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Show LUCKY PUNCH TAKES THE MONEY "The lucky punch." It's an expression expres-sion as old as the boxing game itself.. The average loser swears bv it. winners win-ners scoff at tho possibility of an . element of chance having aided them Leac h Cross was a surprise recent -lv. when he knocked out the besl lightweight the southland evei produced pro-duced Joe Mandot It was the first time In his long and creditable career ca-reer that the New Orleans boxer had ever been stopped The following morning the north. grams from Mandot's manager, claim- 1 Ing that "the lucky punch" had hum-lileii hum-lileii Joe ;ifier he had beaten lus eon-qu eon-qu rpr all through the early rounds. As a result of this claim, the "chance blow " has been the main subject sub-ject considered by the Los Angeles , ring lovers. The writer reealls two positive; cases where the "lucky punch " was 1 responsible for false finishes. One of these was Johnny Kllbanej and Joe Rivers, an instance where s tired and discouraged boy BUddenlS 1 found himself n winner without knowing know-ing what had happened t the end of the fifteenth round Rivers had foughl himself inta B big lead. The Mexican looked all over a winner and was lnughing when he walked back to his corner There was no mirth In Kilbane's system John had reconciled himself to the loser's end In the sixteenth Rivers began to act as a clown, but finished as a disinterested dis-interested party With a sneer cu his brown face. Joe stuck out hia chin and invited a lead Kllbane accepted the invitation I With 'he best that was in bis right arm, lohnny sank a wallop under the Mexican's jaw and Joseph went, head first, to the floor with his dry j ?hoeH rattling together in midair Rivers got up without knowing It, nnd the surprised Kllbane pulled himself together for the punches that senl Joe back for keeps to the can-TBS. can-TBS. Billy Papke's win, in this same Vernon Ver-non rin. over Stanley Ketchel, was! due to "the lucky punch." a left jab J between the eyes delivered before the first round was a minute old. Ketchel. regarding Popfce In the light of a "setup, ' answered the opening open-ing bell with his guard lowered Papke while backing away from ' the assassin" shot in a wild left, and luck was with him. The blow caught Ketchel S(Uarely between the eyes and dazed him to a point where he v as prai tlcally helpless. heart, prolonged the battle for 11 rounds and part of the 12th Klght limes in all he was beaten to tho floor before Jim Jeffries finally pointed to Papke as a winner. But for "the lucky punch ' Ketchel probably would have made short work uf Pakpe, who, at his best, was) never In Stanley's claes. A few weeks later the men were re-matched, re-matched, and Ketchel knocked out Papke in the 11th round They met for a fourth time. when Ketchel again won. taking the decision at the finish of the 20th. Previous to these battles Ketchel hnd whipped Papko In a ten round go at Milwaukee. A more recent illustration of "the lucky punch." though one not so j pronounced, was Rivers' ten round 1 Victory over "Kayo" Brown In the ninth round Brown gave Joe a severe body beating anil returned to his chair the stronger of the two boxers. During the minute of inter-mi inter-mi ion many of the Rivers backers tried t bedge their bets. With Brown backing away from a clinch in the 10th, Rivers blindly swuns Iiis right, and the glove caught nrown on the "point " Th eastern lightweight never ree0rered from this punch, and after being knocked down three or four times the bout was s'opped, with Brown lying on his back. 1 These are but three of the many times when "the lucky punch" has been cashed. |