No Charity

The fight, in effect, was for charity. Referee Jack Dempsey gave his services free. Film Comedians Bud Abbott & Lou Costello promoted it as a benefit in aid of the youth foundation established by Costello after his infant son died in 1943. Lightweight Champion Ike Williams, a cool, sharpshooting Negro from New Jersey, whose manager is a good friend of Costello's, took only 7 1/2% of the gate, although Enrique Bolanos, the Mexican-born challenger, got 17 1/2%.

The buildup was satisfying and 19,000 people paid $108,000 to get into Los Angeles' Wrigley Field. The question was whether it would be a show or a contest. Champion Williams had beaten Bolanos twice before--but the second time Williams had absorbed a stomach pounding and had won on a split decision. Last week there seemed to be an outside chance that Bolanos, an earnest, resourceful fighter, might tag Williams with a damaging shot or shade him on points.

Williams, who was voted 1948-8 "Fighter of the Year" by New York boxing writers, answered all questions in the first minute of the first round. He launched a whistling left that staggered Bolanos and drew blood from his mouth. In the second round, a jolting overhand right almost closed the challenger's left eye. Thereafter, Bolanos stumbled around the ring, as helpless against Williams as a matador fighting a bull with a knife & fork.

In the fourth, with Bolanos still on his feet, his manager jumped into the ring waving a towel. A moment later, the challenger slumped to the canvas and Referee Dempsey stopped the fight. The show would probably not have made an edifying spectacle for Costello's foundation kids, but it proved that Ike Williams still had the lightweight division well in hand.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.