HOW CARPENTIER WON

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1920, Page 1

HOW CARPENTIER WON

SPECIAL RINGSIDE ACCOUNT, NEW JERSEY, Oct .14.

In chill air, with only the starry sky as a canopy, one of the greatest crowds ever gathered at a boxing match saw Georges Carpentier to-night knock out “Battling” Levinsky, the light-heavy-weight champion of the United States. It was a tremendous right to tho jaw which brought about the end, and the American slowly sank to the hoards with his back supported by the "ropes, after a terrific lightning-speed right-left, right left to the face and head. All this happened, too, while Carpentier was suffering from a physical disability. I have known the Frenchman since his first fight hut never have I seen him look So pale after it was nil over. Descamps informed me that Georges had been sick for two or three days, losing several pounds in weight. The great fight was staged in the middle of an immense baseball field in the open air, the scone with hundreds of lamps, looking like fairyland. Governor Edwards of New Jersey, graced tho proceedings, and General Fnyolle was present, as well as C. B. Cochran Tom Webster, The Daily Mail cartoonist, and journalists specially came over from England and France. Georges paid absolutely no attention t 0 defence, being apparently quite content to suffer Levinsky’s ‘tentative prods in order to swing over a damagin<r punch. A hurricane attack in tlie second round on Cnrpentier’s part first lot Kim get in a bewildering jab to the chin, followed by a marvellously fast right and left, which put down Levinsky for a very long count of nine, the American getting even a few more seconds’ grace through the referee stopping the count to tell Carpentier to stand back from his opponent.

Levinsky got up only to be sent down again for another count of nine. He weathered-the third round, showing indeed stamina which rejoiced the heart of his many supporters, repeatedly stinging the French boy, if not hurting him:

But Gallic.fire biased in George’s eyes in the. fourth round. His pallor gave way to a flush, and a succession of punches half-way through toppled over Levinsky for tho full.count. It happened in a neutral corner. He fell over the ropes and remained in a sitting position vainly trying to clutch the rope. Clearly ho was' dazed, though not so much as Bec-kett was at the Stadium. Carpentier helped carry his opponent to his corner,, hut Levinsky was still groggy when he left the l ing five minutes later.

From the start it was apparent that, Carpentior’s anxiety was to finish the fiigbt as early as possible, and so he wasted more punches than is usual-with him. Tliis anxiety, of course, is ex-

plained by the fact that he bad complained of illness during the last three days’ training. His weight was announced at, 1701.1 b., against Levinskv s 1751 b.

Frankly, Carpentier’s victory, however meritorious in the circumstances, was not received with any display of pleasure by the great gathering. File general impression among the Americans still being that Carpentier has very little chance with Dempsey. M. Desc-amps, Carpentier’s manager thinks otherwise, believing that the same medicine will suffice, or a little less perhaps, if Georges he in liis usual health.