The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-12

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satisfactory TO me as I am sure it must
h. 10 him. I want to meet the great little
Crap from Michigan in battle to finish
10 decide once and for all the lightweight
championship of the world. l am, and
have been for ten years. the holder Of that
nroud title. Lavigne aspires to it. Indeed,
some of his friends have the presumption
10 claim it for him. As explicitly as I am
able, I respectfully beg leave 10 inform
him and them that he can't have the title
without fighting for it to a finish. Fit
and well. I honestly believe that can con-
ouer mis- rugged little marvel of the west,
and credit him with like conviction as
regards myself. A twenty-four foot en-
closure is the only place on which 10
settle that vexed question. The winner
of such a contest will be the unquestioned
champion of the world, for we are both
indicated men, and have vanquished
the best and bravest in our class.
Lavigne, to show his Willingness to meet
me. has accepted $500 from my hacker,
Dick Roche, TO make up the forfeit for the
amount he deposited with the National
sporting Club of London for match with
Dick Burge, the English champion. That
is the proper thing TO do, and evinces a
manly spirit. He could not fairly fight
the Briton for the worlds championship
without first dispOSing OF me. The Eng
lishman, by the way, is not lightweight,
hut a welter-weight, and he has pretty
good nerve to class himself in the former
division. But that is characteristic of his
nation. 1t claims everything in sight and
out of sight, from a lien on the earth to a
mortgage on Mars.
But TO return to business: I am willing
TO meet LaVigne, within a reasonable
period for $4,000 a side and the 5000
purse offered by the Eureka Athletic
Club of Long Island. l ask for a rea-
s1nable time, because, as all
the sporting world knows. I have a
broken right arm, which is now rapidly
mending. l called upon Thomas A. Edi-
son, at his New Jersey laboratory the
other day, and had the broken bone pho
tographed by the Roentgen method. The
rays clearly revealed the condition of
the fracture. 1t is such that the wiz
ard and the doctors in attendance said
that the arm would not have to be rebrok-
en- and reset, as some physicians, without
the aid of the X rays, insisted would be
necessary before l could fight again.
These gentlemen informed me that three
months of honest training and good treat
meut would make the Injured arm as
strong and serviceable as ever. That is
all the time l ask Of Kid Lavigne. By
that time l shall be in the best possible
fettle, and fit to make the fight of my
life.
BY the way, let me correct an impress
sion that has gone abroad that i am
back number" and have become aged"
1t was only a month ago that l saw this
in an English newspaper: The last OF
the Jacks, the once inYinctble trio OF
American pugilists, Sullivan, Dempsey
and McAuliffe, has gone the way of his
predecessors. Swift living has told the
tale He is fat, fair and forty, and no
longer able to hold the lightweight cham
pionship, which he means to relinquish
and retire indicated, thus escaping the
fate of Sullivan and Dempsey"
This is about as near as any English
journal gets to the truth. The fact Is
that I am just thirty years of age, and
although a bit in flesh, as strong, rugged
and clever as ever. 1 have never been
sick, as John L. Sullivan and Jack Demp-
sey were. sullivan was at death oqQr
a few years before he met Corbett lie
had complication of diseases and never
was the same man afterward. Jack
Dempsey was seriously SICK halt a dozen
times before he met Fitzsimmons, who
was twice too big and too strong a man
for him, anyhow. 1t was like leading
lamb to the slaughter. 1t was not age
that whipped Sullivan and Dempsey
they were only "a and "a years old, re-
spectively, when they met disaster-but
because the causes l have enumerated.
Joe Coburn was over 40 when he was
champion of America, and Jem Mace 45
when he held the similar title in England.
In both countries many men have been
champions long after they had passed
middle life.
So much for age. Now, can whip. La
Vigne, and what will be my plan of ac-
ton? 1 do not hesitate to answer botn
queries frankly, and without any desire
to be boastful. First, l sincerely believe
that / can defeat him. l base my belief
upon the fact that / outpointed and made
a six-round draw with him with an in
jured arm, and when l was not in proper
condition. When in perfect form, with
both arms sound and strong, does it nor
seem rational that l should win? Good
judges say that am quicker and cleverer
than the little giant of Saginaw, and l
think l am every whit as strong and as
hard a hitter Hence my confidence.
do not underrate Kid Lavigne a bit.
He is as strong as a little bull, and he
has the heart of a lion. Fear is no part
of his composition. He is fairly clever,
TOO. and as rugged as rock. He demon
strated that with Joe Wolcott. He took
a hammering which few men living could
stand and won out. Yet 1 do not think
he is Jem Carney, the great English
lightweight whom l fought to a draw
ten years ago. / do think him the best
American lightweight that I have met.
l will fight Lavigne as fought Car
ney, Harry Gilmore, and other great
gladiators. / will meet him at his own
game, and retreat or side step on occa-
sion. l will employ strategy as well as
force. Good generalship wins most bat
ties. With fierce rushers like Lavigne it
is absolutely necessary, and that is how
l expect to win after a hard and severe
know, will never quit while breath and
sense remain. If i win l shall be ready
TO fight the much Wanted Dick Burge of
England, and determine whether an En-
glshman or an American is to be light
weight champion of the world. Win or
lose, that will be my last battle. l shall
then either become a bookmaker at the
Track, or open hotel in Brooklyn or
New York. But though 1 then retire.
hope an undefeated member of the trio
of the three Jacks''-I shall always take
deep interest in the good old game and
help along as best l may all worthy as
plrants for fistic fame.
Jack McAuliffe.
Jack McAuliffe is not a back number by
any means. The showing he made with
me in our six-round bout the other night
proved that. He must have been a hum
lner ten years ago, when he met Jem Car
Aey, Harry Gilmore, Jimmy Mitchell, Pad
~ Mcbride and other good ones. His
ulal with me proves that he is just as
CleVer and almost as speedy as ever.
neither he can go a distance or not is
question He thinks he can, and that he
would be able to conquer me in a finish
lght. l do not. l think l could have fin
ished him when we met in our siX-round
oout had the rounds been of the regula-
lon three minutes duration, instead of
Two, as obtained that night. Competent
Judges say that Jack could not have lasted
SIX rounds more than night, at the best.
ana that in anything like a finish fight l
could hardly lose.
Jack now says he wants a finish fight
with me. He can have it, but am not go