FREE FIGHT AT WEST END CLUB
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Tommy Brammel, Johnny Regan and Police Put on Extemporaneous Battle Royal.
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ATTELL OUTPOINTS REGAN
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The 122-Pound Champion Gets Doubtful Decision at Close of Fifteen Dull Rounds.
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BY REFEREE SHARPE.
The fight was one of the poorest that I ever refereed. I told both boys repeatedly after the first few rounds that they had better fight and quit stalling, but both were apparently afraid that the other would score a point. Regan made a great finish and I think would have been entitled to a draw if he fought under the rules in the other rounds.
He continually held and hit in spite of my warnings and refused to break when I ordered them out of clinches. I told him all through the fight that he could expect nothing if he did not fight fairly and he has no reason to be surprised at the result.
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Two preliminaries, a main event and a battle royal, was the boxing card for Thursday evening's entertainment at the West End Club. The last event named was by far the most interesting of the four.It was entirely extemporaneous, which only added to the excitement. The principals in the last number of the program were Johnny Regan, who lost the main event to Abe Attell on a decision at the close of the fifteenth round; Tommy Brammel, second to Abe Attell; Referee Sharpe, innocent peacemaker, and Lieut. McKenna of the police.
After Sharpe's decision giving Attell a victory there was joy in the Attell corner. Tommy Brammel was so exuberant that he decided to pay his compliments to the vanquished. Regan was sitting in his corner with his handlers taking off his gloves when Brammel took a good position a few feet in front of him and gave a fair imitation of a primitive man's dance of triumph. Feeling as he did that the decision was unjust this demonstration failed to have a soothing effect and Regan jumped out of his chair and smashed the reveler on the jaw.
Regan rushed him across the ring to Attell's corner, where the two mixed it until Referee Sharpe pulled them apart and penned Brammell in the corner while friends dragged Regan back towards his chair. The excitement would probably have died then but for the entrance of "Clarence, the Cop," in the shape of Lieut. McKenna. McKenna swept the ring with the eye of a general and saw a blue-shirted "ruffian" pinning a weak and helpless man in a corner. He leaped to the rescue and planted a neat right swing behind the "ruffian's" ear. The punch knocked Sharpe away from his hold on the ropes and gave Brammel exactly the opportunity he had been seeking to continue his argument with Regan. It took about fifteen policemen to clear the ring and quiet the angry men.
In spite of the punch he received, Referee Sharpe was the only cool man in the ring. He finally persuaded the police not to throw out of the window the newspaper men who were trying to get his opinion of the fight and to leave enough of the ring to hold another battle.
As to the blame for the beginning of the row, Regan has been censured for losing his temper to the extent that he did, but the real cause lies in the undue prominence which handlers have attained at the West End club of late.
Most of them work in a corner as an excuse to see the fight for nothing and their habit of promulgating insults across the ring and offering to bet anything from a china egg to a million dollars is growing excessively fatiguing to spectators and referee. Brammel had absolutely no business in Regan's corner for any purpose unless to shake hands and that would have been somewhat presumptuous, considering the relative positions.
The main event, the 15-round bout between Abe Attell and Johnny Regan was the slowest and poorest exhibition in many respects that the West End Club has put on in many a day. Attell was given the decision on Regan's ring tactics more than his own merit. He fought a poor battle.
He continually held and hit in spite of my warnings and refused to break when I ordered them out of clinches. I told him all through the fight that he could expect nothing if he did not fight fairly and he has no reason to be surprised at the result.
As an exhibition of how not to be fought the bout last night will stand as a classic in the annals of the West End club. For the first eight rounds Regan was constantly edging into Attell and the latter was making playful passes with his left. The crowd hissed Attell when he came into the ring and they hissed intermittently throughout the fight. What Regan aimed to accomplish by coming in was not exactly clear, for he promptly clinched as soon as he got near to his man. Attell's footwork and Regan's perfect blocking and the persistency with which both fought a defensive resulted in there being not one effective blow landed up to the tenth round.
After that Attell began to get to Regan's face a little and taking counters in the body; but his blows lacked steam and he fought without any of the aggressiveness that characterized his bout with McClelland.
Regan's body blows were about the hardest punches of the fight, excepting a few swings to the jaw which Attel landed at the opening of the thirteenth round. Regan closed that round by crowding Attel against the ropes and pounding him on the wind.
In the fourteenth and fifteenth Regan was after his man like a tiger. He bore no resemblance to the man who fought in the earlier stages. Attell felt that leading in the other rounds, and Regan's repeated violation of Sharpe's instructions had given him an edge and he tried to get away.
But Regan would not be denied. He chased the fleet Attell around the ring, and several times as they came together a sharp succession of stomach punches brought an expression of pain to Attell's face. His face was more damaged than it was at the close of the McClelland fight, and the crowd was up in the chairs roaring for Reagan. A draw would have been more popular, and, as Regan did more actual fighting in the last two rounds than both combined in the other thirteen, a draw decision would not have been unjust.
In the first preliminary Kid Quinn was disqualified in the second round for holding and hitting. Nic Santora knocked out Kid Howe in the third round of the second preliminary. This was by far the best bout of the evening.
Mal Doyle, Regan's former manager, attached Regan's share of the money after the fight to satisfy a claim of over $100, which, he says, Regan owes him.
1904-06-24 The St. Louis Republic (St. Louis, MO) (page 5)
REGAN DEFEATED BY ABE ATTELL
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San Francisco Fighter Gets Decision at Close of Fifteenth Round.
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HAS BEST OF ENCOUNTER.
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Brooklyn Boy Displays Clever Blocking, but Insists on Holding--Trouble in Ring After Bout.
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Abe Attell of San Francisco defended his title of the light feather-weight champion of the world last night when he defeated Johnny Regan of Brooklyn in their fight before the West End Club. Referee Harry Sharpe gave the decision to Attell at the end of the fifteenth round.Attell was clearly the better fighter throughout and only in two or three rounds did Regan have any show. He put up a very game fight, however.
Regan displayed clever infighting, and his blocking was one of the features of the bout.
Attell, on the other hand, did most of the landing, the majority of his blows striking Johnny on the body, as the Brooklyn lad guarded his face so closely that he did not even have a scar on his head or face at the end of the fight.
In the last three rounds Regan made a fast showing. In these periods he fought for a knockout, but Attell's blocking stopped all of his fast jabs.
Referee Sharpe gave the decision to Attell from the fact that he repeatedly warned Johnny not to hold on and to fight faster. These things Regan failed to do and had he complied with Sharpe's requests might have stood a better chance of getting a draw.
Regan has a way of holding his opponent's arm with his wrist bent up. He used this manner of holding Abe many times, and although warned by Sharpe, he insisted on using this means of gaining rest.
SLOW TO GET GOING.
The boys started off at a slow gate, and not until the bout had progressed to about six rounds did the contests do any real fighting at all. About this stage, Regan tried his infighting, and although he worried Abe on several occasions, the latter always came out best at the end of the round.
In the seventh round Regan fell to the floor partly from a blow by Attell and partly from slipping. While on the floor Abe stumbled over Regan's leg and both went sprawling on the canvas. They were up in a second and resumed fighting.
In the twelfth round Regan had Attell at his mercy for a few seconds from numerous jabs to the stomach. Attell tried to reach Regan, but the former made things hard for the Frisco lad with his blocking and ducking.
The thirteenth round was about even, with Attell having the best of the first part. He landed several swings to John's jaw, but near the end of the round Regan was right back at him, and his fast showing at this time brought the spectators to their feet.
Both tried hard for an ending in the fourteenth, with honors about even. The fifteenth round was fast and furious, the hardest blows being landed in this period.
REGAN STRIKES BRANDLE.
After the fight, Tommy Brandle, who was one of Attell's seconds, was so pleased with the result of the fight that he threw himself on the canvas in front of Regan. The latter landed several swings on Brandle's jaw. In a moment the ring was full of police and spectators.
Referee Sharpe ran after Brandle and held him against the ropes. Joe Lydon was right behind Sharpe and tried to land on Brandle. Lieutenant McKenna swung at Sharpe and landed on his face.
The police soon subdued the men, and Brandle was thrown out of the ring.
Lieutenant McKenna did not hit Sharpe intentionally, thinking that he was one of the fighters instead of a peacemaker.
Regan said after the fight that he had expected at least a draw from his showing in the last few rounds, but the decision had been given, and there was no need of complaining.
Attell was pleased with the verdict, but said that had Regan fought faster instead of continually holding on, he might have been able to score a knockout.
Abe was seconded by Jack Root, George Munroe and Tommy Brandle, while Jack McKenna, Joe Lydon and Billy McGivney looked after Regan.
Jimmy Britt was introduced from the ring and stated that although many were not pleased with the result of his fight with Young Corbett, he intended to give the latter another chance to regain his title within a short time. "If I do not win I will have no kick coming," said Britt. Andy Daly of Boston challenged the winner.
In the first preliminary, Young Quinn was disqualified by Referee Sharpe in the second round for holding on to Kid Burke.
In the semi-wind-up, Nic Santora knocked out Frankie Howe in the third round. It was announced that barring accidents, Frankie Neil and Gus Bezenah would meet at the West End Club next Thursday at 120 pounds, ringside.
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Attachment Against Regan.
An attachment suit was filed in Justice O'Hallaron's court yesterday by Mal Doyle against John Regan for the sum of $86.50. Doyle was former manager of Regan, the fighter, and claims that the amount was loaned to Regan for board, clothes, etc.
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