1922 WICB Boxing News

January 7, 1922

London, England

Homer Smith continues his climb up the heavyweight ranks with his 16th straight win, this one over veteran fighter Bombardier Billy Wells here last night.

Smith is a tough giant of 6'-2" with plenty of strength and willing to give and take in the ring. He now has wins over Jack Howard of Australia, Fireman Jim Flynn, Dan Dailey, Alfred Kearns and Mike Comiskey, all fighters of note in today's boxing circle.

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January 27, 1922

New York, NY, USA

Harry Wills continued his long climb back into contention for the world heavyweight title with a 4th round TKO of former heavyweight champion Mike McTigue here this afternoon.

Both fighters traded heavy leather from the opening bell. McTigue tasted the canvas twice in the 3rd round and then was pummelled for almost the entire 4th before the referee stopped the bout at the 2:10 mark.

It was the 2nd KO for Wills since losing on a one-round KO at the hands of Dutch Messer last August. Three weeks ago, Wills had a 7th round TKO over Arthur Schock.

Mike McTigue announced his retirement after the fight. He is well set financially and has decided to return home to St. Paul, Minnesota to teach youngsters the boxing skills that took him to the World Heavyweight Championship.

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February 3, 1922

Havana, Cuba

Langford and Firpo Victorious!

Gran Stadium was filled with 35,000 raucous fans here last night to see a marvelous boxing card.

Luis Firpo regained his South American HW title with a 5th round TKO of Elpidio Pizzaro in the first bout.

Then, Sam Langford retained his World HW title with a 15 round TKO over Fred Fulton.

The two winners will now meet in a world title fight some time in March.

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February 15, 1922

Denver, Colorado

Battle of the undefeated

Tommy Loughran lost his first professional fight here this afternoon. Young American heavyweight Floyd Johnson knocked Loughran down twice in the 5th round on his way to a unanimous 8 round decision and a perfect record of 9 wins in 9 fights.

Loughran started the fight quickly and actually had the better of the Auburn Bulldog for the most part. But those two knockdowns [one a flash, one count knockdown] did the damage and gave the round to Johnson by a score of 10-7 on all cards.

Loughran's record now drops to 14-1

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February 16, 1922

Toronto, Canada

George "Boer" Rodel may yet get another chance at the British Commonwealth heavyweight title. At the very least, he derailed the title chances for Canadian champ Soldier Jones.

Rodel and Jones met at Massey Hall here last night and the 3,500 home town fans were disappointed when the fight was stopped in the 6th round due to a cut. Late in the round Rodel opened a large a gash under the right eye of Jones and the referee did not hesitate to stop the fight despite the protests of  Jones' corner.

The fight was very close to that point with Jones ahead on all cards but Rodel dismissed the thought, "I was just getting warmed up," he said.

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February 19, 1922

 Scranton, PA, USA

 Harry Wills put it all on the line here this afternoon in Watres Armory as he took on the #1 world heavyweight contender, John Lester Johnson, in a ten round fight.

Wills emerged with a hard fought, unanimous decision, taking all but the 2nd and 7th rounds. Neither man was floored but each staggered the other with tremendous punches that showed the staying power of these two tough men. Johnson had his left eye swollen by the 5th round but he said it was never a problem.

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March 21, 1922

Havana, Cuba

The Bull runs wild!

Luis Angel Firpo became the new world heavyweight champion with a stunning 3 round TKO of Sam Langford here last night. Fight fans were on their feet for most of the three rounds as these two men put on quite a show.

This morning, Sam Langford announced that he will retire from the ring. "At 40 years old, the climb back will not be easy", said the Boston Terror. "The wear and tear on my body is not easy to recover from after each fight now. I'll let the younger men carry on from here".

For a full report on the fight go here.

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March 25, 1922

London, United Kingdom

Boxing fans at White City Stadium saw the last fight in a marvelous career for George "Boer" Rodel of South Africa.

Rodel was knocked out in the 9th round of a scheduled 10 round bout by promising newcomer Phil Scott.

Rodel had started the fight fast, winning the first round and holding his own after the second went to Scott. The fight see-sawed back and forth until the 6th, 7th and 8th rounds which were all won by Rodel. It looked at that point like Boer Rodel would pull off another win over a highly rated youngster, as he did with Soldier Jones of Canada back in February. Then disaster struck in the form of a perfectly thrown left hook that put Rodel down for the ten count.

After the fight, a shaken Rodel announced he was not going to fight again. Rodel briefly held the British Empire Championship and fought for the World Heavyweight Championship in a career that ended with a record of 31-7-1 with 19 KO's.

The official call was a knockout for Phil Scott at the 0:51 mark of Round 9.

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March 29, 1922

White Plains, NY, USA

 European Heavyweight Champion Jim Coffey lost here last night in an 8 round bout at the Westchester County Center against former world contender Charles Horn.

Horn knocked Coffey down twice in the 1st round and again in the 6th as he pounded out a unanimous decision over the game Irishman.

Coffey fought here last month and knocked out Watt Adams in 6 rounds. Coffey had been hoping to get a world title shot in the near future but that hope seems remote now.

Coffey has announced he will return home and defend his title against Phil Scott who is now rated the number one contender for both the European and British Empire Heavyweight crowns.

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April 3, 1922

St. Louis, MO

25 year old George Godfrey is rapidly becoming a force on the heavyweight scene today. Godfrey won a unanimous 8 round decision over another young, up and coming fighter in Floyd Johnson here last night at the Kiel Auditorium. Godfrey, nicknamed The Leiperville Shadow, says he is ready to take on the big boys. His record stands now at 19-1-1 with 15 KO's

In an undercard, Tommy Loughran showed some uncharacteristic power as he stopped veteran Jack Warner in the 7th round on cuts. Loughran seems to have the ability to box with the best but lacks the power to put away an opponent once he gets him in trouble.

Loughran record is now 16-1-0 with the one TKO to his credit.

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April 10, 1922

St. Louis, MO

26 year old Hugh Walker is finally getting people on the fight scene to acknowledge he can contend with the best. Walker scored a split decision here last night over Battling Rambaud who is also having a tough time getting noticed. Both men entered the fight last night with winning records [Walker was at 28-8-5 [12] and 24-10-3 [14] for Rambaud] and both have been calling for fights against the big contenders for the world heavyweight crown.

Walker says he started to fast and was pitted against good fighters too soon. In 1917 he lost to Sam Langford, Sam McVey and KO Bill Brennan. "I did okay against McVey and Brennan. I held my ground but the 3 round TKO loss to Langford really set me back. I lost my confidence for a long time."

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September 15, 1922

Memphis, TN

John Lester Johnson is on the come back trail to the top of the world boxing ranks. In his third fight since losing to Harry Wills, Johnson took on tough newcomer Bearcat Wright and pounded out a unanimous decision to make it 3 straight wins after that tough loss.

"I want another shot at Wills. Or even Firpo or Homer Smith. Whoever is willing, let's go!"

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May 12, 1922

Toronto, Canada

Canadian Heavyweight Champion Horace "Soldier" Jones had said after his loss on a cut to Boer Rodel in February that "I wasn't fighting enough. I just wasn't sharp enough to stay out of his way and I paid for it. I was winning that fight and suddenly its over. The cut was under the eye, not over it. That fight should never have been stopped."

Since then Jones has fought 3 times and he has won a split decision over Harry Smith of South Africa, KO'd fellow Canadian Bill McKinnon in 4 rounds and last night, he KO'd Frank Rylands in the 7th round.

Rylands was ranked #9 in the British Empire rankings [one ahead of Jones] and he never was really able to give Jones much of a fight. The Canadian pounded Rylands at will throughout the bout and it was Rylands chin that kept the fight going more than anything else.

"I've gotten that sharpness back and I'm looking forward to meeting anyone who wants to fight me. Van Den Bergh [British Empire Champ] better look over his shoulder. I'm coming for him."

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May 22, 1922

London, England

Jim Coffey and Phil Scott met her last night at White City Stadium in a grueling 15 round bout that saw Scott lift the European Heavyweight crown from The Roscommon Giant.

Phil Scott started fast and a vicious left hook only 1:45 into the first round dropped Coffey on his back. The younger Scott never looked back from that point although he did struggle in the 13th and 14th rounds before closing the show impressively to win a unanimous decision.

For a report on the fight go here.

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May 25, 1922

Johannesburg, South Africa

Nick Van Den Bergh's handlers guessed wrong when they chose Fred Fulton, the 8th ranked world fighter, as the stepping stone to a possible title fight with World Champion Luis Angel Firpo.

Nick Van Den Bergh [the British Empire Champion] and Fred Fulton met here this afternoon in a scheduled 10 round bout that saw Van Den Bergh pounded constantly by big bombs from the fists of the powerful Fulton. Van Den Bergh's right eye was swollen shut by the end of the 7th round, making defense difficult and he barely survived the 8th and 9th rounds. The end finally came in the 10th as Van Den Bergh was knocked down twice before a powerful right hook ended the match with a third knock down. "I never saw that last punch," said Van Den Bergh, "I think I could have continued but the rules are the rules. It's very disappointing. But I'll be back in the gym as soon as I can."

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May 26, 1922

Auckland, North Island, Australia

Tom Heeney and Jim O'Sullivan met here this afternoon in a 10 round bout at Carlaw Park with the winner promised a title show against Australian-New Zealand heavyweight champion Albert Pooley.

O'Sullivan started the fight well and for the first round and a half he had Heeney back on his heels. Heeney began to turn the fight around in the final minute of the 2nd round and continued to attack until he was able to open a severe cut over O' Sullivan's right eye near the end of the 3rd. In the 4th round it became more and more apparent that O'Sullivan could not see well enough to defend himself and the referee finally stopped the bout at the 2:37 mark.

Tom Heeney will now meet Albert Pooley on July 16, 1922 at Gisbourne Hall. Gisbourne, N.Z.

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June 1, 1922

Johannesburg, South Africa

British Empire Heavyweight Champion, Nick Van Den Bergh, has agreed to defend his crown against Canadian title holder, Horace "Soldier" Jones here in August at Rand Stadium.

Telegrams shot back and forth across the Atlantic as Van Den Bergh sought another fight as soon as possible after his loss to American heavyweight Fred Fulton. There was an attempt to get a satisfactory agreement with British heavyweight [and European champion] Phil Scott but Van Den Bergh said, "I think his manager wants him to get a few more bouts under his belt before they have him fight me. Jones is a good fighter and I think the fans here will flock to the stadium to see the fight. He and Harry Smith had a good fight and the fans know the name of Soldier Jones."

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July 16, 1922

Auckland, New Zealand

Tom Heeney won all the battles but lost the war! Heeney was in complete charge for the first five rounds of last night's fight, knocking Albert Pooley down in the 3rd and completely dominating his rival until a massive cut over his right eye did him in. The ring doctor would not allow the fight to continue and Pooley was able to retain his Australian-New Zealand crown on a TKO win over Heeney.

Heeney's trainer, Moe Fleischer, was extremely vocal after the fight calling the decision "home town crap. No wonder they wanted the fight here." The fight site was changed at the last minute at the insistence of Pooley's camp, claiming they wanted to repay the local fans who had supported the champion here for so long.

For a report on the fight go here.

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August 4, 1922

Johannesburg, South Africa

Horace "Soldier" Jones of Canada must wonder what he has to do to win the big fights this year. In February, Jones was ahead on all cards in his fight with Boer Rodel when the fight was stopped and Jones lost due to a large gash under his right eye. Last night, Jones was ahead on all cards when the roof fell in on him in the 7th round. A beautiful combination by British Empire Champion, Nick Van Den Bergh, turned the lights out and put Jones on his back for good at the 2:51 mark.

After the fight, Nick Van Den Bergh, said he would like a fight against one of the top American contenders. "I would like a chance at the world title before I pack it in," said the South African, "I want a chance to be the world champion. That's all any fighter wants."

For a report on the fight go here.

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August 15, 1922

Paris, France

Georges Carpentier has told reporters that he has sent a telegram to World Heavyweight Champion, Luis Angel Firpo of Argentina, challenging him to a match for the world title.

The telegram read:

Luis Firpo

I beat you before and can do it again. Suggest we meet in Buenos Aires as soon as possible.

Your conqueror

signed

Georges Carpentier.

Carpentier did indeed defeat the heavyweight champ in an 8 round unanimous decision on October 26, 1920 in Scranton, PA. Both fighters were touring the USA at the time looking for high profile fights when they agreed to a match against each other. Firpo, the bigger man, was unable to catch "The Orchid Man' and land with the heavy power that he has in both hands.

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September 1, 1922

Buenos Aires, Argentina

World Heavyweight Champion, Luis Angel Firpo, has announced he will defend his title January 21, 1923 against Hugh Walker of the United States. The fight will take place in Buenos Aires Stadium in Argentina.

"He is a lot like me," said Firpo, "he has had to struggle to get noticed and he had a number of set-backs like me. I think this will be a good fight for the people of Argentina."

When asked about France's Georges Carpentier, Firpo only smiled and said softly, "He can say what he wants. He'll get his chance someday." Firpo went on to say he had also been approached by Otto Flint, Jack Delaney and Mike McTigue, all top ranked fighters who have beaten Firpo in the ring.

As Firpo spoke, women in the crowd swooned and children clamored to be picked up by the strong arms of the Argentinian hero. Firpo has almost become a legend here at the young age of 28. As soon as he announced the fight, Buenos Aires Stadium was swamped with requests for tickets.

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October 2, 1922

Toronto, Canada

Jack Renault lifted the Canadian heavyweight crown from the head of Soldier Jones in a barn burner last night at the Mutual Arena.

Renault started the fight fast and dropped Jones for an 8-count with a well timed left hook in the first round. The two continued to pound away at each other for the next few rounds as the fight developed into a bit of a chess match. Jones dropped Renault to his knees with a savage body punch in the 6th but he was unable to sustain the advantage Then Jones was dropped again in round 9 by a great right cross from Renault.

The fight was finally stopped by the referee in the 10th round when he ruled that the eyes of Soldier Jones' were to swollen for him to continue. At the time of the stoppage, Jones was actually ahead by a single point after all the cards were tallied.

After the fight, Jones' camp said he will take some time off to take time to heal and to consider his future. This is the third time this year that an important fight decision was taken out of his hands on rulings by the officials. "He was never in any real danger in any of those fights," said his manager, "if they let him continue in each fight, who knows what would have happened? His power is always there and he can turn a fight around with one punch. But it does him no good if they don't let him have that chance. Especially in a title fight. Now we know he was actually winning the fight! How do you take away a man's title that way?"

For a report on the fight go here.

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November 12, 1922

Dublin, Ireland

After fighting only occasionally over the last 10 years, Bartley Madden seems to have taken on a sense of urgency in the last year. "Suddenly I'm in my 30's and I've never really put much into my pro career. I want to do as much as I can in the next few years to see what I can accomplish."

Madden has fought only 15 pro bouts but he has never been beaten. And he has never fought outside of the United Kingdom. "I beat a lot of these guys when I was an amateur and maybe I just got too comfortable. I was content to stay home and fight if someone wanted to come up to Dublin. Maybe I should have gone to America like Mike McTigue did. He's already had a shot at the world title. Hopefully, now I'll get mine."

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December 3, 1922

New York, NY

New York Times Sportswriter Murph O'Donnell

Paul Samson-Korner is in town to promote his fight with John Lester Johnson next month and he is doing a bang-up job. Korner is one of the most interesting personalities in boxing today and he understands a lot about publicity and showbusiness. During interviews with the press he has kept them constantly entertained as he told of unique and exciting experiences about his personal life - even if everything he said didn't correspond EXACTLY too the truth!

Paul Korner was born on November 13, 1887 in Zwickau, Saxonia and eventually moved to Germany to live. After elementary school, he was studying to become an Electrician when he decided, after a few months, he wanted a different life. He left school and then ran away from home. Korner next spent some years as a sailor on English and American ships before taking up residence in America where he traveled across the country working at different jobs for a few dollars. Some of the odd jobs he did were dock laborer, plate washer and boiler room worker. In 1908 he came to New York and found work on a construction team. After work he began to be active in sports. More and more of his time turned to boxing. He claims his boxing knowledge and his street smart, trick boxing he owed to the tough teachings of the New York gyms he frequented. He tried to earn some money as a sparring partner in these gyms from time to time.

He didn't stay put in New York for too long. In 1912 he spent some time in Mexico then Panama and again in New York city. Between 1915 to 1916 he lived in Chile, Peru and again in Panama. Again he accepted any kind of work offered to him, but nevertheless spent a lot of his time boxing and he now started calling himself Paul Samson to better advertise himself.

Paul Samson-Korner is a tough fighter and no easy mark. He defeated Australian-New Zealand champ, Albert Pooley, last year in Cuba. Korner has also held former European champion, Jim Coffey, to a draw and lost a majority decision to world heavyweight contender Mike McTigue.

The fight scene could use more colorful fighters like Paul Samson-Korner

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December 15, 1922

Johannesburg, South Africa

Nick Van Den Bergh has signed to fight Canadian heavyweight Jack Delaney in a bout to take place here next February 15th for the British Empire heavyweight crown.

Van Den Bergh had been looking for a fight against a top contender and Delaney was very willing to mix it up with the British Empire Champion. Said the South African, "Delaney is ranked #2 in the world and this gives me the opportunity to showcase my skills against a top ranked fighter."

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December 17, 1922

New York, NY

New York Times Sportswriter Murph O'Donnell

Murph Says:

My editors asked me to tell them who will win next months world championship fight between Luis Firpo and Hugh Walker. I didn't have an answer. So I sat down to try and find one.

The fight to between Firpo and Walker is an interesting one. Walker, the challenger, is one tough fighter and has not lost a fight since he was on the short end of a majority decision against Jerry McCormick two years ago last month. He has been knocked out only once in his 43 pro fights and lost another on a TKO to ex-heavyweight champ, Sam Langford. And he went eight rounds with heavy bombers such as KO Bill Brennan and Sam McVey without being knocked on his keester.

Which brings us to Firpo. Luis Angel Firpo, the champion, has heavy knockout power in both hands and his 18 KO's in 33 bouts will attest to that factor. But Firpo has been stopped 5 times in his eight losses! Firpo fights have failed to go the full distance in 24 of his 33 fights. It seems to be a case of  "do or die" for the heavyweight champion of the world when he fights. And the champ has been KO'd by much lesser fighters than himself.

Our conclusion? Firpo may be in trouble here. Hughey Walker has no real power to speak of but he does have fine boxing skills and a tough chin that could negate the power advantage of the champion. Firpo also seems to let down in the ring against fighters he should beat easily. Walker is no big name opponent like Fred Fulton, John Lester Johnson or Harry Wills. Will Firpo look past Walker to his next opponent? Firpo has shown trouble catching up with boxers like Georges Carpentier and Mike McTigue. But can Walker run and stay away from the big puncher for 15 full rounds?

Luis Angel Firpo had better come prepared. He had better put behind him all the celebrating that has been going on down in Argentina since he beat Sam Langford in Cuba. If not, he will have a short reign as the heavyweight champ. That I do know for sure.

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