bat
tie with Benny Leonard. Maybe
you don't recognize many names in
the partial list of his opponents
above. There isn't much reason
why you should. for most of them
are doddering old men, according
to the standards which the prize
ring sets for its children.
Britton has faced Ted Lewis 90
times and is one up on him by
virtue of the knockout that Jack
scored at Canton, Ohio. in 1919.
Only one thing is needed to COM
plete Britton's comeback-to have
him do battle with Lewis once
more.