Main Bout Stopped in Seventh; Should Have Been Sooner, And Attell Given Decision
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By Dick Jemison.
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By Dick Jemison.
Promoter Henry Norton, of the Dixie Athletic club, stopped the ten-round main bout between Abe Attell and Benny Kaufman in the seventh round, and declared it no contest. Had he not done so, the police would have.
This is just what should have been done, only it should have been stopped sooner and in a different manner. Referee Mike Saul ought to have stopped the boys two rounds earlier and raised Attell's hand in token of victory. He clearly deserved it. He was fighting and he only.
Attell boxed cleverly, jabbed with his left and hooked with his right, but the former featherweight champion did not have sufficient kick in either mit to make any impression on his tougher opponent. It looked like Abe's hands were bad.
Kaufman did nothing but cover up from the first gong until the last. He did not lead a single time during the seven rounds.
Attell Alone Fights.
Attell forced what little fighting there was, and Kaufman, who evidently went into the bout with the intention of staying ten rounds with the cleverer Attell, hunted the corners and could not be brought out of them, no matter how much Abe feinted with his head trying to draw a lead.
It takes two men to make a fight and it was this alone that made the bout look so raw. In my opinion, it was not a frame-up, although I am probably alone in that opinion. Attell did all the work. Kaufman did absolutely nothing. How he ever got a newspaper decision over Johnny Kilbane is beyond understanding.
Attell can beat Kaufman twice in the same night, seven nights in the week, and not half try at that. Abe landed short left jabs and short right hooks without return, but through fear of breaking his hands on Kaufman's elbows, did not swing, and in this he showed good judgment.
When Kaufman did land on Attell it was with open gloves. He was too muscle bound to do otherwise. Attell called Promoter Norton to the ringside in the second round and begged him to go to Kaufman and make him fight. He knew it would look raw if he didn't, and he deserves credit for his move.
Had Kaufman opened up more and attempted to fight Attell, Atlanta fans would have seen a speedy battle. The former champion's dodging, which was overlooked by the majority of the crowd in the lack of action, was as pretty as has ever been seen in a local ring.
Mason Good Boy.
A substitute main bout between George Mason, of Baltimore, and Young King, of Chicago, lasted just 5 rounds, Mason slipping across the sleep pill in that session. This Mason lad looks good.
The eight-round semi-windup between Kid Young, the newsboy champion of Atlanta, and Jimmy Grant, of Chicago, was a peach. No better bout could be wished upon any bunch of fans.
Grant gave away seven pounds to Young, yet his bewildering covering tactics and that hard punching right hand had Young guessing throughout. Young's lack of training hurt him.
The earlier rounds of the bout were about evenly divided, but the seventh and eighth were great. More action was crowded into these two rounds than in all the rest of the card combined.
Each boy sprung two rallies in each round, and the crowd got up on its hind legs and yelled itself hoarse. A draw decision was popular.
Britt and Pries.
Spider Britt and Mayer Pries fought their usual good bout in the six-round preliminary. Referee Saul gave it to Britt, but a draw decision would have been nearer correct. Neither had enough edge to count. Pries played the baby by refusing to shake hands with Britt at the end.
The opening four-round go between Tim Callahan and Kid Superior was also good. Callahan got the decision, which he cleanly earned.
Last night's results just about killed the boxing game in Atlanta for good and for all time.
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