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JChicago ‘Fighting\aiBlock’ Origin ofjMany Champions 1Cosmopolitan Complexion of ^ Neighborhood Makes Kids Fighters From Birth.BY JAMICK J. (ORBBTT.CHICAGO possesses a single city block near its stock yard district which probably haa bred more fistic gladiators than any other territory 20 times Its slate.Through m•*iscp?40than 2f» years Chicago has sent to the prize rings, some of the most famous ringmenFsr,ssl16TF88ri.of all time. And, J®balways, when the search is made as to their birthplaces. they can he traoed back to , 8 that small area O Just outside of the ; 'S88OcLSMVcL*8COBLFP8a6s8OHMJamas J Corbettdistrict peopled by the stock yards. j pThere's a reason for It—a very plausible one,” Insists Hate Lewis, who has managed most of the fighters that come out of that particular territory. The neighborhood! is perhaps the most cosmopolitan In Amerloa. imagine that more nationalities are represented within four or five blocks of the stock yards district than in any similar area of the world—or In any area a dozen times the size.No 1‘fsce at AH.Theorists may assume that all the persons within that district live peacefully together. Maybe some of the adults do—but not the kids. Very early In life they acquire a racial prejudice. The little Irish boy, almost as soon as he dons his first knickerbockers. decides that an English youngster isn't such a much—and ha picks one out and proceeds about the business of beating him up.An Italian kid will be picked upon by German—and the German, in turn, will find that a Slav is hts particular enemy. The Jewish boy !*arns early that if he means to uphold the honor of his race he must learn to swing his fists a little faster and a little harder than the kids next door.Start Early.“So the natural result is that theboys who live In that region begin fighting each other early—and keep at It quite late. Eventually every risw crop of fledgling battlers develops a champion. The boys in that district thenjjo around boasting Into other districts about their particular hero and the result Is neighborhood championship matches In some vacant lot, or an alley, or In any spot presumably safe from police Interference.So Is bred the average Chicagoringman.And history shows that the best ringmen of them all are either born , or raised within the shadow of Chi-i cago’s stockyards.Greatest Battlers. J xI Clarence and Harry Forbes werejk among the earliest fighters of Inter I,,' national reputation who came from I r that •fighting block'. Eddie Sultry I g was another. Kid Herman, the greatly lightweight of fifteen or twenty years!,lt; ago, likewise grew up in the stock-I yards district. Tommy White and Tommy Ryan got their early fight I,-training by beating up the neighboring I \, i stockyards kids. I ''Charlie White, who now is hot onl* i the trail of Benny Leonard, is another i product of the district close to the Ik stock yards. George (Knockout) I | Brown was born In that neighbor-1 ? hood and got his early fighting knowl-|n edge of the sport there. Sailor Friedman gathered in most of his fighttm 1 knowledge while living there. So did Tommy Mowatt. | vAnd, of course, there wns the Immortal Packey McFarland, who ever will be known as 'the pride of theMHS.MD8.QJiMCATBRiKPOcoP|\fstockyards’. |n
Newspaper Details
Salt Lake City Deseret News
Salt Lake City, Utah, US
Sat, Jul 15, 1922
Page 14
Full Page
Clipped by
John H.
IL, USA 17 Aug 2017
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