The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-05-21

the Ohio River
has produced its quota of competent
fist throWers, including Freddie Mil
Ter, who has just lost his feather
weight championship to Pete Sar-
ron, the human hair shirt of Biz
mingham. Billy Ryan mingled with
all the top-flight welterweights in
his day, and the aforementioned
Mars fought all the little fellows for
nine years.
MARS was easily the best fighter
4V1 Cincinnati ever had" insisted
Mr.. Shevlin, who admits he might
be slightly prejudiced.
DO you know he fought Johnny
Kilbane, then the featherweieht
champion, in his seventh profess
sional fight? Not only fought him,
but sent him to the floor with as
vicious left-hand punch as ever
saw"
Tell him what happened next,
Pop" spoke up tall, athletic
young man at the next table. This
proved to be Shevlin Jr., who starred
with Holy Cross several years ago,
and who has since done odd jobs of
flrSt-basing IN the International and
the National Leagues. II was going
to get around to that" blushed Mr..
Shevlin. We'll, the knockdoWn so
Infatuated Kilbane, a master boxer,
that he leaped from the floor, spit
on his glove, wound it around his
head, like an old turkey throwing a
brick, and let my poor K. O. have
1t right on the jaw for the full
amount. 1t was sucker punch and
nobody ever looked for that kind of
punch from Kilbane, but it did the
work"
COME years later, Mr.. Shevlin,
~ turning promoter, brought Bat
Ting Battalino and Freddie Miller
together here for the featherweight
title and the gentleman still suffers
acute mental anguish when anybody
mentions the affair. 1t was a pic
turesque Barney and the pro-
moter had to return all the dough
to the customers.
The Barney, it should be speedily
explained, was no part of Mr.. Shev-
Inns design. Battalino, weary of
his titular honors, and moved by
the warm hospitality of Cincin-
natl, tried to give the championship
away to the local pride. But as so
often happens in misunderstood
ing world, the fighters generosity
was shabbily received, and when he
went down in the fourth round,
frightfully mutilated by a punch
that didn't handsome say, it didn t
even start-there was q riot.
The referee refused to count. In
stead, he ordered both men from the
ring, announced it was no contest, a
deduction which apparently needed
no psychic gifts, and ordered the
promoter to refund all paid admis-
sions. It was one of the few times
in the history of the ring racket the
customers received any protection
The customary procedure, especially
in New York, is to invite the custo-
mer go lump it, as they say in these
parts.
didn't mind refunding the
w money" said Mr.. Shevlin,
though that was tough enough, be-
cause the thing was pretty awful,
but what panied me more than !
can say is that had to pay out a
whole lot more than took in. The
ringsides didn't sell very we'll, so
the night of the fight I let them
so at half price without changing
the face value and, of course, when
I had to shell out, some of the Gus
toners got back twice what they
had paid
Mr.. Shevlin believes he is the only
promoter in the world who ever paid
about $500 to see Barney, but be-
ing OF a philosophical nature he
seems to feel the experience, il not
exactly worth 1t, was at least i'm
portant. incidentally. by strange
coincidence, when Miller Ultimately
became the champion, his manager
turned out to be Mr.. Pedro Reilly.
who had previously concerned him.
self with the social and professional
activities of Battalino.
And there is much speculation at
the moment just how long it will
be before the announcement is
formally made that Mr.. Reilly has
taken over the management of the
new featherweight champion. Sar-
ron, tho human hair-shirt. There
is something about Mr. Reilly that
draws the featherweieht champions
to him 1t must be his fine parental
qualities.