Biggest Crowd of 1940 Outdoor Season Expected to Fair Grounds
Tonight at the Allentown Fair Grounds the Lehigh Valley boxing fans get the treat that comes once in a season, the eight-round contest between Billy Speary, Nanticoke and Dominic Fiantini, Reading. The other bouts on the bill are:
Six rounds: Billy Davis, Minersville vs. Johnny Dean, Wilkes-Barre and Miami, lightweight; Choo Choo Derr, Allentown vs. Frankie Bluis, Minersville, welterweights.
Four rounds: Jimmy Kennedy, Allentown vs. Dominic Duffy, Ireland, white heavyweights; Charlie Collins, Philadelphia vs. Paul Trinkle, Northampton, lightweights and Steve Mattura, Allentown vs. Porter Blackburn, Reading, welterweights.
Speary and Fiantini will weigh in at 2 o'clock this afternoon at the Fair Grounds, with Dr. R. A. Dengler, representing the State Athletic Commission, doing the weighing.
The contracts call for 126 pounds. This is the featherweight limit and is catchweights for either boy. Neither, and any of his professional bouts has weighed over 125. Speary has engaged in 17 professional contests and Fiantini and 16. The record of neither is marred by a single defeat. Tonight, one of them is going to suffer his first defeat in professional
company.
Davis Eager for Fray
Davis takes the place of Johnny Noce against Dean. Billy is eager for the fray. A normal full grown lightweight, he came down to 128 1/2 pounds for the contest with Dean. Tonight he will weight at least ten pounds more, the weight at which is that is best. His confident that, in spite of Dean's reputation, he will re-establish himself in the heart of the local fans.
Those also much local interest in the preliminary bout in which Jimmy Kennedy, former U.S. Marines champion, a resident of Allentown's 16th ward, will meet Duffy. The latter is sure to extend Kennedy, no matter how good he is.
Ringside and reserved grandstand seats will remain on sale at the downtown stations, the Witwer Jones store, Colonial barber shop and Buckey Boyle's until four o'clock this afternoon. The fair grounds box office opens at 6, the gates at 7 and the first bout goes on at 8:45 o'clock, daylight saving time.
