The Bismarck Tribune

Mandan’s Favorite Only Loses One Round in Encounter

Challenges Thrown at New Titleholder by Billy Meek and Ted Melhoff

CAVANAGH SHADES CARROL

Leek Beats Engle; Minot Fighter Shows Fine Temperament by Late Rally

TRIBUNE FIGHT DECISIONS

Boomer Brooker, Mandan, 125 pounds, beat Bobby Laurent, Minot, 126 pounds, 10 rounds.

Lee Cavanagh, Bismarck, shaded Jack Carrol, Minneapolis, six rounds.

Billy Meek, Bismarck, beat Battling Engle, Dawson, six rounds.

Frankie Eckroth, Mandan, shaded Mickey McGuire, Mandan, four rounds.

Pete Aller, Bismarck, and Sonny Schlosser, Mandan, drew, four rounds.

Andy Miller, Mandan, won a battle royal in which six competed.

By WILLIAM S. MOELLER

Following his flashy victory over the scrappy Bobby Laurent, Minot, in a 10-round skirmish at Mandan last night, Boomer Brooker, the Mandan sheik, today stood undisputed king over North Dakota's featherweight boxers.

Challenges to the new titleholder were hurled from the ring before the main bout last night by Billy Meek, Bismarck, in person, and Ted Melhoff, Glendive, Mont., by telegram.

Approximately 200 fans watched the entertaining card presented by Promoter W. J. "Bill" Godwin.

The boomer boomed to an impressive win, though, when all things are considered, it was not comfortably decisive for him. Bobby won only one round in the encounter, the last, while the Mandan favorite took five, but his margin in four rounds were hardly more than shades despite the fact that he rained blows much more often than his opponent.

Brooker Missed Many

This is why. Brooker missed too many blows, especially when he had Bobby in a stooping position. Had he not attempted to land haymakers at various times, he might have landed and thereby retained points which he already had piled up.

Despite the fact that the fight was a "hum-dinger" and chock full of pretty fighting action, it was apparent that it was a defensive fight--that is, both principals excelled in the defensive branch.

Except for defensive purposes, Brooker's right hand was worthless. Rarely did he swing with his right and it was an "event" if he landed with it. His followers argue, however, that he had no use for his right last night with his left in such good form. His followers are right. The Boomer showed last night that he has not yet mastered the trick of counter-punching when moving backwards.

Bobby's best defense was the simple bobbing of his head. Time after time when he was forced to crouch because of a fusillade of Brooker clouts, he merely bobbed his head up and down, back and forth, and from side to side as the over-eager victor swung viciously through the air in attempts to land slumber clouts.

Damage Was Slight

That Bobby was not hurt as much as it might seem was proved by his sudden attacks which drove Boomer across the ring in retreat and by his fine fighting in the last round, which was his by a goodly margin. Bobby's biggest fault was missing rights to Boomer's head. This fault invariably brought him hard lefts from the Mandan Beau Brummel.

No knockouts were scored in the scrap though Bobby slipped to the floor twice, once each in the fifth and seventh cantos, and the Boomer pushed him down in the tenth. The fight was clean, though each put in one complaint against low blows and Referee Leo McDonald once cautioned the Minot boy against hitting after he had been ordered to break.

Brooker won the third round by a wide margin and took shades in the first, fifth, sixth, and seventh stanzas. The second, fourth, eighth, and ninth were even.

Lee's Condition Counts

Because of his better condition Lee Cavanagh, capital city welterweight, won a close decision from Jack Carrol, Minneapolis. Carrol showed to best advantage in the first three cantos of the six-round semi-windup feature, the Minnesota entrant tiring rapidly after the beginning of the fourth. Carrol proved the rough and ready type, willing to take few light jabs in exchange for a possible chance to land a devastating left hand blow. He took too many of these jabs, however, in attempting to open the defense of the lighter Bismarck man. Cavanagh resorted to his usual defensive scrap, waiting for Carrol to tire.

Lee shaded his opponent in the fifth and won the sixth by a comfortable margin, while the second canto was an easy one for Carrol. The other rounds were even.

Billy Meek, Bismarck, drove through to another victory over the hard-hitting Battling Engle, Dawson, who held Billy to a draw in a previous engagement at Lake Isabelle last week, but Engle landed a low blow to some vulnerable spot in that last fight and it is possible that Engle is still showing the effects of that blow.

Engle fought gamely in the early rounds for his opponent, but tired in the last two rounds.

Intense youth from rounds hot