NINE BATTLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19107, 28 February 1924, Page 4

NINE BATTLES.

DEMPSEY-FIEPO BOUT THE GREATEST. LAST YEAR’S BOXING TITLES. FITE CHAMPIONSHIPS CHANGE HANDS. Establishing a record for championship activity, the pugilistic season of 1923 baa taken rank as the most spectacular, if not the greatest ever witnessed (declares the New York Evening Tost). Nine battleswith world’s championships at stake, in five of which titles changed hands, were fought during the year, the climax coming sensationally when Jack Dempsey successfully defended his heavy-weignt crown by knocking out Luis Angel firpo, -vrgentina challenger, in the second round at the Polo Grounds. The savage, furious struggle between the American “Tigerman” and th© “Wild Bull of the Pampas” lasted less than four minutes, but, in the minds of those who saw it, it ranks as the most remarkable battle of all time, an ep;o that has no parallel in ring history. Knocked down seven times in the first round, Firpo came back with a battering rush that drove Dempsey through the ropes and all but toppled the American from his throne, but the champion crushed his opponent in the second round, the final count coming on the South American’s ninth knockdown. TITLES LOST AND WON. With fhe exception of Joe Lynch, bantamweight king, and Mickey Walker, welterweight titleholder, all the world’s chamrisked their titles in important matches, and the end of the season found four new fistic rulers at the top. They aro: Poncho Villa, Filipino whirlwind, who knocked Jimmy Wilde, little Britisher, from the fly-weight throne; Johnny Dundee, New York Italian, who battered Eugene Griqui, French war veteran, into defeat two months after the latter had knocked obt Johnny Kilbane for the feather-weight sceptre; Harry Greb, Pittsburg, “windmill,” who deprived Johnny Wilson, of Boston, of middle-weight laurels; and-Mike MiTiguc, Irish-American, who won tha light heavy-weight crown by outpointing Battling Siki, the singular Sengalese, on St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin. M’Tigue narrowly saved his title by getting a draw in a riotous match with Young Strebbling, Georgia schoolboy, in October. Dempsey and Benny Leonard, light-weight king, remained masters of their classes. Besides battling Firpo, the heavy-weight title-holder, defended his crown against Tommy Gibbons, of St. Paul, in tha little Montana boom town of Shelby on 4th July, failing to ’ score a knock-out, but winning decisively on points in IS rounds. Leonard met his foremost rival. Lew Tendler, once more and scored a decisive victory in a 15-round match at the Yankee Stadium. Two American ring titles also changed hands, but in both cases the losers acquired other laurels before the season closed. Villa lost the American fly-weight title to Frankia Genaro, of New York, before conquering \\ ildc, and Greb was shorn of his American heavy light weight title by Gene Tunney, former soldier boxer and Greenwich Village idol before defeating Wilson. Tunney whipped Greb in defence of his 175-pound honours recently at Madison Square Garden, and apparently settled their rivalry of two years’ standing. Though dwarfed by comparison with tha Dempsey-Firpo battle, many other colourful ring spectacles held the limelight in a season that witnessed the passing of several notable figures from the ring and the ascendancy of new pugilistic stars. Kilbane, ruler of the featherweight, realm for more than 10 years, and Wilde, long known king of the flyweights, were two veterans who passed into the discard. Jess Willard, Kansas man mountain, startled followers of the sport with a comeback that seemed promising when he knocked Floyd Johnson, young lowan, but faded into oblivion under the crushing right of Firpo in a July battle at Boyle’s Thirty Acres. It was Willard’s first campaign since losing the heavyweight title to Dempsey at Toledo in 1919, and its result effectually erased his Idng-cherished hope of a return match with the Manassa Mauler. FTRPO’S RAPID RISE. The meteoric swarth cut by Firpo through! heavyweight ranks was the high spot of the season in many ways. The giant Argentinian, returning to the United_ States early in the year, launched a campaign that carried him from practical obscurity to a championship match in six months, a feat unparalleled in ring annals. Firpo knocked out Bill Brennan, Jack M’Auliffe, and Willard, besides engaging in a senes of lesser bouts, and though beaten by Dempsey remained a dangerous challenger. A return match with tne champion already is assured the South American, and promises to feature the 1924 programme. Harry Wills, New Orleans negro, who has been an outstanding contender for Dempsey’s title for nearly two years, failed once more in efforts to obtain a championship match. Inactive most of the year. Vv ills began a campaign early in the winter to establish his title contentions. Another promising contender emerged in Jack Renault, hord-hilting Canadian, while Gibbons is seeking a return fight with Dempsey. Cnqui, Wilde, and Firpo gave a decided inVrnationl turn to the year’s programme. Battling Siki, picturesque conqueror of Georges C’arpentier, invaded America towards the close of the year, but met defect in his first fight, a 15-round match, with Kid Norfolk, New York negro. Abroad, Carpentier staged a come-back, knocking out Joe Beckett, of England, in one round, and plans to visit this coup.try again in quest of light heavyweight honours early in 1924. No title fight eolipsedMhe record attendance of 93,000 and gate receipts of 1,600,0 CC dollars set in the Dempsey-Car-penlier spectacle of 1921 at Boyle's 'lhirty Acres, but on the whole the 1923 season surpassed all previous years in total financial return. A mark tor patd attendance was established by the DempseyKirpo battle, for which 82,000 paid 1.250,000 dollars, while a lightweight championship record was set when 60.000 paid approximately 400.000 dollars to see the TandlerLeonard fight. Tv,o of the largest gatherings of the season attended non-championship affrays. The Firpo-Willard battle at Boyle’s Thirty Acres attracted more than 90,CC0, but the paid figures were only 75.000. The heavyweight show for the benefit of the New York milk fund, in which Willard and Firpo took part, drew nearly 70,000 to the Yankee Stadium. Each attracted “gates” of about 403,000 dollars. In contrast with these profitable ventures was the financial debacle attending the Dempsey-Gibbons fight at Shelby, where heavv losses were sustained because of a 300.000 dollar guarantee made to the champion. . In professional boxing several prominent foreign stars, including Georges Carpentier, former world’s light heavyweight champion, and Luis Firpo, South American heavyweight are preparing to seek further laurels. Mike MTigue, world's light heavyweight champion, and Johnny Dundee, world’s featherweight titleholder, have arranged European tours during which uier probably will meet leading foreign boxers.