Salt Lake Telegram | 1923-12-05 | Page 4 | Special "Count" Rule May Work Havoc in Ring Game

Special fifi Count Rule May Work Hv Havoc rn in Ring Hg same Game New Piece of Boxing Legislation Paves Way for Ring Trickery by Referees V V By fly Joe Williams YoU might be moved mored to say off hand that the New York boxing commissioner commission commission- er ers erIn In ruling that s. s re referee shall not start t to count over strIcken a b bOxer xer who has las retired a retired toV toVa a tar far corner of the ring has las enacted a creditable V and commendable commend commend- able reform In the last heavyweight battle of the summer Bummer season Be for example Jack Dempsey Jempsey aroused the ire of minded fair-minded by crouching over Firpo after aCter the he south American had been knocked to o the floor This act made the champion champion champion cham cham- pion liable to disqualification There is ta taa isa Is a rule In the boxing code which demands that hat the conquering boxer shall retire to o a far corner corner of the ring Immediately after aCter registering a a. knockdown The referee In the tho Firpo Dempsey-Firpo fight ight did not enforce this rule We Ve would not have cared to see Dempsey disqualified but he should have been warned varned after aCter the first offense ortense The rule as s written Is a a. Just one and practical It lt f-lt It Is' Is to Is to remain in the code It should be e enforced V V I think It Is considerably better than the he new one the commissioners have Just drawn up up better better for tor the reason that It contains less dynamite Any time you give the referee the right to handle the count as he sees fit tit you are inviting grave and serious trouble Ten seconds are re ten seconds and should remain ten seconds second V V referees as a II class are honest but the inevitable exception exits exists ts and rule places the ho new the stop a premium on trickery It certainly gives She a a. sympathetic all the the chance hance In the world to prolong the count We Ve Ve see no merit in a move Ilove that eliminates nates ates a minor promotes a major on one nf V I Incorrect timing timing- In the ring ring- whether ring whether done with a 1 purpose or not not not-Is is criminal A short count is as bad badas as a a. lo long g- g one Firpo claims he 0 a. a short count In Dempsey fight tight He He He got a along along along long count In the first round when he was down for thirteen sec seconds V VV A A confused referee who walked clear a across Varos ross the ring before starting his count deprived Dempsey of a round one-round knockout knockout knock knock- out against Jess Jesa Willard Villard A crooked referee gave Johnny Wilson Wilsona a long count In a a. Cleveland ring and robbed Downey of the middleweight middle middle- weight weigh t championship Willie Jackson Knocked r- r out Lew Lev Ten- Ten dier at Philadelphia but got no credit for forthe the feat because It took Pop OBrien O'Brien the the referee more mare than twenty seconds to count ten These are are merely a a. few Interesting ex examples examples ex- ex amples pf or what a 1 referee can do with the count as conditions condition stand now With the new rule ruie In force the third man In Inthe Inthe inthe the ring will VIII be able ble to get away a with murder If It he wants to