Abdication

Dynastic succession is unknown to pugilists. When a ring king leaves his throne, ordinarily he has been knocked off it by a bruiser better than he.

Wherefore ringdom was baffled and confused last week when Johnny Dundee, world's champion featherweight, voluntarily surrendered his title to the N. Y. State Athletic Commission, high parliament of fistiania. There have been only two precedents for Dundee's action: Jack McAuliffe, lightweight, retired in 1893; Jimmy Barry, flyweight, in 1901.

"Who's champion now?" asked ringdom. The Commission indicated that this question would be settled by an elimination tournament. A likely winnner is Louis ("Kid") Kaplan, of Meriden, Conn., who has been recognized as the logical challenger.

Dundee gave as his reason for abdicating, the fact that there are no challenging featherweights on hand considerable enough to make it worth while wearing himself down to 126 pounds thereby risking his good health. He has fought for 14 years as a featherweight, but advancing age has brought flesh upon him. He won the title from Eugene Criqui in July, 1923, a month after Criqui had thrashed Johnny Kilbane, onetime champion. By no means "through," Dundee's present ambition is to fight Benny Leonard for the world's light-weight title.*

At Saratoga Springs, N. Y., visitors at white frame house called "Casa Firpo" discovered its gigantic, morose, hirsute inmate, Louis Firpo, seated on the front porch sipping draughts of tea. That beverage was the Argentine Bull Man's recipe for the hard muscles he will need in Newark on Sept. 11 when he flings himself upon Harry Wills, huge black, in a fistic engagement that promises to become historic for its violence.

Another muscle recipe employed by the Bull Man was clever, colossal, crooning Black Bill Tate, his sparring-partner-in-chief. Tate has been teaching his enormous pupil what clinches mean, how to follow a right with a left. Tate predicted that Wills, famed for infighting, would have to change his tactics against Firpo to avoid being knocked "very loose."

For the first time on record, the Bull Man boasted he would win. More important--for he is notoriously pinch-pocketed--Firpo offered to bet he would win in 10 rounds.

At Southampton, L. I., other pilgrims found Black Panther Wills looking lean, lithe and dangerous. He had been training by running six miles a day up and down the ocean sands; by flailing and stabbing at two sparring partners whose weights aggregated 430 pounds; by keeping quiet, eating much, saying little. In Wall Street, Manhattan, moneyed men laid their wagers upon Firpo or Wills in the ratio of 11 to 10.

*World's Champion boxers: Class Pounds Titleholder

Flyweight 108-112 Pancho Villa Bantamweight 116-118 Abe Goldstein Featherweight 122-126 Lightweight 133-135 Benny Leonard Welterweight 142-147 Mickey Walker Middleweight 158-160 Harry Greb Lightheavyweight 175 Mike McTigue (Cruiser) Heavyweight unlimited Jack Dempsey