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PHILADELPHIA, PA
The Federal Combat Circus progressed across Pennsylvania two months after it's first showing in Pittsburgh with a few names from the previous tournament retained, including previous finalist and Philadelphian Bob McDowell (2-1-0) and champion Jeremy Wethington (3-0-0) who managed to win in his hometown of Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Inquirer, hosted in Philadelphia, has billed the tournament as an opportunity of revenge for McDowell, now in his hometown as opposed to that of Wethington. As it stands, the two competitors would be able to meet in the finals if they win their sides of the bracket.
Nathan Wright (1-1-0) and John Whittier (0-1) are set to return to the tournament, while the rest of the tournament is filled with new local entries - including Michigan's Tim Burns, Delaware teenager Lou Mulholland, Randy Lewis of the Finger Lakes region and Chris Smith of West Virginia.
Local star Bob McDowell (2-1-0) would handily defeat John Whittier (0-1-0) in a lopsided decision, earning the crowd's respect in the process.
The longtime fighter Randy Lewis would win a bout against a firey 18 year old Lou Mulholland, whose youth was something of an inspiration for the crowd as they started to get behind him. Lewis would knock Lou down twice in the bout, dominating Lou for the most part.
Jeremy Wethington would make his triumphant return against Tim Burns in another decision. Yet again, Wethington narrowly escaped in a close decision victory in the first round reminiscent of his majority decision victory against David Moser. Wethington, billed as a great adversary for the hometown hero, heard jeers throughout the bout as he won the slog.
Chris Smith beat Nathan Wright in yet another decision, one which perhaps wasn't the best choice to close out the first day after the McDowell and Wethington fights had closed out. Those two men had earned the reputation of the most important boxers on the card, leaving crowds a bit disinterested at the sight of these two.
The second day opened with Bob McDowell masterfully outboxing Randy Lewis from the first bell, earning a confident unanimous decision from the hometown judges and crowd. After the bout, McDowell found himself mobbed by a few particularly inebriated spectators, ending up disappearing into the crowd and only escaping once finding a journalist for the Inquirer.
To close out the day though, Jeremy Wethington looked the most fearsome competitor. He would manage to knock out Chris Smith in just the fourth round, knocking his adversary down 3 times across those 4 rounds. Setting the stage for an incredible rematch in the following week, word spread rapidly across city circles about McDowell's opportunity to win in front of his home crowd.
Our final day saw crowds of seemingly absurd proportions. Jefferson Street Grounds served as the setting for a rematch that had over five times the attendance of the match in Pittsburgh. The crowd was not particularly friendly either, with various threats being yelled at ringside towards judges as the match progressed. Wethington would have been right to fear quite the hometown favoritism for McDowell, though perhaps those fears were spelled by the arrival of a local volunteer police force who were forced to implement some crowd control around the ring. Jubilation erupted when McDowell struck with a hard rear hook that floored Wethington in just the second round, but Wethington was able to stagger to his feet at the count of only seven. The battle continued until the ninth where Wethington came back to land a shot that would end the fight, putting McDowell out cold and collecting his check.
Following the bout, Wethington spoke with the Pennsylvania Inquirer and mentioned that he would be returning home to Pittsburgh and not continuing along the barnstorming tour up the East Coast. Despite his winnings, Wethington felt as if continuing on the tour could not possibly be profitable for him, and continued participation would likely require further recognition as the true champion of the Union or a larger cash prize for victory. The tournament tour continues and will be in New Jersey two months later.
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