Evening star., 1933-01-29
LONDOS BEST CARD
OF THREE CHAMPS
Matches Among Trio of Mat
"Kings" Ace in Hole in
Case of Slump.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN.


Tim LONDOS merrily con-
tinueS his me-table barn.
~ storming in defense of his
claims to the world wrestling
championship, much to the keen
delight of promoters, but though
the bronZed Greek is in many
ways the most unusual wrestler
in the sports history, he is find
ing it difficult to carve his name
among the games greats"
Nor does the Adonis from Argos seem
to care a great deal whether fans and
critics accept his winning streak, un-
doubtedly the longest in wrestling. as a
true criterion of his ability and skill on
the mat. More than 300 times since he
lifted the crown of this Part of the uni
verse from Dick Shikats brow in June,
1890, has LondoS successfully defended
his title claims
LondoS today probably is in a posi-
ton to convert the grandstand hoWlers
and cynics and write his name indeli-
bly, in mat annals along with these of
Gotch, Hackenschmidt, jenkins, Burns,
Schoenlein and DR.. Roller. All he must
w ID W tilOW lilc tllicS Utilcl Noi iO
champions" campaigning at present.
They are Stranger Lewis, Henri De-
Glane and John Pesek
DUT the beautifully built Greek, the
- greatest drawing card in the his
tory of wrestling, possibly has
other ideas now. In a way he might
we'll be compared to Gene Tunney.
Londos knows what he wants from
wrestling and means to get it. 1t is
doubtful if he cares great deal to go
down in history as much as he does to
use wrestling as a means to an end.
Years ago, as a youngster just getting
start in the then anemic game of
wrestling, LondoS probably entertained
an ambition to earn an everlasting niche
among wrestling's unforgetables. Now,
at 81, he has found that one-fourth of
the world championship, plus his color
and skill, has been sufficient to make
him the games greatest drawing card
and financially fixed" for life. The
fire of youth gone, Londos seems salts
fed. He has little, If anything, to gain
by wrestling Lewis, DeGlane or Pesek,
and everything to lose. And it is doubt
full if those connected with this mysteri-
GUS sport, generally speaking, would
relish the downfall of Londos at this
time Around the gorgeous-looking
Greek is built modern wrestling. $
THERE is possibly only one circum-
i stance which would cause LondoS
to meet one or more of the other
title claimantS-the downfall Of wrest-
ling Should the game ever again be
threatened with Cbscurtiy, 1t Is this OBJ
servers opinion that LondoS would be
i I'D Io;t I q
with other champions" which. after
all, is the one big trump the mat moguls
hold in their hand.
The vague grip Londos holds on the
championship of the world makes his
ability to draw fans all the more re-
markable When it is considered that
of all champions before the rassllng
renaissance he has the weakest claim
on the title, it is little short of amazing.
No title in sportdom, perhaps, has
ever riyaled w-estlings for slpperiness.
Frank Gotch, back in 1908, first held
the world championship or, at least.
was the first titleholder since anybody
cared a great deal. Gotch conquered
George Hackenschmidt to win the crown
but, in failing health, he retired in 1914,
the title passing to the hands of Charlie
Cutler. Then in succession. it passed
to Joe Stetcher, Earl Caddock, back to
Stecher, then Lewis, StanislauS ZbySko,
Lewis again. Wayne Mum, back to
Zbyszko, back to Stecher and then back
to Lewis in 1923.
THEN, in 1929, Gus Sonnenberg
i launced the flying tackle against
Lewis that was to revolutlonlZe the
wrestling game. Sonnenberg, former
Dartmouth foot ball star, captured the
fancy of the public and press with his
style and wrestling, in the doldrums
came back" SoEnenberg's first step
after defeating Lewis was to sign to
meet a wrestler of an enemy camp"
But he backed out and the Pennsylvania
Athletic Commission declared the title
vacant and ordered tournament to be
held to determine successor. 1t was
in this tourney that Londos emerged
victorious. downing Dick Shikat in the
final. This gave the mat game two
champions" LondoS was recognized in
Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York, the
two laSt-named States seeing things the
way the Quaker State commission did
Sonnenberg was recognized elsewhere
except in part Of Ohio, where a third
wrestler, John Pesek. was recognized as
champion because Stranger Lewis had
failed to honor challenge.
I'D DON GEORGE, another collegian,
IL downed Sonnenberg in 1881 and
back again came Lewis who threw
George a month later. But Lewis was
beaten" shortly after by Henry De-
Glane, who claimed the Stranger bit
his arm. DeGlane was awarded the
bout and the title" Not long after
Londos broke away from the so-called
Jack Curley group and formed his own
wheel. When Londos refused to honor
Lewis persistent challenges it presented
the New York State Commission with q
great chance to install Lewis as cham
pion, which it did.
The biggest gate" in wrestling his
tory is 100000, paid by nearly 10000 in
1909 to see Gotch and Hackenschmidt
The biggest modern gate" is reported
$4,000, drawn by Lewis and Sonnen-
berg in 1929. But day in and day out
it is Jimmy Londos who is causing the
turnstile to click and the rassling cli-
entele loves il