Show I loon Q r ChampIon Bv By BANT NT I nt ht Cli Ch Cl of 01 the Ille theon the on Id Copyright 19 1923 3 by bRA NEA bernice I 1 Inc nc in lh the United States and all foreign countries having Ing copy copy- copyright copyright right laws Reproduction Is prohibited I tay ay ay hick bick in 1907 on a certain I night a certain kid of 18 IS sears ears cars ns as greaLly greatly excited As I looi 1001 I Iback back end ind seo eo him through the haz base Of time I I 1 am am tempted to smile but It Is anI a smile of at S for lor forthe the I 1 id cd d s a eagerness a smile of at un- un understanding un understanding at lId kid was nas working on th the Pen oS railroad and the rca rea- reason rea reason son for lor his seeming undue eager eager- al eagerness eagerness ness l-iy l In the fact t that on this very night lie he was to make his lr pUblic appearance as aa a Il boxer cr lor I or righting three thre rounds he be was to re- re re receive noa no now get this Ono this Ono Dollar I was nas that thai kid Iud Hut But let lets s 5 go U bick a bit before n i-n this thEa It U the age I of 12 I 1 school My lily fathers father's e tS failing and I took look it upon to get gel out and bee eo it if 1 coulon's make Cleveland my homo borne cit elt pro pro- pro due dues duca a II man s a sue sl e wage for tor inc me I I found lound myself with Ith the and it must be confessed I J was not rapidly becoming bl a millionaire liui HUl to break the monotony the bo boss bols s df f the road used to ha have hae e what they wiled smokers sma hers These of at gatherings in which boxing a a the golden prize offered us as a II feast fean for the red-blooded red chaps I 1 I had often scrapped about among the bova bos but never ne in t at one of at these smokers 1 I us wc s 's only a skinny shinny kd of ot 90 pounds 1 e did his best to discourage 1 rue You'll never neer make a lighter fighter they said sald The rhe wind will mil blow blo OU over it ou Oil don t watch atch atch out I line me Wasn t that And hid lad I 1 listened to td It It I might by this time have hava president oi JL the but road road but the chances arc are ifs It- deed id-deed deed slim And because I didn t listen lIten V to them and finally decided to de deoto deOle Ole all my time Ume to boxing I won the featherweight championship arm 1111 have held It longer than an anono ono ever held any title And I ne never cr heard what hat a railroad pru- pru prudent pr i-dont i dent makes I doubt If it he does dONI an any better etter than a featherweight chant chant- chap pion p pion n I At least beast lea t a chance came tor for me meto meto meto to appear at a railroad smoker Naturally I was excited I won Then came others and finally u a chance to go against some bos Strange to say the first ono one ot of one Tommy Kilbane o We Te were to fight light at to- to LoraIn torain Lo raIn Ohio for tor a purse parse of 25 win win- win winner nor ner tale take 20 loser IS 5 5 Tomm Tommy Tommi mv namesake handed me a nose and a trimming But the five dollars was bigger than any PUT puree t I had e eer ever er earn earned d up to lo that Tim Tim- tim The fight light took so 80 well wail delte toy my defeat that we wo were again We e e were ere to go 25 26 to a decision winner tal take e all anu an the making history 2 1 battle wi wito to take taho place at Watsons Watson's Road Road- Roadhouse Hoa house t-house house on Pearl Road noad outside of at Cleveland I went into that fight weighing 11 q pounds and camo came out but I got the decision dl and no 1 king kin I c I 4 ut i c i 4 t ei 4 pT w- w wV V fr e The n On the left trill length figure I none other than at the oge of Vo next eee him as lie looked during the of liI first at tine age of 18 upper line third photo as lie is 11 years as i of ot England ever felt any better than I that night BROKE AGAIN M My end of the purse was as But as 1 kids will do lowed I owed a dol- dol dollar dollar dol dollar I lar here and and these thene immediately Then when my man man- manager manager ager er seconds and 1 bo so 0 forth got I found myself with 68 A new suit of at clothes a II new Dew hat hatland and some shoes left me with the price ot of a soda water Ilter But I ha paid my debts dl- dl ts and was WIlS again with a 0 clean record That s a sone aone sone one of at the difficulties of ot a young youn boxer Maybe ho he has ihas one fight tight a 0 month or one in t two tao a months but by bv the tho time another one rohe around he is broke not Pot because bec lie he spends unnecessarily but because his fights are so infrequent After Arter my mv fight tIght with Ith the t oth-t KIlbane I 1 got a n match with rUth Ja Jach k White who was Tas a tough lad at th lt that time They insisted Instated I tight fight In a foot It-foot a- a foot ring at Columbus The size of at o othe the Ibe ring was isas made s naIl because a ahad had gained a reputation of o being so fast my ray opponent couldn't nn me meThe The tight fight came oft off and I won After that tight fight Jimmy Dunn who had a reputation as lighter fighter manager called me to one side Johnny why hy hy dont don't you quit raIl rall- raIlroading rail railroading road InS and take tale up fighting lighting for tor Youre You're cut fo for it he MI sail J That sounded d good to me and as 11 asI asI I look back I 1 it was waa only the word of someone like Dunn that I was wag waiting for lor a word ot of en- en encouragement encouragement en encouragement before plunging Into the ring forever r next nent article J tells lion ho hohe lie he met and defeated Joe JO Jo lIFter and earned arned a 1 C biance to meet Abe Abc Audi the on |