Johnny Coulon was in action against Jem Kendrick in March of 1910 / Photo courtesy of Antiquities of the Prize Ring

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By Andrew Fruman

We're back with another edition of the History Corner.  Today, we've got news and fight reports from  March 5 to 11, for the years 1910 and 1920.  On Friday, we'll be moving on to 1930, 1940 and 1950.

Check out last week's editions of the History Corner: February 26 to March 4, 1910 & 1920
& February 26 to March 4, 1930, 1940 & 1950

In this edition...

• Johnny Coulon vs Jem Kendrick - 115lb title, New Orleans, March 6 1910
• Jimmy Clabby vs Jimmy Gardner - Milwaukee, March 11, 1910
• Joe Dundee vs Willie Jackson - Jersey City, March 8, 1920
• Plus plenty more pugilistic news of the times...
  

1910

March 6…

According to the Oakland Tribune’s Eddie Smith, there is a movement about to try and enact a law at the next California legislature meeting to limit fights to 10 rounds…

It was always understood that the limit should be twenty rounds, but when Jimmy Britt and Battling Nelson were matched the forty-five round proposition was sprung and the law pointed to as not barring them. It would be a sad blow to the game here if the limit was cut down to ten rounds for at the present time it looks as if the sport would be opened up in many of the Eastern cities soon and this would cut us out of the high-class talent we have been accustomed to seeing.

– Eddie Smith

March 6…

In a rare Sunday bout, Johnny Coulon (114) stopped an exceedingly game Jem Kendrick (114) in the nineteenth round of a scheduled twenty before 10,000 spectators at the West Side A.C. in New Orleans. The gathering was reportedly the largest to see a fight in the city since Corbett met Sullivan 18 years earlier.

Coulon controlled the bout from the start, expertly handling the Englishman’s attacks, before turning on the pressure in the fifth with a torrid body assault. While the British fighter was still competitive over the next few rounds, the contest quickly became a question of not who would win, but how long the challenger would last.

Kendrick was so weak during the last three rounds that he only kept upright by clinging to the ropes and making a feint at defence. In the 16th, the Englishman was floored and in the 17th he stumbled. Coulon graciously assisted him to rise. The 18th saw Kendrick down for the count of nine.

In the final round just before the bell rang, Coulon ended the agony by delivering a terrific right over the heart. Kendrick utterly routed, staggered back to the ropes and sank to his knees, rolling over like a log. At the count of nine he managed to attain and upright position, and made a pluck effort to save himself for the scheduled 20th round. The referee however, stopped the bout and declared Coulon the victor.

– Newswire report

After the stoppage, Coulon put his arm around Kendrick and helped the beaten man to his corner. He received a huge cheer from the crowd for his performance and sportsmanship.

The bout had been billed as being for the world bantamweight title, but there was still much debate as to who should be recognized as the holder of the crown.

Frankie Conley (pictured left, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) claimed a stake to the "bantamweight" honors with his victory over Monte Attell on February 22, but even in Conley’s home state of Wisconsin, there was some question amongst sports writers over whether anyone had a right to claim the championship for their own. One of the major issues preventing a single title holder from full recognition was the weight class limit had not yet been universally defined.

Conley is reportedly anxious to clear up the confusion and meet Coulon at 115lbs ringside. One hitch though towards the possible staging of the bout is Conley’s insistence that the contest be set for 45 rounds.

The Chicago Tribune on the weights issue…

The dispute over the title comes from the fact that Coulon has been fighting inside the legitimate weight of 115 pounds. The coast fights have been fought at 116 pounds, weigh in several hours before the contest.

Chicago boxing writer Ed Smith had his say on the situation…

If Johnny Coulon of Chicago and Frankie Conley of Kenosha, Wis., are matched soon for the bantamweight championship of the world, one of the most troublesome questions of the fighting game will have been cleared up and settled, for the time being at least. The question is over the right and just limit for the bantamweight class. Should the match be made, the limit will be set at 115 pounds at the ringside and doubtless this precedent will rule future battles in the division for a long time to come.

- Ed Smith

Coulon’s father, Eugene "Pop" Coulon, who happens also to be the fighter’s manager shared his opinion on the matter…

There is a general feeling, I know, against the smaller class that at one time was called the bantam. Back in the days of Jimmy Barry, one of the greatest little fighting machines that ever lived, the limit of the bantams was 105 pounds. Since Johnny whipped all of the available boys at this figure it was gradually raised until at the present time it is up to 115 and in some cases 118 pounds, which being only four pounds short of the featherweight limit, makes it ridiculous to say the least.

Now I am in favour of making the lowest class in the pugilistic category at 105 pounds and calling it the flyweight or the paper weight or something of that sort. From that on I am in favour of making an even ten-pound jump to each of the other classes. That would make the bantamweight 115 pounds and the featherweight 125 pounds. Next we would have the lightweights at 135 as they are in England at the present time and the class above that would be the welters with the limit at 145 pounds. The jump after that would be to the middleweights, which would be placed at 155 pounds. As the present champion claims that 158 pounds – not made at the ringside either – is the present limit this would be somewhat of a radical change but one should remember that only a few years ago it was an accepted fact that the middleweight limit was 154 pounds. Tommy Ryan will bear out the truth of this. From the middle we could jump 20 pounds instead of 10 and make the light heavyweight division limited to 175 pounds. Above that call them heavyweights, pure and simple.

– Eugene "Pop" Coulon

The elder Coulon’s suggestions reflected the frustrating nature of the fluctuation title weight limits in America, but eventually the United States would come around to the class limits – 112, 118, 126, 135, 147, 160, 175 – established the previous year by the National Sporting Club of London.

March 11...

In Milwaukee, local fighter Jimmy Clabby (pictured right, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) battled to a hard fought ten round newspaper draw with Jimmy Gardner of Lowell. New lightweight champion Ad Wolgast covered the fight for the Milwaukee Sentinel and handed out the draw verdict in his write-up, although J.A. Ermatinger of the Milwaukee Free Press thought Clabby had an edge.

Both Wolgast and Ermatinger agreed that Clabby had the best of the early rounds, while Gardner was sharper in the later rounds. In Wolgast’s opinion, Clabby could have won the bout had he been more aggressive when he was having the better of things, as the Lowell man was clearly not in the best of condition.

Along with Wolgast, bantamweight title claimant Frankie Conley was also in attendance at the show. No strangers to each other, the two have fought three competitive battles in the past, as well as sparring together recently in California while both were preparing for their marathon title bouts.

1920

March 8…

In a battle of world class lightweights at the 4th Regiment Armory in Jersey City, Willie Jackson (133) of the Bronx, pounded out a decisive eight round newspaper decision victory in a thrilling encounter with Johnny Dundee (130 ¾) …

Jackson, forcing matters continually from start to finish, battered Dundee effectively with both hands in a varied attack which had the Italian bewildered. Through outslugged in the majority of rounds, Dundee lost none of his courage, but only fought faster went stung hardest.

This combination, Jackson consistently forcing matters, and Dundee being buffeted about in a veritable gale of blows, resulted in one of the most spectacular and sensational lightweight bouts ever held in this vicinity.

– New York Times

According to the Times report, Jackson had the edge in six of the eight rounds, with Dundee (pictured left, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) only winning the fourth - the eighth was even. The bout was a hit with the 6,000 spectators who were on their feet yelling themselves hoarse from start to finish.

* * * *

At Exposition Music Hall in Pittsburgh, a local lightweight dual between Johnny Kirk (135 ½) and Johnny Ray (137) ended in chaotic scenes after hostilities between the fighters continued after the second round ended, eventually involving many of the spectators.

The trouble started when Ray took exception to Kirk tapping him on the shoulder after the bell rang. Ray was still angry after being fouled by Kirk in the opening round, and responded to the gesture by throwing a punch at his local rival. Seconds from both corners immediately rushed into the ring, and before long supporters of both fighters followed suit.

During the commotion, Kirk was kicked in the groin and had to be carried from the ring, from where he was eventually escorted to the Central Police Station along with Ray and charged with disorderly conduct. Two other local fighters that helped fan the flames of the brawl were also taken into custody.

The following day, referee Loudon Campbell announced he had disqualified Ray.

March 9…

Legalized boxing in New York State received a boost with the news that the Senate Judiciary Committee in Albany voted 9 to 3 in favour of Senator James J. Walker’s boxing bill. The measure is now in the hands of the Legislature.

In New York City, the Board of Alderman "went on record in favour of legalized boxing," voting 56 to 4 in support of the sport. The board will be sending a copy of the resolution to the legislators in Albany.

One of the council members that did not vote yes, argued that the sport was "in the hands of the lowest element in the community, and that the public had become disgusted as a result of fake fights."

March 11…

In Toledo, flyweight world champion Jimmy Wilde (pictured right, Antiquities of the Prize Ring) is set to defend his title on March 12 against Frankie Mason. Both fighters are reportedly down to the contracted limit of 108 pounds with Wilde tipping the scales at 105lbs and Mason at 107. The official weigh-in will take place ringside at 3 PM.

Promoter Addison Q. Thacher had wanted to make the contest a decision bout, but this was not agreed to by Wilde’s manager Dave Hughes - which means Mason must win by knockout to win the crown. The referee will be Chicago sportswriter Ed Smith. The original third man was to have been Oliver Pecord, the Toledo boxing commission’s official referee, but this detail was also objected to by Hughes.

Wilde has been guaranteed $10,000, and Mason $5,000.

Both fighters have abundance of gameness. Mason is a wicked puncher, as strong as the Briton and with a faculty of taking a lot of punishment. Wilde is said to have made his reputation along those lines. He, too, is a rapid puncher, with a tremendous amount of force behind his blows.

Mason is more compactly built and if comparative reports of their styles have any bearing, Mason is a faster worker than Wilde. Wilde is of the type who waits for the lead, countering with quick and deadly precision.

– Newswire from Toledo, Ohio

For more great boxing photos of the past, make sure to visit Antiquities of the Prize Ring.

Check back in on 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 March 5 to March 11.

e-mail Andrew Fruman