Wilma Kuzemka 
December 6, 1997 
Wilma M. Kuzemka, 76, Of Pringle, Died Saturday In The Wilkes-barre General 
Hospital.

Add Social Security Act To The Constitution 
The Party Of Us Is Asking The American Taxpayer To Wake Up. Learn All You Can 
About Our Social Security System. It Is A Very Good Retirement Plan. It Works.

By STEVEN DU BOIS; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Sunday, December 07, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





WILKES-BARRE- The city streets were crowded with people in good humor, the
New York media partied in the Hotel Sterling and radio listeners from Maine to
California stayed up late, waiting for the news from Artillery Park. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Future Hall-of-Famer Tommy Loughran of Philadelphia was here to defend his
light heavyweight boxing title against the former welterweight champion, Pete
Latzo, billed as "the swarthy son of Hazleton and Scranton stonebreakers." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The July 16, 1928 match, "The Battle of the Anthracite," was the first
world championship fight held in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "As a fight, it was everything to be desired by those who like to see
blood," one observer wrote. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Loughran had defeated Latzo just six weeks earlier in a 15-round fight at
Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, but Latzo's strong performance won him a rematch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Philadelphia promoters had expected to stage the rematch in their city;
however, local promoter Morgan Bird of the Armory Athletic Club beat them to
the punch, signing the pugilists to a 10-round fight. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Loughran and Latzo received $25,000 and $7,500 respectively for the title
match. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Latzo led Loughran after 10 rounds of their last 15-round fight, so locals
hoped the shortened length would be to Latzo's advantage. Moreover, Latzo fans
believed in an adage: Pete never loses to the same man twice. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In contrast to the months of massive overhype that precede today's
championship fights, Bird had only a month to sell tickets and transform the
Artillery Park baseball field near Kirby Park into a boxing venue. Bird said
stadium capacity could be enlarged from 4,000 to 40,000. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On fight night, however, seating capacity was 15,000. Ticket prices ranged
from $3 to $15. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The day of the fight was marred by rain. Newsboys sold papers not for the
news, but for fans to cover the wet seats. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The outdoor stadium was lit by four floodlights and 40 1,000-watt light
bulbs. With moths and mosquitoes circling like snowflakes in the muggy,
post-thunderstorm sky, the fight began at 10 p.m. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Loughran, the more stylish and technically proficient of the two fighters,
dominated the first three rounds. Latzo, the bullish, hard-charger, seemed at
a loss to solve the puzzle of Loughran's left jab. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Loughran kept that left glove sticking into Peter's face like a riveter's
trip hammer driving a bolt into a new building," a reporter wrote. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Crouching and squirming, Latzo had no luck evading that jab, which Loughran
kept using, occasionally mixing in a long right upper cut or a slamming right
hook into Latzo's twisted frame. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Latzo did not land a solid punch until there were 10 seconds left in the
second round. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After that round, friends and brothers surrounded Latzo in his corner to
inspect the damage- a bloody nose and mouth, proof that Loughran's jab was
more than a mere gesture from a fancy boxer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The crowd numbered about 10,000- hundreds were women. Rumors of a sellout
and the Monday afternoon rain derailed expectations of a full house. Still,
cars lined every Kingston street. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fans who did not want to brave the rains or the crowds remained at home to
hear Graham McNamee describe the bout on radio station WGY in Schenectady,
N.Y. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McNamee, who flirted with his wife between rounds, complimented
Wilkes-Barre by calling it a pretty city filled with "happy people." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Also, three moving-picture machines mounted in a special stand clicked off
hundreds of feet of film. The film was shown in theaters throughout the state. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Those fans as well as people in their seats at the field that night would
see Latzo stage a comeback in the fourth round. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Charging at the sound of the bell, Latzo hit Loughran over the right eye
with a left hook. Blood rushed down the champion's cheek. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Latzo continued to pound with hard rights and lefts, backing Loughran
against the ropes. Loughran stalled the onslaught with a low blow. A moth was
crushed against Latzo's trunks in the exact location of the punch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Latzo cringed in pain for a few seconds as he looked at referee Leo Houck,
a Penn State College instructor. But he once again attacked. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Turning, he sent over a long, left hook to the jaw that landed flush, and
Loughran's face showed that there was power and threat in the wallop of his
challenger," a reporter wrote. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Latzo then pinned his taller and huskier opponent- Loughran outweighed
Latzo 172 pounds to 167- against the ropes and battered him with shots from
all angles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite clouded eyes and a numbed mind, Loughran got away from the ropes
and counterattacked. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "And when he reached the middle of the ring and pranced around, jabbing and
jabbing, always jabbing, the spectators seemed to realize the coal region's
best bet had come within an inch of winning a championship but lacked the
strength and the wallop to finish the job." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After the furious fourth, Latzo slowed down, never threatening the
champion, who was making his fifth title defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He battled Loughran to several close rounds. But Loughran's quick jab,
enhanced by a reach advantage, kept Latzo frustrated. Latzo shook the sting
from his head like a dog shakes its wet coat. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With the clang of the bell after an uneventful final round, Loughran placed
his arm around Latzo's shoulder and the two conversed as they walked back to
the latter's corner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Friends mobbed Loughran after the decision, many of them priests from all
parts of the state. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'm glad I won, of course, but I honestly tell you that Pete Latzo is the
outstanding light heavyweight of this country today," the champion said. "If I
lose my title, I'd rather see it go to him than any other contender I've met.
He gave me a great fight and plenty of trouble in that fourth round. He's
dangerous, but game and clean." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Latzo said Loughran's jab was too difficult to defend. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Look at my lips," Latzo lamented. "He busted me right in the mouth with a
jab in the first round and it bled and bothered me to the end." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The St. Monica's boys band and a thousand or more of Loughran's friends
from South Philadelphia staged a parade back to the Hotel Sterling after the
fight. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Later at the hotel, the band played a song for Latzo, who was appreciative.
"It's no wonder that Tommy Loughran always feels so good when he has with him
at all his fights such a bunch of good fellows as you who are kind enough to
play for me even if I did lose the fight." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

1928 Event Wilkes-barre's First World Championship Fight 
When Tommy Loughran Met Pete Latzo At Artillery Field For A Rematch Of An 
Earlier Fight, The Boxing World Was Tuned In

1928 Event Wilkes-barre's First World Championship Fight When Tommy Loughran Met Pete Latzo At Artillery Field For A Rematch Of An Earlier Fight, The Boxing World Was Tuned In