Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-25


purse of $45, 600 TO box for at the Coney
Island Athletic Club. This certainly
eclipses everything in the annals Of boxing
or pugiIistic history. The contestants are
to be Burge. the English champion, and
Jack McAuliffe. A purse of S45, 900 must
almost bewilder Burge, who comes from a
country where 45 sovereigns is big stake,
in fact, it must astonish the whole of
England to know that purse of $4,000 is
offered for their representative to fight for.
Why, that is more than all the old-timers
fought for put together.
So much the better for Burge and Nc
AuIiffe that the Athletic clubs are forcing
each other to bid beyond all reasonable
limits; 80 much the better for the two men
say, but so much the worse for the sport.
1t is invariably true that extremes beget
extremes, and that reaction follows an ab-
normal condition. 1t will be true in this
boxing club business No two men are
worth S45, 900 purse, and glove contest
between Burge and McAulife or any other
two persons is not worth the admission fees
necessary to make up the S45, 600. This big
purse business cannot be maintained, and
when the S., 900, even $4,000 purses are
again resorted to there will be compare
tivelv little attraction about them.
True, the Coney Island Club was in a
sense compelled to make this extraordinary
bid The club is in the market, and had al
ready lost one contest for which it offered
$40. 600, viz, the Hall and Fitzsimmons
affair The same people who got the pair
of Australians from the c. L A. c. looked
like getting Burge and McAuliffe. To put
q ''clincher" on the event the Eastern club
made the offer mentioned, and then the
New Orleans parties Withdrew. 1t simply
means that if the Coney Island Club is
10 be in the business it is determined 10
fight to the finish. This big purse business
is a fighting to a finish, and II months from
now many of the stockholders of the clubs
will know it,
But those big purses more than ever show
that the primary object of these so-called
athletic clubs is only to have fights and
make money by them. l am not going to
argue whether or not this is right or wrong,
but l do emphatically contend that the
ordinary objects of an athletic club have
nothing to do with these big latter-dav in
stitutions. 1t may be well for the public
TO bear this in mind so as not to confuse
clubs like the Corey Island Club with ath-
letic clubs that have for their object only the
physical development of their members.
General Remarks About Boxers.
We have commenced the last week of the
wear, and there are two or three contests
between boxers of good standing in their
class Piimmer is to meet AlcGrath in the
East, and Van Heest is to meet SOL"
Smith in the West. 1 had intended to say
nothing about these contests, because the
majority of people VINO take an interest in
boxing will know that the chances are
strongly in favor of Plimmer defeating Nc
Grath and OF Van Heest defeating Smith.
The last named is good little man, admit,
but he has hardly done sufficient to lead me
TO think he Is as good as Van Heest.
Arrangements are being made for what
promises to be a good contest l refer to
the proposition to have q contest betN cen
Austin Gibbons and Billy Myer. A con-
test between these two men should be inter-
eSting in many respects If they fight and
ali being well can say at this early date
that l expect Gibbons to win. L have seen
both men in front OF McAuliffe, and as
compare them, fail to see how Myer can
defeat Gibbons The latter has improved
since he met McAulife. The manner in
which he defeated Bowen proved that the
truth is, haze notion that Myer is not the
Class of boxer or fighter that we have been
led to believe. There must have been
something sadly wrong somewhere when he
made that famous draw with McAuliffe.
Clubs are having hard time OF it finding
q man tor johnny Griffeu. A teT days ago
il looked as il an opponent had been secured
for the Braintree hero in the person of
William Baxter, of England The Baxter
family, Of London, however, are wise in
their day and generation The yOungster
OF their family was not allowed to come
here except he got nearly mere for losing
battle than he can get in England for a win
ming one. l don't blame the Baxters, be-
cause L am inclined to think that in coming
here to fight Grffen William would be
coming to sure defeat Baxter is a handy
little fellow, but it may not be wide OF the
mark to say that more little mel i'll Amer
lea than Gritfen can defeat him.
More About Hall and Fitzsimmons.
Quite number of letters have reached
this office recently asking questions rela-
tive to the battle in Australia between
Hall and FitzsimmonS All the writers
want to know who won it. Before answer |
ing, few words of explanation are neces- |
Sarv.
Fitzsimmons some time ago declared to
me that he and Hall needed money and |
that be agreed TO meet Hall in a fight and |
allow Hall to win. Fitzsimmons was to re-
GSANc so OF +lO ENZSlmmO06 car 1
ried out his promise and Hail was declared !
the winner. But Fitzsimmons did not re-
ceive his money and hence the alleged bad |
feeling between the two.
On the other hand Hail declares that ar
raugements were made for him to win, but |
that FitzSimmons tried to win and could |
not Hall further states that Fitzsimmons |
was fairly beaten, and that is the reason he |
did not get any money. The answer to the |
question above referred to then, is that
Hall defeated Fitzsimmons in Australia,
but whether in q bona ide fashion or not
we cannot tell
Ifthese two men would meet and contest
honestly tine probability is that they would
make the best battle that has taken place
for many years 1 am inclined to think
that Hall is far beyond ordinary merit, and
be has many advantages over Fitzsimnons
that we must not overlook. 1t is also true
that Fitzsimmons is a good man, but he has
not in this country proven that he is a won
derful man.
The Championship Controversy.
Nothing new has transpired in the box
Ing championship controversy, as Corbett
emphatically declines to make a match to
fight anybody. Goddard has substantial |
forfeit up and Corbett ignores it. This in
all fairness ought to give Goddard the title,
at least 1t ought to take it from Corbett,
that is, if he has any title at all. Several
authorities claim that Goddard is now the
legitimate champion boxer of the country
and of course have good reasons for so |
arguing. 1 wouldn't be prepared to argue
that he is not
But the fact that q man like Goddard
claims the title OF champion of the United |
States is not much credit to us
Speaking OF the heavyweight champion
shin matter reminds me once more that We |