Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-08
District GIoVers
Prove Worthy
Despite Losses
jewish, Stewart
Beaten in FinuIs
OF Eastern Event
BY DICK O'BRIEN
Star Stan Correspondent

weren't in the throne room &C.
cupied today by eight Eastern
Golden Gloves champions, they
proved themselves to be worthy
contenders before bowling out in
the tournament finals last night
lin Madison Square Garden.
The two Washington battlers
came within a matter of few
punches of carrying off cham
pionships. but the cards seemed
to be stacked against them.
After impressive victories in
the semifinals, lavish went down
before John Harper Of Pittsburgh
lin the heavyweight finals and
Stewart bowed to Pete Spanakos
of New York in the bantam
weight title bout.
A third Washington represen-
ltative, Light Heavyweight Au-
lbrey Greenhow, was derailed in
1.-THE semifinals by Alonzo johnson
|of Pittsburgh, who went on to
take the title.
Score Seven Points
Other champions crowned were
Jose Rigores of Havana and Mia
mi, 112 pounds; Vincent Breen
Iof New York, 1875 pounds; Thorn
las Schafer of Pittsburgh, 1876
pounds; Richard Hall of Buffalo,
lat pounds, and Juan Pomare of
New York, 100 pounds.
For it's efforts. the Washington
team scored a total of seven
points in the three-day tourna-
ment. finishing behind Pitts
Iburgh with Is, Buffalo and New
ark with nine each and Miami
with eight. New York scored 19
points, but does not compete for
1.-THE team title.
lavish and Stewart got to the
finals with laundering efforts in
lsemifinal encounters which found
Gary beating George Brantley of
New York and Joe lambasting
Gene Fosmire of Newark.
Gary had a lead going into the
last round of his championship
fight with Harper but he tired
in the final minute.
! Stewards loss to Spanakos was
by a hair-line verdict. The battle
started out as a thriller and
wound up the same way with
both boys on the floor when the
final bell sounded. They went
down after taking dead aim at
each other and missing.
Fans Applaud lavish
The lavish Harper encounter
was one of the toughest of the
tournament and while Gary
missed in his first shot for the
Eastern heavyweight title. it
wasn't by much. His efforts drew
the plaudits of an enthusiastic
audience which watched him
fight two uphill battles on the
final evening of warning.
Gary's semifinal engagement
with Brantley had the Garden
lin a panic from start to finish.
Brantley. a long armed sharp
shooter from the Salem Crescent
Club of Harlem, the same organ
Iization that produced such ring
greats as Sugar Ray Robinson
and Johnny Saxton, took un-
usual chances with the hard-hit-
ting lavish early in the fight as
they traded freely both at long
range and at close quarters.
lavish got a bad break late
in the first round when Brantley
accidentally stuck his thumb in
the Washington fighters right
eye. This bothered Gary to such
an extent That ne temporarily
lost the range.
But between the first and sec
Iond rounds, Gary had the dam
age repaired by his coach. Paddy
Kane. and he came out tor the
second with renewed confidence.
lavish staggered Brantley twice
i'm this round while the Salem
Crescent entry returned the
compliment by driving home
some power shots of his own.
AS they came into the third,
lavish turned on the heat and
went into the lead. If there was
any doubt about it, Gary ended
it by dropping Brantley with a
Continued on Page C-3, Col. 4