The herald., 1896-02-03
THE ROPED ARENA

The choice of George Siler to referee the
Maher-Fitzsimmons contest seems to give
the most & general satisfactio He is
known as a thorough sporting man and
understands the game of boxing from A
to z. Mr. Siler himself was in the ring at
one time and held the lightweight cham
pionship of the east for some years. 1t is
doubtful if better selection could have
been made.
As the time draws near for these big
fights, rumors of interference on the part
. of the government of the state would be in
order. But, barring feeble wall occasion
ally, one hears little or nothing of any at
tempt to stop these contests. 1t really looks
now as if Dan Stuart, the laughing stock
of the country during the late lamented
Corbett-Fitzsimmons debate, would turn the
him up in the garish light of ridicule. He
will be in a position TO execute light
some dance upon their PROSTATE anato-
mics if he feels so inclined. Mr.. Stuart
has arranged the greatest flstic carnival
the world ever saw, four worlds cham
pionships being battled for. AS yet, the
actual spot where the great arena will be
erected has not been given out, but every
detail has been perfected and, barring an
other flood or the destruction of the earth,
nothing can stop it now.
: AS to the fights themselves. Walcott and
''DflgnU IlyeS'' COliiIlSs WHO Try lot tHe
welterweight championship, arc both col
ored men. Walcott's reputation as shifty,
speedy fighter and very hard hitter is al
ready known. Collins is sort of unknown
quantity, barring & few comparatively un-
important battles. But such is the style
and strength that he has shown that his
money is to be found in plenty. Experi-
ence will tell against him, but should the
two men mix things closely, an unlocked
Tor ending may be the result. Jack Ever
harit and Horace Leeds battle for the
lightweight championship. Eyerhardt
sho Id win this fight, Leeds being neither
90 strong nor enduring as his opponent,
VINO is q glutton for punishment. Leeds is
undoubtedly faster fighter. but lacks the
stamina that Everhardt shows in the ring.
The Dixon-Marshall is a much harder
guess than would appear at first sight.
Dixon is an undefeated man, though he
has been stayed with in good shape by both
punishment as if he likes it, and withal is a
cunning man Of fence. He is not untried,
aud has worked against some of the best
men in the country. Murphy and Barry,
who contest for the bantam championship,
bring the great card to close. Everybody
is guessing on this contest, Barry appar-
emily having the longer end. To pick the
winner is hard game in this case, though
in the event OF short, quick contest Barry
would probably come out on top. Murphy's
penchant for long fights is we'll known. and
he may be able to stand Barry Off long
enough to turn the tables.
OF the big contest much has been said
Gradually the various sporting writer's
throughout the country are drifting over
to the side of Fitzsimmons. Maher is per-
fectly confident of his victory, but he had
better not forget his former defeat. The
lanky Australian will undoubtedly carry the
long end of the money when the men step
into the ring, and moreover, he should be
able to fully sustain the opinion of his
hackers. However, the night of February
IA wi decide what has been troubling the
minds of sporting men for the past two
months. When the fight is all over, either
Maher or Fitzsimmons Will be badly
whipped man.