Camden Courier Post – September 19, 1928
By TOM RYAN
Before one of the largest crowds that ever witnessed a boxing shot at the Convention Hall, Vincent Forgione, of Philadelphia. won the referee’s decision over Babe McCorgary, of Oklahoma, in the last-half of the double-windup of the all-star benefit, show staged last night by the Coree Mathews-Purnell Post, No. 518 Veterans of Foreign Wars. More than 3500 fans poured through the portals of the Civic Center institution to witness the five eight-round scraps that comprised the night’s program of fisticuffs. While the Forgione-McCorgary fracas was anything but thrilling, the remainder of the bouts made up for the lack of thrills in the last set-to.
In the first-half of the double-wind-up, Tommy “Kid” Murphy, 141, the Trenton phantom,” defeated Roxie Allen, of Camden, for the third time in as many starts against the downtown Italian. Al Gordon, 133, of Philadelphia, and Jesse Goss, 139, of Trenton, fought eight fast rounds to a draw in the semi-final, while Tip Gorman, 159, of East Camden, won the referee’s decision over Joe Bashara 153 ½, of Norfolk, Va., in the second bout.
Leon Lucas, 185, of Whitman Park, former national amateur lightweight champion, making his initial appearance as a professional money earner knocked out Mushy Brown. 193, of Philadelphia, after two minutes and sixteen seconds of fighting in the first round of the opener.
McCorgary Takes Sound Drubbing
The principals in the earlier bouts stole the thunder away from the finalists, Forgione can not be criticised for uninteresting performance presented by the boys who rang down the curtain on one of the most successful benefit shows ever held here. Vince did the best he could to make a fight of it, but McCorgary, who appeared as though he hadn’t trained for the bout to any great extent, didn’t seem to care whether or not he showed to advantage.
In fact, Babe landed only a few clean punches during the course of the bout and what few wallops found their target didn’t do any damage. There is only one apt expression that can be applied to the bout and though it’s as 7 old as the hills it’s the only way to describe the fray. Forgione went around McCorgary like a cooper around a barrel. Vince cut up his foe like a hamberger [sic] steak, both of McCorgary’s eyes, his nose and mouth spouting gore before the bout was more than-half completed. McCorgary, who weighed 170 1/2, was slow of foot and hand and showed that he wasn’t in the ‘pink’ by sporting a roll of fat around his waist. Forgione, who came in at 162%, was as fast as a whippet in all respects. He forced the fighting from start to finish, pelting the Babe with a varied assortment of punches throughout.
The Philadelphian centered his attack on McCorgary’s head and the Babe was a sorry looking spectacle at the finish, while Forgione did not bear a mark of the encounter. If ever there was a one-sided match it was the one staged between Forgione and McCorgary last night. The fans didn’t take kindly to the affair and gave it the “berries” as early as the second round. At the close of that period, Deputy Boxing Commissioner Edward A. Welsh instructed Referee Ray Smith to inform McCorgary that he would have to make a better attempt at fighting or else the bout would be stopped by Welsh.
Referee Smith warned McCorgary and the Babe loosened up a bit in the third, but soon assumed the watchful waiting attitude he had displayed the first two rounds. He started out with his right poised for a knockout thump and still had it in the same, position when the bout ended. He landed one or two punches in the third that appeared to carry a little steam, but that was his last flash of the night. One wit pulled a wise crack at the end of the sixth when he yelled, “Wait’ll Monaghan hears about this.”
That about sums up the bout. Still, Forgione hustled throughout and it was no fault of his that the bout didn’t come up to the expectations of the fans.
Murphy Too Fast For Allen
The Murphy-Allen fracas was fast from start to finish with Murphy dealing all of the forcing and all of the leading. Tommy proved can outsmart the downtown Italian any time he meets him. He beat him to the punch continually, shooting his left to the body and crossing his right to the jaw so often that Roxie appeared to be dazed by the avalanche of punches Tommy sent in his direction. Murphy won six out of the eight rounds, Allen barely winning the second and eighth rounds.
Tommy scored a tainted knockdown in the first. Almost as soon as the bout started, Tommy charged into Allen, let go a left hook to the body which caught Allen off balance and spilled him in his own corner. Roxie, however, was up before a count could be started. Allen’s best round was the second. They exchanged punches in a fast mixup on the ropes and Allen came off best. Tommy backing up for the first and only time of the bout.
Allen got in a couple of effective straight lefts to the head and also registered two one-two punches in the same spot. Murphy resumed the offensive from that round till the last period, peppering Roxie aplenty on every part of his anatomy.
Gordon-Goss Stage Great Fight
Murphy’s best round was the fifth. Tommy gave Roxie the works in that session. He cut loose with everything he had and Roxie finished the found with gash under his left eye, while he also suffered a cut on his lower lip which Murphy managed to reopen in each succeeding round.
It was the third time the boys have met, and the third time that Murphy has won the decision. Referee Smith was the third man in the ring.
Gorton and Goss probably staged the best scrap of the night. Both tried bard to end the bout by a knockout, but neither accomplished his purpose. It was a great fight and Referee Tom Walters’ decision was a popular one, yet the writer felt that Gordon had slightly the better of the showing owing to his aggressiveness and his harder punching. True, Goss might have landed a few more punches than Gordon, but the latter’s carried far more power than any Goss landed. Al made the <illegible> more than once from lefts in the stomach, while Gordon never once was <illegible> of clinching in order to escape his opponent’s punches.
The writer credited Gordon with four rounds, gave Goss three and <illegible> one even. It was a closer fight due to the fact that Goss carried the second round by a wider margin than any credited to Gordon, still to those close to the ringside, Gordon appeared to have just a shade the better of the bout.
Gorman Beats Bashara?
After Bashara’s seconds, one of whom was Joe Ferguson, one of the best lightweights in the east 15 years ago, had argued about the bandages on Gorman’s hands for about five minutes the bout finally got under way. Tip and his manager winning the argument, as Gorman entered the fray without disturbing his hand coverings.
Referee Joe Posy Rebinsen awarded Gorman the decision at the close of the fuss and got the “razz” for his version of the scrap. The writer is forced to string along with the fans as he credited Bashara with six out of the eight rounds. Joe appeared to have given Tip a pretty good lacing both upstairs and downstairs, but Referee Robinson must have thought otherwise.
Although German landed plenty of hard rights to Bashara’s head, Joe got in many more wallops, especially shots to the body, which appeared to sap Tip’s stamina in the bout. Tip might have won as Referee Robinson decreed but in all fairness to Bashara it appeared as though he had won by the length of the new Broad street subway.
Lucas Drops Brown In First
Lucas made short work of Brown. Mushy must have learned his stuff in a pony ballet. He attempted to show his dancing ability, but it didn’t go over so big with the crowd nor with Lucas. Leon merely bided his time until he could get an opening at Brown’s jaw. It finally arrived, but Lucas’ right landed too high to hit a vital spot. the punch landing on top of Brown’s head.
Yet it was hard enough to send him down on one knee, where he remained until he was counted out. However, he appeared to be in agony and when Referee Robinson had completed his count he claimed that he had wrenched the tendons in his right leg when he fell to the mat. Dr. Shannon, who was among the spectators, examined the injury and stated that Brown had wrenched the muscles in going down.
The show was staged to provide funds with which to care for members of the local veterans’ post who are in need of assistance. It could not be determined today just how much the show had netted the organization, but it is thought that a reasonable amount had been realized from the affair.
Local Fight Results
The winners, losers and their weights in the benefit boxing show held under the auspices of the Corporal Matthew Purnell Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, at the Convention Hall last night, follow:
- Vincent Forgione, 162½pounds, of Philadelphia, won the referee’s decision over Babe McCorgary, 170½pounds, of New York, in eight rounds.
- Tommy Kid Murphy, 141 pounds, of Trenton, won the referee’s decision over Roxie Allen, 143½pounds, of Camden, In eight rounds.
- Referee – Sergt. Ray Smith
- Al Gordon, 133 pounds, of Philadeiphia, and Jesse Goss, 189 pounds, of Trenton, fought eight rounds to a draw.
- Referee – Thomas Walters.
- Tip Gorman, 159 pounds, of Camden, won referee’s decision over Joe Bashara, 153½pounds, of Norfolk in eight rounds.
- Leon Lucas, 185 pounds, of Camden, knocked out Mushy Brown, 193 pounds, of Philadelphia, in first round. Time, 2 minutes, 16 seconds
- Referee—Joe Robinson
- Inspector—Edward A. Welsh.
- Timer—George Dean.
- Announcer – Joseph Schmaltz Valentine.
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