Speary vs Pace

SPEARY BOASTS MORE IMPRESSIVE RECORD THAN HIS MONDAY NIGHT OPPONENT

READY FOR ACTION

by Joe Perlove

What with battling slippery highways, a squall-driven rain and a horde of immigration officers, Bill Speary, the party the second part in Monday night headline fight offering, featuring George Pace, at the Maple Leaf Gardens, didn't get here in time to work out yesterday but he did arrive before the midnight hour had tolled.

He did not finish the trip in one piece however, having been deprived of his manager, Art Thomas, at Niagara Falls. Thomas is a Welshman and still Welsh enough not have is full U.S. papers. The immigration chappies were very nice to Mr. Thomas. He is cordially invited to his the Canada. The but they were not too sure he could push past the U.S. border gents on the way back. So Bill Speary will have to tackle Pace single handed. Without the motherly care of the manager to guide him.

But don't become teary about Speary. That young scrap or will look after himself okay. Certainly there is nothing in Georgie Pace's record to scare him. He has mixed it with tougher busters and held his own. His escutcheon, though still in the budding stage, is marked with bouts against the hardiest sluggers in his division. In his first professional fight he won from here to Tonypandy over Tommy Forte, now ranked with the leading contenders in the 126-pound class. His second 10-rounder was against Joey Archibald. In the result was a verdict for Speary.

Outstanding As Amateur

Speary was quite to kid while browsing about the amateur ranks. In three years he picked up every available bauble in the game including three national A.A.U. crowns, three international's and three New York Golden gloves.

Fortified but those knick-knacks Speary was doing a thriving business as in amateur, received as much as $250 for about in Buffalo. But the A.A.U. got wind of those prices and, feeling this would make other amateurs jealous, took his card away. Lucky thing for him he wasn't playing for Balmy Beach else the Big Four would have had him hung from the nearest dandelion.

Forced into the moneyed ranks Speary wasted little time in preliminary roles. In 26 bouts since then early in 1940, he has fought Jeffra twice, breaking even; Mike Raffa three times, losing two of them; Forte, Archibald and Joe Peralta. The latter is the current sensation in lightweight ranks and got a split decision. Peralta is the baby who whipped Chaulky Wright, to 126-pound champ, recently.

Title Bout in Making

Before the years over Speary expects to sign for title shot with Chaulky Wright in Wilkes-Barre (pronounced Barry). Speary was born in Nanticoke, Pa., which is eight miles from Wilkes-Barre and 20 from Scranton, if you're thinking of looking for the place. His father hails from a village not far from Tonypandy, The hometown of Tommy Farr and Mog Mason.

Speary is a slim chap was square shoulders, flattened schnozzle, cheery visage and pleasant conversation. He's a bridegroom of six months and his young blond wife is beautiful enough to knock your eyes out. He's 23 and burns for the championships stuff. Not two weeks ago he knocked out our Spider Armstrong in six after Spider belted him to the canvas with the first punch of the fight.

His record is much better than Pace's as the featherweight. And may be better still after Monday night.

The following is from an article in a Toronto Newspaper. The "Deke" referred to is Deacon Jack Allan - a promoter.

...he was slightly cooler when he sat down to observe that Speary-Pace puncheroo. "If I am half smart," he says as they open, "I will get me some of that short money. It is a crime to make Pace such a price when his meeting such a good fighter."

In the old days at Vancouver the Deacon grows quite fond of a junior lightweight named Todd Morgan. Now this Speary is almost a double for Morgan in looks and when he begins to box Pace he has the same nice left hook to the body, the same long straight right that carries Todd far, makes him a great favorite in the Deacon's book.

I'm glad when the Deacon goes away from alongside me after he experts the first round because one side of me is bruised from the Deacon's elbow pokes, his kicks and from blows he has given me with a knee that adds weight to every punched that Speary throws. But he comes right back in a jiff and he fetches out pencil and slip of paper.

"Who win that one?" He asks of the second which he hasn't seen and when I say it is pretty even, the Deke says he will give it to Speary and when I say he does that for old-time and sentiment's sake he wets the pencil end with his thumb, moans again because he is neglectful about picking up some of that short price. "Pace," he says, "at two and a half to one is a terrible overlay".

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