Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-24
GEORGIAN HAS WON
| ia FIGHTS BY K. 0.
Gets Boxing Start in Pas
Vaudeville Troupe-Was
Basket Ball Star.

WI man who will be given the big
gesU chance of his career on
February 81 at Miami Beach,
Fla, when he meets Jack Sharkey, Bos-
tens entry m the heavyweight elm
nations, was born at Bainbridge, Ca,
December rs, 1904. He began boxing a
little more than seven years ago, and
since then has filled GAO ring engage
ments, winning ia of his tights by
knockouts. He has battled in every
division from the fiyweight to the
heavyweight class, and has only eight
defeats chalked up against him.
Stribling is ten1peramental fellow,
reminding one in a way of Sharkey.
He has blown his two biggest chances.
losing to Paul Berlenbach, whom he
had formerly held to a draw, apd DROP
ping decision to Tommy Loughran,
whom he had defeated previously on
two occasions. Stage fright, the critics
said.
Striblings first memories are of small
town hotels, dinky, ifl-lit stages and
smokey, dusty trains that carried him,
EsS mother. father and baby brother
"the Four Novelty Grahams"-to the
vaudeville troupers' tank towns" Here
they did their act. Pa Stribling, father
and grandfather of all the Striblings,
said his little speech: Ma Stribling
mother and grandmother of all the
Striblings, took bow, and the fire.
works began.
Willie Stribling, the agile one, who
is now being considered as q thorn in
the flesh Of all other heavyweight box
ers, stood on his head in his fathers
hand balanced himself on the @sus-
pended bar of the trapeze and did
numbers of other things that were really
fNA Id = \
Herbert, the younger Stribling, donned
gloves with him and lively match fol-
lowed.
TroEped as Fighter.
Here It was that Young Stribling re-
ceived his FIRST taste of leather and
cultivated an appetite for left jabs and
right hooks. Years Of this followed
until Pa Stribling, who had long har-
bored hopes of seeing his youngster in
the prize ring, decided that he would
give UP the hard grind of the trouper
and devote his time and energy to de-
veloping world champion boxer.
Although quite bit of time was spent
on the road, the Stribling youngsters
attended school internationally, and
probably picked up great deal more
actual knowledge than the average kid
who goes through the humdrum days OF
When their long jaunts took the boys
from their classes Ma Stribling tutored
them, and whenever they spent a few
months IN one town Ma sent them to
school and church.
: Macon, Ga, was good fight town.
{ So there the Striblings decided to To-
cate, and the boys were entered in
Lanier High School. Young Billy Strib-
ling got along fanously with the pupils
and managed to make fairly good
marks in his classes, particularly in the
! study of mechanics. He went out for
basket ball. made the team, and even
the school ever produced, and the name
Of Lanier has always been synonymous
, with basket ball 49,
! Stribling's first fight was with an At
larlta boxer named Kid Domb whose
. only claim to fame lies in the fact that
ne fought Stribling. Pa had agreed for
his boy to meet Domb In Atlanta In
fcur-round preliminary for sweet char
ity's sake. SO anxious was he to get
Stribling broken into the professional
ranks that he agreed for him without
pay. Dornb stayed the limit, but by the
END Of the bout had taken such q lick.
ing that he signed his name to the pro-
2 motors receipt as kid Dumb"
In Many Fights.
Fight followed upon fight, and Young
Stribling, the Macon schoolboy boxer, .
grew from an obscure preliminary boy
into a top-notcher of the first class. He
startled the sport world in 1923 by giv-
ing Mike McTigue,. light heavyweight
champion of the world, a real drubhing
only to have Referea Harry. Ertle call
the bout draw A few months later he
was awarded the newspaper decision
over McTigue in New Jersey In q no.
decision bout
After his battle with McTigue, his
9eryices were in great demand all over
the country. Pa, still harboring merao-
ries OF the years spent on the stage,
for the Striblings, his boy Bill to chal-
lenge all corners. "A large bus was
equipped with all modern conveniences,
including berths and a kitchen, and the
Etriblings left en- trip that took them
up the Atlantic seaboard into Canada,
across to Portland, Greg, down to Mexi-
co and back home again. On this
journey, Stribling met and defeated
such notables as Jimmy Delaney.
Johnny Risko, George Cook and Score
or more of lesser luminaries.
During his school days at Lanier, the
Georgia boxer met Clara Virginia Kin
ney, the only daughter of w. 0. Kinney.
wealthy Macon cotton broker, and later
married her. The Kinney family has
for many generations been historically
ana socially prominent in the South.
and Miss Kinney was probably the most
prominent sub-deb in Macon at the
time Of her marriage The wedding
vas approved by both families.
The Striblings spend a great deal of
gline on the large plantation owned by
Bill and Pa down at Ochlochnee, in
South Georgia, where Bill hunts, fishes
And takes life much in the manner of
Q country gentleman
Outside the ring, the Georgia battler
y little different from the average
young man OF means. He owns O high
powered automobile which he pilots
himself. an airplane and a motorcycle,
ana nothing delights him more than 10
pc riding one Of these contrivances, and
lgae faster the better He loves home
ME and when not hurrying around the
country to MI his numerous boxing en-
Eagcmer1ts, spends his time with his
attractive wife and two children.
Stribling'5 most noteble achievements
IN the ring are his victories over Johnny
Risko, Tommy Loughran. Jimmy De.
laney. Jimmy Slattery Eddie Huffman
George Cook, Otto Won Porat, Chuck
Virgins, Make Rosenbloom, Johnny
Urban, Ray Neuman, Leo Gates, Joe
Lehman, Bonnie Ross and Ad stone
and his knockouts Of Romero Rotas
Martin Burke. Young Marullo JACK
Herman, Al Friedman Sailor Maxted
George Gen1as and Big Boy Peterson
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