1923 WICB Boxing News Police Gazette Fight News
New York Times Sportswriter Murph O'Donnell January 11, 1923 New York, NY Korner Conquers! Paul Samson-Korner talks a great fight. He seems to fight an even better one. Samson-Korner slugged his way to a unanimous decision over world ranked heavyweight John Lester Johnson last night here at Pier Six on the Lower East Side of the city Paul Sampson-Korner fought a smart fight, darting in and out and keeping Johnson off balance all night long. Johnson was able to land a number of hard blows but Samson-Korner was always able to move away or land a number of powerful shots in turn that kept Johnson at bay. Each fighter landed hard shots that hurt the other, even staggering one another from time to time but neither man was ever in any real trouble throughout the fight until the last round. Knowing he need a knockout to win, Johnson threw caution to the wind and had his opponent staggering against the ropes. A sweet uppercut by John Lester Johnson snapped Sampson-Korner's head straight back as the bell sounded to end the fight. This win for Paul Samson-Korner will probably lead to a shot at the European crown at least. Samson-Korner's manager, Lut Binz, said he had already received several offers from European promoters who were at the fight last night. ------------------------------------------------------- January 14, 1923 Buenos Aires, Argentina Firpo-Walker fight postponed. The world championship title fight that was to take place here on the 21st has been postponed for one month. World Heavyweight Champion, Luis Angel Firpo suffered a cut over his right eye due to an accidental head butt during a sparring session. The doctors have said the cut should heal fairly quickly but the camp of Firpo refuses to take any chances. They insisted on a full month to ensure the would heals completely and to allow the champion time off before resuming preparation for the title bout. -------------------------------------------------------
New York Times Sportswriter Murph O'Donnell January 15, 1923 The Father of English boxing. John 'Jack' Broughton, known as the father of English boxing, was champion from 1729 until 1750 and was a pupil of James Figg. Broughton made his first appearance at George Taylor's booth at the Adam and Eve in Tottenham Court Road. He then went on to teach boxing at his arena known as Broughton’s Amphitheater in Oxford Road near to Oxford Street. The theatre was opened in March 1743 and in the same year Broughton introduced the first rules of boxing. Fights still ended only in knockout or resignation, but these rules made the fights both more fair and safer. These rules: Boxing Rules (1743) 1)That a square of a yard be chalked in the middle of the stage, and on every fresh set-to after a fall, or being parted from the rails, each Second is to bring his Man to the side of the square, and place him opposite to the other, and till they are fairly set-to at the Lines, it shall not be lawful for one to strike at the other. These simple rules were quickly adopted at other fight venues, and remained the standard rules until the latter 19th century when bare-knuckle boxing was discontinued in favor of gloved bouts. [Broughton was also the inventor of mufflers, the precursors of modern boxing gloves.] It is interesting to note, that this was the first set of sporting rules by fiat. All other sports had developed from common practices that some person or body finally decided to "make official." Broughton made new rules and enforced them to make the sport both safer, and more fair. He died in January 1789 aged 86 at Walcot Place in Lambeth. Many references have been made that state Broughton is buried at Lambeth Church. However BBC London visited Westminster Abbey where he was a Yeoman of the guard and found that he is buried in the West Cloister along with his wife Elizabeth. The gravestone includes the inscription; "Mr John Broughton, Champion Prizefighter of England, Died Jan 8th 1789, Aged 86 years" Drawing of John 'Jack' Broughton ------------------------------------------------------- February 1, 1923 London, England Scott to fight Korner European heavyweight champion Phil Scott will defend his title against Paul Samson-Korner next month. The fight will take place here at White City Stadium with 27,000 paying fight fans expected to witness the match. "Paul has put himself into the spotlight with his victory against John Lester Johnson," said Scott. "I have been trying to get a good fight that would lead to a world title shot and Paul represents that opportunity. When his manager contacted mine and I was told Paul wanted a crack at the European title, I only asked 'how fast can we set it up?' Paul Samson-Korner was equally positive when he was asked about the coming match, "All the guys in the New York gyms where I train are so excited for me. It's just like they had the chance themselves. I am going to have to watch and make sure they don't kidnap me before I get on the boat and try to take my place," said the big man with a wide grin on his face. ------------------------------------------------------- February 15, 1923 Johannesburg, South Africa New British Empire Champion! Canadian Jack Delaney became the new British Empire Heavyweight Champion with an 8th round TKO over South African Nick Van Den Bergh this afternoon at at Rand Stadium. Van Den Bergh had started fast but by the end of the 1st round it appeared that the 23 year old Delaney was going to be a handful. In the 2nd round Delaney began landing power shots that shook up the champion. Van Den Bergh had to call on his considerable ring experience to nearly win the 3rd round but he was finding it more and more difficult to stay away from the fast Canadian fighter. To his credit, the champion refused to quit, fighting with a swollen eye from the 2nd round on and despite blood pouring from a cut suffered in the 6th round. To read a report on the fight go here. ------------------------------------------------------- February 19, 1923 Brooklyn, United States Harry Wills defeats the Hoosier Playboy Harry Wills continues to try and get a shot at the world heavyweight crown. Wills took on former contender Chuck Wiggins here on Coney Island last night and pounded out an eight round unanimous decision. Wills was in complete control throughout the bout as he won every round except the 6th. Wills opened a gash over Wiggin's left eye in the 4th and had the Hoosier Playboy's right eye swollen and starting to shut by the 5th. In the 6th round Wiggins landed several good shots and shook up Wills with some sharp combinations although the round ended up being scored as even. In the 7th, an obviously angry Wills stormed out and knocked Wiggins down twice. One knockdown came from a tremendous body shot that clearly slowed Wiggins down for the remainder of the fight and the other came from a powerful right hook that put Wiggins flat on his back. Wiggins was able to smother Wills' attack for the remainder of the round but he was clearly out of the fight from that point on. In the 8th Wiggins did everything he could to survive and finish the fight. Wills had him staggered a couple of times but was not willing to put his obvious victory in jeopardy by throwing caution to the wind to score the knockout. Harry Wills' record goes to 37-1-0 with 28 KOs and Chuck Wiggins fell to 26-17-5 with 9 KOs. -------------------------------------------------------
New York Times Sportswriter Murph O'Donnell - on scene in Argentina February 21, 1923 Buenos Aires, Argentina Nearly an upset! World Heavyweight Champion, Luis Angel Firpo, nearly wasn't. Firpo was awarded a split decision here against challenger Hughey Walker but the fight could have easily been scored for the challenger. Walker used his hand speed and ring savvy to stay away from Firpo for the most part and scored with jabs and counters from the outside. Throughout the fight, I had the impression that Firpo was unable to deal with the constant ring movement and somewhat unorthodox style of Hughey Walker. Walker nearly dropped Firpo in the 5th round and then did floor the champion in the 11th round with a stunning overhand right when a Firpo hook fell short. In this writers opinion, if the challenger had packed a little bit more power, there is no doubt that he would have won the fight. On the other hand, whenever Walker came within range of Firpo's fists, he was struck with ring shaking power that tested the mettle of that granite-like chin of his. Walker won the last two rounds to make it very close but in the end, it seemed like the vaunted Firpo power scored enough points and did enough damage to allow the Argentinian to retain his crown. For a report on the fight go here. ------------------------------------------------------- March 12, 1923 London, England A close one! Phil Scott retained his European heavyweight title by winning a split decision over Paul Samson-Korner at White City Stadium. 27,202 fight fans saw a rough and tumble battle that was probably decided by a 5th round knockdown. Nearing the one minute mark of that round, Phil Scott landed devastating uppercut to the head of Samson-Korner that dropped him to the canvas. Samson-Korner was up at the count of two but the damage was already done as Scott took the round by two points. After the fight, Samson-Korner said he never saw that punch coming and was unable to really fight effectively again until near the end of the next round. For a report on the fight go here. ------------------------------------------------------- March 27, 1923 Johannesburg, South Africa Shocker! Nick Van Den Bergh stepped into the ring last night, his first fight since losing his British Heavyweight crown to Canadian Jack Delaney in February, and he suffered another loss to a Canadian. But this time the Canadian was only fighting in his 3rd pro bout! Larry Gains won a unanimous decision and Van Den Bergh had no explanation for it. "Perhaps my reflexes have gone," said the 35 year old South African. He just seemed to be beating me to the punch. I don't know what to say. I'll definitely have to reconsider my future, I don't want to be hurt in the ring and things do not look too good right now. I took what I thought would be any easy fight but it wasn't." Gains was remarkably calm after the fight. "When this fight offer came up my manager was considering not taking it but I insisted. Win or lose, I was going to learn. And I sure learned a lot in this fight. Even though I lost the 1st round, I realized I was still standing! And by the middle of the 2nd I realized I could do it. He is so slick and he hit me with a good shot in the 2nd and hurt me but, for the most part, I was able to stick and move and keep ahead of him. He can take a good punch too. I hit him with some good shots but he wouldn't go down. That's how you become a champion! I can't wait to get back in the ring and put to use what I've learned here tonight." ------------------------------------------------------- April 2, 1923 Toronto, Canada Battle of the Canucks to come Canadian heavyweight Jack Delaney and Jack Renault have signed to fight here at the Mutual Street Arena on June 1, 1923. At stake will be the Canadian Heavyweight title, held by Renault, and the British Heavyweight title held by Delaney. Odds makers presently favor Delaney over Renault 3-2 ------------------------------------------------------- April 15, 1923 Auckland, New Zealand Pooley signs to defend title. Australian-New Zealand Heavyweight Champion Albert Pooley has signed to defend his title against Albert Lloyd at the Redfern Sports Arena in Sydney, Australia on September 14. There was talk of defending against Tom Heeney who was actually winning their fight last July when a Pooley right hand opened a large gash over Heeney's right eye. The fight was stopped with blood pouring from the gash and fans have been calling for a rematch ever since. However, Pooley said he wanted to give someone else a chance and would consider Heeney again "somewhere down the road." ------------------------------------------------------- May 4, 1923 London, England Big Swede dents Iron. Harry Persson of Sweden pounded out a unanimous decision over UK heavyweight William "Iron" Hague here at The Ring on Blackfriars Road last night. Persson was impressive throughout the fight, landing big rights hands frequently against his more experienced foe. Hague was once considered one of the top challengers for the British Empire crown but it now appears he may have seen his better days far behind him. Hague was unable to generate any kind of offense against the big Swede and was unable to counter his superior strength when Persson crowded him on the inside. ------------------------------------------------------- May 23, 1923 Scranton, PA Wills wins again. Savage considers future in the ring. Harry Wills continued his winning ways with a 7th round KO here this afternoon over 24 year old Bertus Ahaus of the Netherlands. Wills was completely dominant throughout the fight, shaking up the younger man with thunderous punches and knocking Ahaus down in the 5th before finishing the job with a solid left hook in the 7th. In the under card, veteran Jack Savage was knocked out by 19 year old Tommy Burke in the 6th round of their fight. The fight was a see-saw battle throughout until Burke landed a punch to the heart of Savage that sent the the 35 year old to the canvas. As he struggled to regain his feet under obvious distress his corner threw in the towel to prevent further damage to their man. Savage is presently in the hospital under observation and is said to be pondering his return to the ring. ------------------------------------------------------- June 2, 1923 Toronto, Canada One man holds two titles. A great fight took place here last night at the Mutual Street Arena. 8,000 screaming fight fans got their money's worth as Jack Delaney and Jack Renault fought their hearts out in a 15 round championship bout. Jack Delaney held control for the first four rounds as he bobbed and weaved and kept Renault at bay with some fine boxing skills. However, near the end of the 4th, Renault hit Delaney with a good shot that shook that shook him up and seemed to carry over for several rounds. In the 7th round, Renault opened a severe gash over Delaney's right eye that took frantic work by his corner to close it between rounds. In the 10th, Delaney was knocked down by a barrage of punches that had him unsteady and glassy-eyed for the remainder of the round. Delaney ran and clinched for the remainder of the round despite Renault's repeated attempts to finish the job. But that was Renault's last real shot at victory as Delaney took control for the remainder of the fight to pull out the win. For a report on the fight go here. ------------------------------------------------------- June 5, 1923
New York Times Sportswriter Murph O'Donnell Buenos Aires, Argentina Firpo-Brennan to meet. World Heavyweight Champion Luis Angel Firpo announced here this morning that he will defend his title against American heavyweight KO Bill Brennan on November 1st at Buenos Aires Stadium. "Bill Brennan has been a top contender for many years and he deserves this opportunity," said Firpo. But he also admitted that there were other factors at work in his decision to fight Brennan. Firpo still holds the South American heavyweight title and does not want to give it up. But he was under orders from the boxing commission to defend that title against one of the top ranked South American contenders before the year is out. When asked if that will happen Firpo responded, "No. As long as I have to defend the world title they will continue to give me an extension." Make no mistake. Luis Firpo is a very canny individual. He does not have a manager and he is solely responsible for his own earnings in the ring. Firpo, "The Wild Bull of the Pampas", is the son of an Italian laborer, born in the Wharfside area of Buenos Aires, and is self-made in every sense. Every S.A. opponent would have insisted on the world title being on the table as well. And, if he had fought one of these no-name fighters for both the S.A. and World crowns and lost on a cut or a broken hand suffered in the 1st round, you can only imagine the lost future earnings for Firpo. His best bet was to fight a well known fighter for a large payday again this year and take his chances in the ring. As long as Firpo keeps fighting for the world crown, he keeps that South American title in his back pocket for a rainy day. KO Bill Brennan also makes sense as an opponent for Firpo. Brennan has great knockout power but Firpo can fight fire with fire. Neither fighter is very mobile, preferring to stand toe to toe, and this kind of fight is better for Firpo than the Walker fight was. Firpo should have a better than even chance of retaining his heavyweight crown. ------------------------------------------------------- July 7, 1923 New York, NY Bear bites Persson Swedish heavyweight Harry Persson, ranked #9 among world contenders, took on a little known fighter here last night at St. Nicholas Arena and paid a dear price. Edward "Bearcat" Wright proved to be a stumbling block in Persson's climb to a world title shot. Persson was winning the fight easily, landing some big shots from time to time until a thunderous left hook from Wright, near the end of the 4th round, changed the course of the fight and possibly Persson's career. The punch opened a cut over Persson's right eye and seemed to give Wright a boost to his confidence. Wright lets his hands go from that point on, attacking Persson and landing solid punches. The big Swede's corner was able to stem the flow of blood but the eye began to swell enormously through round five. Persson was game to continue but the fight doctor refused to allow Persson to come out for round 6. ------------------------------------------------------- July 19, 1923 London, England Boy taught a lesson! British fighter Noel "Boy" McCormick, newly ranked in the British Empire top ten heavyweights, decided to "take the next step in my career" as he put it and took on Fred Fulton in the ring at the National Sporting Club last night. Big mistake! Right from the opening bell McCormick tried to trade punches with the larger Fulton and paid for it dearly. McCormick landed several hard jabs and followed it with a straight right that clearly hurt Fulton in the opening flurry. But as he moved in for what he thought was the kill, McCormick was quickly caught with a wicked uppercut that nearly took his head off! The two continued trading blow for blow throughout the remainder of the round and had the crowd literally screaming in approval with each punch. By the end of the round, however, it was becoming clear that Fulton was gaining the upper hand with his superior strength. McCormick, though, refused to back down and alter his strategy and the two traded hard shots all through the second round and again had the fans on their feet for the entire three minutes. In the third round, McCormick missed with a left hook and Fulton countered with a straight right that staggered his opponent. Fulton is a great closer and he rained blows on the obviously hurt Brit, knocking him down for the 10 count at the 1:25 mark. ------------------------------------------------------- August 15, 1923 New York, NY Persson loses again! Up and coming heavyweight Harry Persson of Sweden tasted bitter defeat again last night at St. Nicholas Arena. Persson was in complete control of the fight and veteran Fred Kritts needed a knockout or least knock Persson down a couple of times to win the bout as round 7 started. Thirty seconds in, a left hook landed and Persson staggers back to his corner, covering his eye. Persson claimed he was thumbed but the referee refuted the charge and declared a TKO for Kritts when Persson was unable to continue. Persson's eye was nearly closed completely after the fight and he complained of seeing a red ball of fire. The ring doctor advised him to see a specialist to determine the possibility of a detached retina. ------------------------------------------------------- August 22, 1923 Gisbourne, New Zealand Poor night down under. It was a disappointing night for New Zealanders last night at Gisbourne Stadium as a couple of fan favorites took on visiting fighters. George Modrich, ranked #6 in the ANZ rankings, took on American veteran "Agile" Andre Anderson and could not even make it out of the 1st round. Before the fans could even get settled at the 1:17 mark, George Modrich was smothered in a barrage of punches and knocked out. The Fighting Blacksmith, Jim O'Sullivan, fared a bit better as he lost a unanimous decision to British veteran Dan Voyles! O'Sullivan was knocked down in the 3rd round but was able to make a fight of it from that point on. In the 7th round he did everything but put Voyles away as he threw every punch in his arsenal at the 32 year old. But Voyles was able to weather the storm and managed to stay away from the determined O'Sullivan for the last round. In the big event of the night, however, Tom Heeney was able to make up for things with a quick 2 round knockout of American heavyweight hopeful Harry Wuest. Wuest, at 35-12-1 and 22 KOs was not an easy opponent but Heeney proved more than capable. Right from the opening bell Heeney pounded at will to the head and body of Wuest, tagging him again and again with accurate punching. A left uppercut and an overhand right drew the matter to a close before 5200 cheering fight fans at the 1:53 mark of the 2nd round. -------------------------------------------------------
New York Times Sportswriter Murph O'Donnell September 14, 1923 Sydney, Australia Lloyd out-foxes Pooley to win. Albert Lloyd's boxing skills and defense proved to be the difference in his Australian-New Zealand Heavyweight title fight with Albert Pooley here at the Redfern Sports Arena. Only by neat footwork and continual defensive tactics was Lloyd able to stay on his feet under the long range swings hurled at him by the champion. Reporters said that in the run up to the fight, Albert Pooley did not spar as much as he normally would in training camp and there were concerns he would enter the fight flat. Whatever the reason, Pooley did not look sharp in the ring and seemed to have to resort to roughhouse or illegal tactics. Referee Hugh McIntosh stopped the action in the first round and deducted a point from Pooley for hitting low, halted the bout in the second to issue a warning to Pooley for a low blow, then halted the fight again in the third and warned Pooley for using his elbows. When Pooley did stick to fighting he was able to hit Lloyd with a number of good and effective punches during the fight. Pooley opened a cut over Lloyd's right eye in the 4th and it continued to bleed until it was stopped just before round 6 started. Pooley re-opened the cut in the 7th but Pooley also returned to his roughhouse tactics as he looked to be catching up with Lloyd. Referee McIntosh once again halted the bout and this time he took a point away from Pooley for holding and hitting.The cut continued to prove to be a problem for Lloyd right through round 8 before his corner was able to stem the flow of blood. But by this time his defensive tactics started to turn the tide and he was able to control most of the fight after round 10 to take the title.. For a full report on the fight go here. ------------------------------------------------------- September 20, 1923 Dublin, Ireland Madden injury leaves future in doubt. Bartley Madden lost his first pro bout here this afternoon on a TKO in the 7th round in his fight against Venezuelan Anastasio Penalver. Madden was easily winning the fight until he threw a punch that landed high on Penalver's forehead. As it turned out, that punch broke Madden's right hand severely and he was in obvious pain as Penalver quickly moved in. It appeared Madden was unable to defend himself and the referee swiftly moved in to halt the bout. In a post fight interview Madden's manager Seamus McTavish stated the doctors were unable to give a time table as to when, or if, Madden would be able to fight again. ------------------------------------------------------- October 13, 1923 Pittsburgh, PA Night of the young heavyweights Two young heavyweight contenders continued their winning ways here last night at the Civic Arena. In the first fight, 23 year old Floyd Johnson took on veteran "Fighting" Dick Gilbert and boxed his way to a unanimous decision over 8 rounds. Johnson was never in trouble and showed masterful skills and accurate punching as he won every round against the 34 year old Gilbert, veteran of 49 matches. In the second bout, 26 year old George Godfrey took on a vet of his own in 37 year old Tim Logan. Godfrey showed a bit more respect for Logan than he should have in the 1st round and let Logan control the action. But by the 2nd, Godfrey was far more confident and he started to score with strong, crisp punches. In the 4th round, Godfrey threw an overhand right that landed flush on Logan's jaw and the fight was over with Godfrey chalking up his 18th KO in 24 bouts. ------------------------------------------------------- November 2, 1923 Buenos Aires, Argentina Brennan KO's champ! Luis Angel Firpo ran into an immovable object here last night in the form of K.O. Bill Brennan. Over 40,000 raucous fans filled Buenos Aires Stadium to cheer on local hero Luis Firpo to victory, but went home disappointed. Firpo was unable to unleash any kind of attack other than a few power shots as Brennan crowded the bigger man and smothered most of his punches. Firpo's power only showed through a few times and it was Brennan instead who seemed to have the heavier fists. Firpo did look on the verge of a knockout in that final round but he may have been too determined to please the fans as he stood poised to land the knock out blow. Instead, it was Brennan who unleashed a counter attack that put Firpo on his back for the count. For a report on the fight go here. ------------------------------------------------------- December 5, 1923 Detroit, MI, USA Wills bombs the bomber. Harry Wills took on "Bombardier" Billy Wells at the Light Guard Armory here this afternoon and KO'd the British vet in 3 rounds. Wells was no match for the fists of Harry Wills as he was knocked down in the first on a strong uppercut and then was down again early in round 3 on a right cross. Wells was able to regain his feet but Wills finished the job with a flurry of punches that saw Wells counted out seconds before the end of the round. ------------------------------------------------------- |
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