BOXING

Evening Star, Issue 17379, 15 June 1920, Page 6

BOXING

WELTER-WEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. Kid Lewis defeated Johnny Basham at the Glympia, London, last week in a tight for the welter-weight championship of Europe and a purse of £5,000. The referee stopped the fight in the ninth round owing to Basham'3 weakness from loss of blood. Many spectators had previously clamored to stop the fight. Lewis was punching hard in the early rounds, but Basham was quick on his less and very tricky. At the end of the second round Lewis was bleeding profusely from a cut on the arm. Basham was doing most of the hitting, forcing Lewis to adopt the defensive until-the fifth round, ■when Lewis three times caught Basham on the point and sent him reelinsr. Basham became aggressive in the sixth round, but was bleeding freely from the nose and mouth. Lewis was now obviously superior, and punished Basham severely on the head and body. By the seventh round Basham was more like a red than a white man. There were frequent cries of stop the fight. Basham was very plucky m the eighth, boxing his man to perfection and forcing Lewis to exercise the utmost care. It was his last, effort. His seconds threw in the towel at the end of the ninth round, despite Basham's expostulations.

[Kid Lewis and Johnny Basham are both Englishmen. Lewis formerly held the welter-weight championship of the world until he was beaten by Jack Britten (United States), who fit-ill holds the title. Basham, xvho was the welter-weight champion of Great Britain, recently won a 20rounds' contest with Fred Kay, the Australian boxer. Lewis has been matched to meet Carpentier. the famous French boxer, for a purse gf £25.000 in London within the next two months.]