The New York Times – July 9, 1935
By Joseph C. Nichols
Dan O’Mahoney was successful in his first defense of the world’s heavyweight wrestling championship. The 22-year-old Irishman defeated Little Wolf of Trinidad, Col., in 28 minutes, 23 seconds at the Yankee Stadium last night while a crowd of 12,000 persons looked on.
The bout was promoted by Jack Curley and a percentage of the receipts will be turned over to the Free Milk Fund for Babies, Inc., of which Mrs. William Randolph Hearst is chairman.
While O’Mahoney’s victory was not a surprise, generally, the manner in which he disposed of his first challenger was. Instead of effecting the triumph with the Irish whip, the grip with which he has won most of his bouts, O’Mahoney pressed Little Wolf’s shoulders to the mat with a body hold after getting him into position with a flying scissors.
Until a few minutes before he was tossed, Little Wolf had a decided advantage over the young Irishman. He punished O’Mahoney several times with crushing head locks and gave the impression that he had little to fear from the invader.
Once O’Mahoney did apply the Irish whip, but it had so little effect on the challenger that he walked into the Irishman disdainfully. He became rough and tossed the titleholder about easily.
This treatment incensed O’Mahoney, who had been quite calm since the bout started. He suddenly sprang at the Coloradoan and smashed him to the floor three times with his right forearm.
Little Wolf was weakened and rendered dizzy by this quick turn, and it was nothing for O’Mahoney to whirl him to the floor. There the champion clamped a body hold on his foe, and forced the chief’s shoulders to the mat.
The champion scaled 224 pounds and Little Wolf 210.
Jim Browning, former heavyweight champion, pinned Mike Mazurki of Troy in 13 minutes 54 seconds with a turn-over reverse body scissors in the semi-final.
Mazurki carried the action to Browning at the start and had a slight edge over the ex-ruler until he allowed himself to fall into an airplane scissors. The hold weakened the up-Stater, who gradually was beaten to the mat by the steady Browning. The weights were 231 for the winner as against 228 for Mazurki.
Rube Wright of Texas scored a surprise triumph over Joe Savoldi, former Notre Dame football ace, in a bout listed for thirty minutes. Savoldi, trying to down Wright with a flying tackle, hurled himself through the ropes and landed on the ground. While he was out of the ring Referee Joe Boyle counted ten.
Savoldi did get back after the count was finished and was in shape to continue, but the referee’s count precluded any further action. Wright was 29 pounds heavier than Savoldi, who scaled 201. The bout lasted 6 minutes 9 seconds.
Abe Coleman of Los Angeles wrestled to a draw with Gino Garibaldi, Italian giant, in a thirty-minute encounter. Coleman had his foe in danger several times with crushing body holds, but Garibaldi wriggled free and punished the Californian with flying tackles. Coleman scaled 205 and Garibaldi 214.
Al Bisignano, 212, of Des Moines, Iowa, defeated Floyd Marshall, 225, of Phoenix, Ariz., in a scheduled thirty-minute encounter. Bisignano pinned his rival in 10:26 with a body slam.
Hank Barber, erstwhile Dartmouth athlete, won the opening bout on the card. He threw Pat McKay of Memphis in 13:49 with a flying tackle and body press. Barber, at 228, was 8 pounds heavier than McKay.
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