1917-06-06 Ted (Kid) Lewis ND10 Jack Britton [Coliseum, St. Louis, MO, USA]

1917-06-07 St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO) (page 22)

Ted Lewis, as We Get It, Earned the Welter-Wait Championship, Last Night
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COLISEUM CROWD WAITS 2 HOURS TO SEE TAME SETTO
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Only Knockout Landed Was by Ted Lewis, Who Floored Old General Interest.
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GUARANTEES TOO HEAVY
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Receipts of $1947 Insufficient to Cover Sums Promised to Britton and Foe.

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By John E. Wray.

Boxing may exist in the State of Missouri, but St. Louisans are more ready to declare it is in a state of coma. A long series of blows, culminating last night at the Coliseum in a good-night soak right in the middle of the public's patience sent $1947 worth of paid admissions home with a "never-again-for-mine" glare in their soul-windows.

The facts are these: Jack Britton, billed as the "welterweight champion," and Ted Lewis, his partner in 10 previous ring encounters, were to have fought 12 rounds, starting somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 o'clock last night. At 12:03 this morning they began a 10-round exhibition which never for a moment aroused even a thrill of nervousness in the minds of Judge and Mrs. Granville Hogan who were among those present at or near the ringside.

For two hours the house whistled, stamped and cat-called in vain. Ted Lewis insisted on having his financial guarantee, which was not in the house. Tommy Sullivan, president and fall guy of the Future City A. C., with true promoting instinct, had tried to chop the guarantee to save himself. In the vernacular, Tommy was on the "nut" about $2500 and the sum was not in sight anywhere.

Britton Easily Satisfied.

Britton took $800 of his $1000 guarantee gracefully and accepted a check. Gershon Mendeloff, who gets his money under the name Ted Lewis, lived up to his racial tradition by demanding the cash, and got most of it.

Britton was in the ring ready to box at 11:20 o'clock, but it was 11:47 before Lewis succeeded in wresting the last buck from Promoter Sullivan, after which he strolled into the ring, to the accompaniment of cat-calls, boos and jeers.

At midnight approximately, announcer Frank Witt stilled the maddening throng with uplifted hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "I wish to announce that the card for next Tuesday night, --" here a roar like the bursting of Johnstown dam overwhelmed Witt's voice, a roar of laughter and derision which seemed to insinuate that next Tuesday's receipts will not be enough to fill a microbe's fob pocket.

Following on the many disappointments experienced in Coliseum bouts of late, old General Interest and his army of boxing fans are now executing a strategic retreat to the Pine street front, where Brooklyn T. Sullivan will entrench behind the color line.

Lewis Shakes Up Britton.

The fight itself? No ring horrors shocked or thrilled the many women present. It was a very lady-like show.

It may be said that while Ted Lewis did not clinch the welterweight title last night, he clinched the welterweight champion hard and often. After each lead, which he generally landed, Lewis obtained a firm clutch on Britton and clung tenaciously to prevent body damage, awaiting a chance to break free without getting stung.

But for this tendency to clinch it might be said that Lewis outclassed Britton in the boxing done, winning practically every round but one, and landing some fairly hard blows to body and head. He seemed to entertain an entirely needless fear that Britton would cut loose and hurt him; but Britton was innocuous. If that was his championship best, then he is as far away from the title as Bat Nelson--almost.

Britton, in brief, was lethargic, not in the best of shape and harmless. There were no knockdowns, although Britton went to the floor from losing his balance once.

The bout would have been accounted a fair exhibition had fans been in a good humor--which they were not. Their temper was not helped by the fact that just after the semi-windup they had kicked in to a "pass-the-hat" proposition to the tune of many dollars, for "Jimmy Dunn" of New York, who, under the plea that he needed money for an operation on his eyes, was allowed to make a sotto voce speech and collect.

Kid Bandy frightened Red Cole out of all the boxing he knew and won a mile in the semi-windup.

Why So Wild, Happy?

Happy Howard who ought to know more boxing than Young Welsh, missed everything he started after, in the preliminary, except his end of the purse. Young Welsh won the bout, which did not seem to erase the smile from Howard's face.

That "next bout" will take place at the Future City A. C. No more Coliseum stuff for Tommy Sullivan, he says. The place is a hoodoo. Vic Moran, who signed the registration lists in St. Louis June 5, will battle Young Denny of New Orleans, according to the announcement Frank Witt tried, but was not allowed to make.

Lewis is matched to meet Mike O'Dowd next Thursday. Lewis is in splendid shape and had the inducements been right there is little doubt that Britton would have been hard pressed to save his crown. Lewis will be heard from on the title end of the welterweight honors ere many months.


1917-06-07 The St. Louis Star (St. Louis, MO) (page 15)

Britton and Lewis Vex Boxing Fanatics

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Welterweights Keep Crowd Waiting While They Wrangle Over Guarantee, Then Go On and Stage Exhibition That Fails to Thrill.

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Jack Britton and Ted Lewis boxed at the Coliseum last night, as advertised, but their battle failed to thrill. Instead of fighting twelve rounds they went but ten. It was a bad bout. Everything pointed to a red-letter event in the annals of the local ring, but Old Man Gloom butted in and spoiled the show. The weather was ideal, the night cool, the show was given columns of publicity, a big convention was in town, the card brought together two great boxers, and they were to go a distance of twelve rounds. The advance dope was better than the realization. It was a bout that was not worthy of being dignified by a decision.

Placing the Blame.

The onus of guilt for the fiasco must be borne by the promoters. Their contracted obligations to public and fighters were not carried out. A twelve-round exhibition was advertised and only ten supplied. The fighters did not receive the amount promised. Some fans paid $2 to see the bouts; others went through the side door for 50 cents.

The bout should never have been scheduled. It was a love feast instead of a battle. Britton and Lewis had met ten times before being matched here. Practically the same burlesque followed as the one staged between Dillon and Brown, which brought a blight on boxing here.

Less than 1,500 fans turned out. The gate receipts were so far below the guarantee given the fighters that they refused to enter the ring until nearly midnight, despite the fact that the semi-windup was over at 10 o'clock. The Dear Old Public was compelled to forfeit about 3,000 hours of precious sleep while the battlers and their handlers were quibbling with Promoter Sullivan and his advisers over the payment of the guarantee.

"Cash or No Bout."

Lewis was to receive $1,000 and transportation, while Britton's guarantee was $200 lower. There was less than $1,500 cash in the tills when Tommy Sullivan counted the receipts, although the tickets taken in at the door indicated a $2,000 house. The club hadn't received the cash for tickets disposed of through outside agencies, but the boxers refused to take part payment and wait for the rest. These fellows were "Pay-as-you-enter-the-ring" pugilists. "Cash or not bout" was the ultimatum. Finally Sullivan compromised by giving them what money he had on hand and checks for the balance.

At 11 o'clock, Announcer Witt informed the weary spectators that the bout would start in a few minutes. Twenty minutes later Jack Britton entered the ring. Then ensued another delay. Lewis did not appear until 11:45. It was 12 o'clock midnight before the engagement got under way. Owing to the late start the match was cut down to ten rounds.

Lewis took the aggressive at the start of the bout and played on Britton's face with a left jab. Britton came back with a couple of hooks at close range, and the Englishman immediately resorted to the dancing game. Britton had to bore in to put over an effective punch. Lewis usually caught him in a clinch at this style. The Englishman did his best to put up a running fight, but Britton's ring generalship prevented the Britisher from slipping away after a lead.

Tame Boxing Exhibition.

Lewis displayed his greatest skill at ducking blows while waiting for Britton to run into a clinch. Britton registered most of his points on jabs and short uppercuts to the body during the periods of infighting. Lewis also relied on his left for jabbing purposes, but seemed to prefer the right for hooks and straight punches.

The Londoner also used a one-two punch effectively. After going through nine rounds of decidedly tame boxing, the boxers rallied for a whirlwind finish.

Lewis showed an inclination to box Britton at his own style in this round and Britton responded to the invitation by driving his "Meal Ticket" before him with body punches and hooks to the jaw.

About a minute before the round ended, Lewis surprised with a terrific right swing which seemed to daze Britton for a moment, and as Lewis rushed in to follow up this advantage, the American fell into a defensive pose, which he maintained until the end.

Bandy and Cole in Great Bout.

The semi-windup between Kid Bandy and Red Cole was easily the best feature of the evening. Bandy won the bout on points. The "South Side Slasher" waded into Cole from the start. Cole seemed to be unable to fathom his opponent's style until along about the sixth, when he rallied and put up a whirlwind finish, which came too late to overcome Bandy's tremendous lead.

Young Welsh defeated Happy Howard in the curtain-raiser.