The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-03


behind the construction of Madison
Square Garden, the most famous
INDOOR sports temple in the world
Similar structures sprang up in
Chicago, Detroit and Boston, all
bearing the Rickardian touch.
McCarey-Uncle Tom. the boys
called him-conflned most of his OPP
erations to the West Coast He was
a power in the days of distance
fights, when 20 rounds was the
minimum for Championships. They
might still be fighting 20 FOUNDERS
on the coast if McCarey hadn't
matched Jess Willard with Bull
Young. Young died from the beating
he took and the agitation that fol-
lowed Frustrated the sport for years.
To detour for a second-the next
time Willard fought he faced a
human tiger by the name of Boer
Rodel from the stable of James j.
Johnston. Willard had not yet won
the heavyweight championship and
was still lacking the sophis Cication
and shrewdness that are supp osed to
be peculiar to the position.
Willard Still Jittery
I regret to say Mr.. Johnston inn
posed upon the gentleman's imma-
ture insufflciency to the fulfllment
OF his own selfish purposes.
Willard was still pretty shaky
from his experience on the West
Coast and the attendant public
hysteria that followed the death of
his opponent, so he was not exactly
a raging tornado in human form
when he arrived to do battle with
Mr.. Johnston's jungle man.
I'm sorry vou had such a tough
break out there" greeted the sympa-
thetic Mr.. Johnston and I want to
warn you for your own good you
will have to go easy with my man
tonight. He's got weak heart
Willard practically fought Rodel
with one hand, his left. Whenever
he would even look as if he meant
to start the right, Johnston would
pop up in the corner and yell.
The fight went the limit. Mr.. John
ston claims the newspapers gave his
killer the decision.
And now to get back to McCarey.
He promoted any number of fights,
including a mess of championships,
but the fight for which he is re-
membered best was one for the
lightweight championship.
1t brought Ad Wolgast and Joe
Rivers together at Vernon, Cal,
July 4, 1912. 1t resulted in the most
fantastic climax in the history of
the ring-a double Knockout!
Well, What Would You Do?
But it wasn't ruled a double
Knockout. TIE referee, Jack Welsh,
helped Wolgast to his feet, gave him
the decision and thus saved the
championship for the Michigan
Wildcat. Old-time fight fans still
argue about this one-waS it a
double knockout? Did Rivers lose
on a foul? Was Welsh unduly So
licitous of the champions interests?
No other sport poses so many I'M
answerable and sinister mysteries as
the fight ring.
Suppose you were handling e.
fight that was going along fairly
even and suddenly both men melted
to the floor in vapor of punches
and stayed there while you count
ed 10 What would you do about it?
What Referee Welsh did was to
help Wolgast to his feet and give
him the decision. He claimed later
Wolgast had gained his feet before
the full count over Rivers, but this
is merely one of the phases of that
historic climax old-timers still ar
que about.
AT any rate the strange episode
made a permanent place for Uncle
Tom McCarey in the history of the
beak-busting business.