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Show LEONARD PISES WILLIE HE World's Champion Says Ritchie Is Gamest Fighter Fight-er of All He Has Met (By BENNY LEONARD). I have 'met many game fighters, but to my mind, Willie Ritchie was tho gamest of them all. The San Francisco lightweight, from whom Freddie Welsh won the title, and whom I met twice, certainly showed mo in the two bouts I had with him that he was game to the core and that he didn't know what Hie word "quit" meant. That word wasn't in his make-u.n, and I don't think 1 will forget him.- The first time I boxed Ritchie was in San Francisco on February 21. 1919. We went four rounds and the newspaper newspa-per boys were divided in their opinions opin-ions as to tho winner. The distance was so short that I was unable to fathom fath-om Ritchie's defense, tho twelve minutes min-utes of boxing being over before I could get started. Ritchie was swinging swing-ing wildly and rushing me and I had to go at top speed in order to protect myself. When the fight was over. Billy Gibson and myself talked the entire thing over, and I asked my manager man-ager to get me a bout with the former for-mer champion in New Joiscy. I believed be-lieved that in eight rounds I could win easily, and perhaps stop the San Franciscan. Fran-ciscan. I war. pleased when Gibson informed me that we would meet in Newark, N. J.. April 28, and I started to map out my campaign in the ring. I know Ritchie's tactics, that 1 could make him miss and probably catch him when off balance. All through my tiaining I had my sparring partners adopt Ritchie's style of milling and when he entered the ring thaht night I was certain I would win. Talk about gameness! Well, Ritchie showed them all that night that he was game, lie throw science; to the wind, and leaving himself him-self open, he camo plunging in, caring nothing for the blows I landed. After the fourth round I was sure I had him but he kept coming. He didn't stop, but battled on like a Hon which had been cornered and was fighting for his life. As helpless as ho was ho fought to the end and when the referee stopped the bout and awarded me the! decision in the latter part of the eighth round, he was cut to shreds, but I smiled through it all. He recehed a tremendous ovation when he left the ling, and I doubt if there ever in the fight gamo was a man as game asj Ritchie. Surely, thero have been none gamer. Let me say just a word regarding Johnny Dundee, whom 1 havo been un-j able to knock out. Dundee is a spec- tacular fighter, and keeps moving sol fast that he is hard to hit. Ho thinks quickly and moves and Jumps ab'out so much that he bewilders his op-1 pononts. And he certainly has an; abundance of ring generalship at his: command. j In eight rounds he Is hard to de-j feat, I believe that ho Is a betLer fighter than he is given credit for be-i:g. |