 and it occurred before a sellout crowd of nearly 17,000

On February 18, 1921, Brennan defeated Bob Martin in a fifteen-round points decision at Madison Square Garden.Taking the lead after the more evenly paced first eight rounds, Brennan used his left repeatedly to Martin's face, and gained an advantage in the last seven rounds, particularly the twelfth through fifteenth.Brennan was an American Expeditionary Forces Champion and Ohio State Heavyweight Champion.