Evening star., 1939-08-23
9 Rounds,
5 Of Them on
Low Blows
Great Fight Leaves
Fans Divided Over
Another Bottle
BY WHITNEY MARTIN,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

Associated Press sports writer.
NEW YORK, Aug 23.-The stage
was set today, for a welterweight
championship fight November l be-
tween Henry Armstrong and Lou
Ambers, but there was divided opin-
ion among the 29,088 fans who saw
Ambers regain his lightweight crown
from Armstrong last night as to the
merit OF the setting.
Ambers won the unanimous de-
cision at the end of Is rounds of
.toe-to-toe and head-to-head maui
ing at Yankee Stadium. The Welter-
weight title bout hinged on an Am
bers' victory, all of which worked
out very nicely for Promoter Mike
Jacobs, but caused no end of dispute
among ringsiders as to just who was
entitled to the verdict.
1t was that kind of fight-two
little men with big hearts meeting
round after round in the center of
the ring and throwing gloves every
where, which, on Armstrong; part,
included low.
Low Blows Decide Issue.
In fact, the low blows swung the
decision toward Ambers. Five rounds
were taken away from the dusky
hurricane on that account. The As
sociated Press score card gave six
rounds to Armstrong and nine to
Ambers, the latter including those
won on low punches. Ambers might
have won some of these on his
merits, but the fact remains there
were enough taken away from Arm
strong to swing the decision.
From the opening gong-when the
little coast windmill sidled from his
corner, left shoulder high and body
quivering like gelatin, and started
those tireless arms in motjon-there
wasn't a dull moment.
Although lacking the knockdown
thrills of their earlier meeting, 1t
would be difficult to match for sheer
sustained action and merciless
punishment inflicted by bobbing
heads and failing fists.
Armstrong Gets Cut Eye.
Armstrong started to bleed from
cut eye in the third round, Ambers'
eyebrow crimsoned in the fourth,
and from that point on it was the
CORY spectacle of two little warriors
slugging and pushing and mauling
in their own blood, neither conceding
thing.
In the head-to-head exchanges,
Armstrong, with his short, jolting
blows. usually had the best of it.
But when Ambers jigged away and
started sharpshooting he set the
pace, his left hook often catching
the eternally stalking Armstrong off
balance.
Neither fighter appeared in serious
trouble at any time Ambers often
would take Armstrong; best punches
with hands down, bobbing and duck
ing and grinning through it all.
The second, fifth, seventh, ninth
and eleventh rounds were taken from
Armstrong because of low blows. The
irony of it was that little Perpetual
Motion" turned in his best rounds
later. after the fight apparently al
ready had been lost.
Ambers Admits Being Hurt.
Ambers said later he was hurt on
a couple Of occasions, but couldn't t
recall just when they were The low
blows, he said, did not bother him
much. Armstrong complained of
what he claimed were Ambers'
thumbing tactics, pointing to swollen
and infamed eyes as proof His
manager, Eddie Mead, was outspoken
in his criticism of Ambers' tactics,
and threatened to have no part of
the welterweight championship fight,
contracts for which already have
been signed.
Referee Arthur Donovan and one
of the judges, Frankie Fullam, gave
Armstrong seven rounds and Ambers,
eight. The other judge, Jack Healey,
scored II rounds for Ambers, only
three for Armstrong, with one even.
The 29,088 fans paid $137 ,9257 at
the gate. The net receipts were
$116,396.85.