The Boxing Bulletin History Corner: February 12 - 18, 1910 &1920

By Andrew Fruman

We're back with another edition of the History Corner.  Today, we've got news and fight reports from February 12 to 18, for the years 1910 and 1920.  On Thursday, we'll be moving on to 1930, 1940 and 1950.

Check out last week's editions of the History Corner: February 5 to 11, 1910 & 1920
& February 5 to 11, 1930, 1940 & 1950

In this edition...

• Lew Powell vs George Memsic, Los Angels - February 13, 1910
• Ad Wolgast prepares for Battling Nelson - February 14, 1910
• The Walker Law moves through the legislature, Albany - February 17, 1920
• Plus plenty more fight reports and other pugilistic news of the times...

1910

February 13…

British Featherweight champion Jim Driscoll (pictured right, Library of Congress) of Wales defended his title with a victory over Seaman Hayes, becoming the first winner of the 126lb Lonsdale Belt. Scheduled for 20 rounds, the bout was stopped by the referee in the sixth round.

The Lonsdale Belt was established in 1909 by the National Sporting Club of London, with lightweight Freddie Welsh as the first winner, claiming the 135lb belt on November 8 with a 20 round decision over Johnny Summers.

February 14…

Canadian featherweight champion Billy Allen won the newspaper decision over Tommy Rawson of Boston in a 10 rounder at the Alhambra in Syracuse. Allen had the better of the infighting, using an effective body attack to nullify Rawson’s edge in height and reach.

The Post-Standard of Syracuse called the bout, "one of the best exhibitions seen here in some time."

* * * *

In Memphis, Judge Kelly dismissed charges against Cleveland fighter Phil Brock, ruling that "pugilists plying their vocation under the new Tennessee law legalizing eight-round bouts are engaged in legal business, as are men engaged in the banking business."

Brock had been arrested and charged with vagrancy and loitering. According to his attorney, he will take the case to civil court charging the authorities with false imprisonment.

* * * *

In Los Angeles, Lew Powell of San Francisco outclassed local fighter George Memsic over 10 rounds in a rough, bloody contest…

It was a fierce and gruelling scrap, and both boys were bloody through the latter half of it. Memsic cut Powell’s cheeks open with a straight or raking blow and the blood flowed freely, but Lew never stopped a moment. He began in the first round to jab Memsic in the nose with that long left, and this jabbing actually beat Memsic. George swung right and left at Powell’s head as a come-back, but more than half the time Powell was out of reach. Memsic’s only chance was to rush in and while he delivered some stringing swings on Powell’s stomach, the majority of them were blocked.

- Los Angeles Times

The charging tactics of Memsic almost won it in the 5th…

This drew another rush from Memisc, and in backing away Powell fell, with Memsic on top of him. In turning in the fall Memsic’s head hit Powell in the groin and Powell immediately rolled over on his back, groaning with pain. He lay while the referee counted seven and then staggered to his feet and Memsic rushed him. Powell stooped and stalled out the round, although Memsic did his best to beat him down, but was too anxious and could not land an effective blow. This was about the only round that Memsic could be said to have the best of, and this advantage was nothing to brag about. He had it only because he put Powell hors de combat, and not with a punch either.

* * * *

Before 1,500 spectators in Danbury Connecticut, Griff Jones of Philadelphia defeated Dan Sullivan after the latter was disqualified for fouling in the seventh round of a scheduled twelve.

During the entire seven founds, Jones showed his mastery over Sullivan. When the colored man’s blows began coming too hard Sullivan kept closing and hitting low. He was cautioned by Jones several times, the colored man asking him to fight square… In the seventh Sullivan in a clinch struck low. The blow was observed by referee Clark, who disqualified the Cambridge man.

– The Boston Globe

* * * *

With a little over a week to go before his 45 round title challenge against Battling Nelson, challenger Ad Wolgast took a day off from training at the insistence of his manager Tom Jones. Wolgast’s weight is hovering around 134 pounds – a single pound above the agreed upon limit of 133, and Jones doesn’t want him coming into the ring too light. The manager reports that Wolgast is so anxious to battle it out with Nelson that there’s a danger of the fighter overtraining unless closely watched.

The previous day, 1,300 spectators paid 25 cents each to watch Wolgast go through his training paces at San Francisco’s giant beach pavilion. Along with doing his work on the gym apparatus, Wolgast entertained the crowd by boxing a total of 15 rounds against 5 different sparring partners.

According to the latest odds, Nelson is a 10 to 6 favorite to retain his title and even money to finish Wolgast within 25 rounds.

February 15…

At the Armory Athletic Association in Boston, Young Loughrey won a decision over Tommy Quill in a bout the Boston Globe called, "one of the fasted and most rugged bouts held here for a long time."

The winner was almost disqualified…

The actions of Loughrey’s manager who was in the corner, came near losing his man the contest, as the referee after listening for awhile to the manager’s uncalled-for remarks, stopped the bout and informed the manager that if he did not cease his talk he would disqualify Loughrey. Every time that same manager has been in a corner at the Amory A.A. he has made himself obnoxious. The members applauded the referee for the merited rebuke which he gave the second. He should be kept out of a corner."

- The Boston Globe

February 17…

In a battle of hometown lightweights, the boxing dentist Leach Cross earned the 10 round newspaper decision over Johnny Marto at the Long Acre Athletic Association in New York. The aggressive Marto was the crowd favourite at the start of the bout, but Leach’s skillful performance eventually won the spectators over. Towards the end of the bout, Marto’s only answer was to rush Cross "like a bull" while launching wild swings.

Leach fought a far more open fight last night than has been his wont, and his admirable footwork, clever short-arm defense, and swift left jabs and hooks often made Marto look like a novice.

– New York Times

In the semi-final bout, Leach’s younger brother Phil Cross was also victorious, using his opponent George Hoey as a "chopping block" in a 6 rounder.

February 18…

In New Orleans, Johnny Coulon defended his world 112lb title with a 10 round decision victory over British champion Jim Kenrick.

Kenrick was on the canvas several times during the bout, but was only in major trouble once – that being in the fourth round when a right to the body followed by a left to the head had him down for a count of 5. In the ninth round, Coulon made a hard push for the knock-out, but couldn’t put away the resilient Englishman.

1920

February 12…

The scheduled 12 rounder between Terry Martin and Roy Moore at the Crescent Athletic Club in Lowell ended in the fourth round with Martin on the floor claiming he’d been hit low. The punch in question was delivered in the clinch with Martin’s back to the ropes, and was not seen by referee Joe McCarthy. At first, the official ordered Martin to get up, but after the fighter rolled over in agony, a doctor entered the ring to check on his condition.

After about a 30 minute delay, the doctor informed McCarthy that the fighter was in no shape to continue. McCarthy accepted the diagnosis, but having not seen the punch in question, "did not feel justified in giving the decision to either man."

The doctor explained his ruling to the Lowell Sun…

"Previous to the contest I examined the leather cup covering that region of Martin’s body below the belt, and found it to be perfect. In the ring after the blow was delivered I found it indented on the left side, which was found to be painful and tender to the touch. The right region was normal.

"Realizing that the fans came to see action and that the management was anxious to please them, I waited to see if Martin, after resting, would recuperate so that he would be able to resume the contest. This failing, there was no alternative, except to proclaim Martin unfit to go on."

The controversial ending came after a day of much bickering as to who would be the third man in the ring…

Trouble, which had been brewing all day on the referee question came to a head. Billy Gardner, the club referee, was O.K. for one but not for the other. Noah Perry of Boston was brought to Lowell and he handled the other bouts, but he was not acceptable to the main bout performers. Several others were mentioned, including a board of judges, to consist of a newspaperman and two others, but this proposition was turned down. At one stage Martin was about to leave the club, but Joe McCarthy persuaded him to return and finally it was agreed to fight with McCarthy as referee, and the understanding that if both men were on their feet at the end of the twelfth round, the bout would be declared a draw.

This plan did not please the crowd, but it was the only condition upon which both men would agree.

- The Lowell Sun

February 17…

In Albany, there was good news for supporters pushing for legalization of professional boxing in New York after a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the bill put forward by Senator James J. Walker (pictured right, Library of Congress) went very well…

Opinion after the hearing this afternoon was to the effect that the Senate would pass the measure, which would then come before the Assembly for final action. Here determined opposition is expected, but the supporters of the measure, their confidence intensified as a result of the proceedings before the Senator Alvah W. Burlingame’s committee, after expecting that favourable action will be taken by the Assembly and the bill installed as a law.

– New York Times

Opposition to the bill was less than expected, although there were some words spoken against the measure.  Canon Chase, a Brooklyn clergyman, warned that boxing would "become a brutalizing spectacle and an object for renewed activities by the gambling element." He believed the big money that was sure to be involved would transform the sport, "into a demoralizing activity which would be decidedly objectionable to the serious-minded residents of the State."

Check back in Thursday for more of The Boxing Bulletin's History Corner as we move on to the years 1930, 1940 and 1950 for the week of February 12 to 18.

e-mail Andrew Fruman