Friday, March 4, 2011

1919-03-04 Pete Herman ND10 Jack Wolfe [Grays Armory, Cleveland, OH, USA]

1919-03-05 Cleveland Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH) (page 16)
Record Crowd Packs Grays Armory When Star Bantamweights Meet in Ring
--------
KID WOLFE OUTPOINTS PETE HERMAN IN GREAT BATTLE OF TEN ROUNDS
--------
Young Ertle Shades Jap Sheridan in Curtain Raiser of Carnival; Patsy Wallace Has Edge in Ten-Round Encounter With Chalky Wimbler; Johnny Downs Gained the Popular Decision Over Harry Pierce in Semi-Final.

--------
BULLETIN.
RINGSIDE, Grays Armory, March 4.--Jack Wolfe outpointed Pete Herman, bantam champion, tonight in ten fast rounds.
--------
BY HENRY P. EDWARDS.

GRAYS ARMORY, March 4.--As predicted, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of fistic fans who wished to witness the ten-round bout between Pete Herman of New Orleans, the bantamweight champion, and Jack Wolfe of Cleveland, one of the leading runners-up for the title, were turned away tonight when they sought to buy tickets to the big boxing show.

When the doors opened at 7, hundreds were in line. Except a few at the head of the line, all were disappointed, as the only tickets then on sale were a few that had been reserved and unclaimed. From that time until 8:30 the management was compelled to keep announcing the seating capacity of the armory was entirely sold as the fire wardens early ordered the sale of the standing room to cease.

It is estimated that the gross receipts will run close to $8,000, the largest sale in the history of boxing matches at the Grays armory. If it reaches that amount Pete Herman will receive $2,400 for his thirty minutes in the ring, or $80 a minute. Jack Wolfe's share of the gross receipts will be close to $2,000, which Jack says is better than selling papers even at 2 cents a copy. When Jack was a newsie the papers sold for a cent.

A crowd of 100 assembled at the Central A. C., 724 Hamilton avenue, yesterday to witness the weighing in, and for the first time this year every boy scheduled to box was able to make the weight and then some.

Herman signed to make 121 at 3, treated the spectators to a surprise when the scales balanced at 118 1-2 pounds. Wolfe, scheduled to weigh in at the ringside, was not present.

Chalky Wimler, of Pittsburg, who is to meet Patsy Wallace of Philadelphia, in the semi-final, had six or seven pounds on his adversary. He weighed 120 pounds in his union suit, while Wallace stepped on the scales with all his clothes except his coat and weighed 119 pounds. Johnny Downs and Harry Pierce each made the 136 pounds without trouble. Each was a pound underweight.

Jap Sheridan and Young Ertle, the two curtain raisers, displayed some disparity in weight, Ertle showing up at 126 3-4 while Sheridan weighed but 122 1-2 pounds.

With no more tickets available at the box office the speculators made their appearance and asked and received $7 and $10 for $1 tickets soon after the doors were closed.

But the scalpers did not do a heavy business. They had control of comparatively few tickets and their supply was far less than the demand. They were cleaned out in a few minutes.

In the six round engagement that opened the show, Jap Sheridan made a gallant rally in the final round and practically won the house but the battle went to his opponent, Young Ertle, who had piled up a big margin of points in the five preceding rounds.

The second bout brought on Patsy Wallace of Philadelphia, and Chalky Wimler, of Pittsburg. It was a whirlwind clash of ten rounds, seven of which went to Wallace. In fact, there was no question as to Wallace being the victor. His work was rather spectacular and he made one of the biggest hits ever made here on a boxer's first appearance in Cleveland.

Johnny Downs was a trifle too clever for Harry Pierce, the New Yorker, who was his opponent in the ten-round semi-final. Downs practically outboxed Pierce from start to finish and was a comparatively easy winner.

In the tenth round, Pierce displayed a flash of form that probably gave him a slight edge in that round but the edge was not nearly enough to offset the consistent work of Downs throughout.

No comments:

Post a Comment