New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1929-01-02
fight SITUATION
| IN BAD SCRAMBLE
Rickard Has Big Problem Con-
fronting Him in 1899

HUullu6 ull III 1910
New York, Jan. 2 R1There's no
red light on the track today for the
1929 fistic limited. chugging out Of
the yards with Tex Richard. the
master engineer. at the throttle,
! headed for routine stops at new
champions, new records. monster
gates thrills, halting only on signal
at upsets.
Aboard the limited are most OF
the old favorites. the SAME passen-
gers who made the trip last year.
clinging tight to the choice seats.
Back in the day coaches ride the
unknowns and the youngsters who
might be perched right up with the
engineer before the jolting passage
is over.
| A few OF the familiar faces are
missing as the SS5-day journey gets
under way. The finest seat in the
heavyweight compartment. filled to
perfection last year by the scholarly
person Of Gene Tunney, is vacant.
probably for the entire trip. while
Jack Dempsey stands aloof from the
shop-worn squabblers who seek the
place. No one sits in the title seats
among the bantamweights and fly
weights and others who once sat
far forward are now pushed back
n In CT 70 ahS tot
The major worry of the engineer
! is to fill that vacant heavyweight
throne. The tickets of Billy Strib-
ling, clouting Georgian, and Jack
Sharkey, the silent sailor man from
Boston, are punched as far as
Miami Beach, Tia. One of them
must get off the train there after
the hrst battle OF Tex's annual
elimination series, scheduled now
for February y.
! When that match is over. Tex be-
lieves that he will have half the in
gradients for a title battle to be
staged some time in September in
New York. The other half he hopes,
''Ai ~ AiAS ioAillCi JdCh
Dempsey back to the familiar bat
tleground for the second attempt to
win back the crown he lost to Tun-
ney in 1926. II Dempsey fails to
come back. although every indica-
ton is that he will. Pauline Czcu-
dun. the spaniard, may get the fall
assignment.
Johnny Risko and Tom Heeney,
head!iners on the last trip. seem
minor factors this year. The Cleve-
land baker boy has been beaten by
; Jim Maloney, now on a come back
surge. and Ernie Schaaf. another
Boston youngster. while Heeney
isn't sure he wants to fight again
after being slaughtered by Tunney
last fall. Tommy Loughran. the
light heavyweight king. may give
up his title and win a place IN the
finals. There is the aged Akronite.
X. o. Christner. who knocked out
knute Hansen. and boxes Sharkey
here January rs, to be considered.
Schaaf. Con O'kelly. Joe Sekyra and
Max Schmelling, the German. are
fast-stepping youngsters, but still F.
year or so away.
I There will be many feuds, spec
tacular battles. and possibly an en-
tirely new championship lineup
among the remainder of Richards
1 passengers before another New
Year rolls around.
| If Loughran withdraws from the
light heavyweight Smelling. the bat
ting in that division will be left to
Jimmy Slattery. the Buffalo chal-
lenger, Leo Lomski, of Aberdeen,
Wash. and possibly Mickey Walker.
. middleweight king fast outgrowing
his class for the second time. James
J. Braddock. New Jersey youngster,
who snuffed the sensation spark out
OF Tuffy Griffiths. Is another formid-
able contender. Walkers weight
troubles are further complicated by
the presence of Ace Hudkins. Rene
De Nost, George Courtney and Dave
Shade. All crack challengers in his
division
Joe Dundee. champion among the
weltorweights, and Andre Routis,
new king OF the feathers, face the
toughest schedules. II the Balti-
more Italian gets past Hudkins. who
thinks he can still make the l47-
pound limit, young Jack Thompson.
who knocked Joe out in a non title
fight. and Jackie Fields. who
trimmed Thompson. will be waiting
Routis faces tartars in Tony Can
zoneri. the ex-champion. Benny
Hass. Of Philadelphia. and Honey
boy Finegan. Of Boston.
sammy Mandell. lightweight title
holder, seems most secure among
the champion. with Ray Miller. OF
Chicago. his foremost rival. Baby
face Jimmy McLarnin Is outgrowing
the division.
II Panama Al Brown. elongated
negro. and Bushy Graham. OF Utica.
\. Y. clash during the coming year.
the winner probably will be accepted
az the bantamweicht champion,
title vacated by Charley Phil Rosen-
berg years ago. A f'yweight tourna-
ment to pick Fidel I,aBarba's sue
cessor has been arranged here be-