Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-12

what of terror amoag the featherweights
There are several claimants for champion ship
honors in this class. Billy Murphy and Tommy
Larkln being among the number; but the place
belongs to Weir by common consent. He ia
regarded by many as the cieyerest fighter in
the country, and the best experts admit that
he stands unrivaled as a boxer. GeneralshiD is
Welrs forte; for. although his why little frame
Is as tough ak nails and almost as hard, he has
not the force necessary to knock out until he
has fairly tired his antagonist by worrying him
with tricks and running him a foot race
all around the ring. He has no match any
where at 12O pounds. Weir was originally a
Jockey Ill England, and he brought iuto the
American ring all the tricks and cunning Of
the track and the paddock. He has not
an equal at rapid countering and clever
ducking, and even when he is beaten he
has contrived to pull off a draw by his general
ship and agility in holding off and firing out
his man. In the ring he looks like a sharp
faced. rather poorly nourished school boy: but
soon the perfect mastery of the hands becomes
apparent, and the open smile gives place to the
cruel, crafty, cunning scowl as he alternately
punches and jabs at his opponent and darts
aside TO avoid the return blow. Fortunately
featherweights and bantams cannot strike a
heavy enough blow to break bones. and it is
seldom that fighter in either of these classes
receives punishment so severe that it cannot
be pretty well effaced by warm bath and a
days rest; but if they could hit hard as the
big fellows, such is their savage nature. as IL
rule, that almost every fight would end in a
knockout.
OTHER FEATHERwEIGHTs
Jimmy Larkin and Frank Murphy, who were
booked to fight at the California Athletic Club
rooms in San Francisco in July for the biggest
stakes ever offered in their class are both very
clever featherweights. Larkin is the unde-
feated champion at 122 pounds, and has been
hghting almost ever since he could toddle.
RETIRED AT TwEYTY-FoUR.
Tommy Warren, another fighter, with the
face of a modest school boy, is a retired
champion at twenty-four. He began fighting
when seventeen with bare knuckles and
whipped Johnny Heating in Sacramento. Billy
U Nell in Astoria, Greg, and Harry Smith at
Walla Walla. Wash. finally winning the feather
weight championship of the Pacific coast by
knocking out Dave Condor at Seattle in a
nineteen-round mill. He fought his way east.
concluding by defeating Tommy Barnes, the
champion featherwelght OF America. He for
feited the championship to Ike Weir by de-
fault. One of his hardest fights was with
Jack Hav IN Of Boston, then the holder of the
belt, who lost it after being terribly punished
FROM AUSTRALIA.
Billy Murphy, the present holder of the belt,
who disputes the championship with Weir was
the champion featherweight of Australia and
New Zealand before coming to this country a
year ago without dollar. He had to borrow
so to enter his first fight in California and
since that time has won over $4,000 in stakes
He Is five feet six and one-half inches in height
and weighs just l1S pounds. Yet this diminu-
tive pugllist has whipped not only half a hun
bred men OF his own class, but beat o. Bren
Cutler, Carter, Stewart, Mitchell, Faddes aud
other middle weights averaging all the way
from las to us pounds, or fully fifty pounds
heavier than himself. So much for the science
Of little men in the ring.
There are hundreds of other little men of the
bantam and featherweight classes pegging their
way to glory and dollars. and the pugilistic ka-
iedoscope in the course of half a year shows
many changes among them. They swarm over
the big men as the plgmies swarmed over Gull
Ilver, and they outgeneral the older school of
boxers at every turn and demonstrate to the
athletic world that the coming champion is to
be not slow-movIng. heavy-bodied giant. but
compact little man. with the celerity Of light
ming. the courage OF lion and thews and mus
Giles like steel