The herald., 1896-01-27
THE ROPED ARENA.

carnival that Dan Stuart has promised all
visitors to FL Paso on February Ia, it looks
more than ever as though the program
would 60 through without hitch or
misstep. Mr.. Stuart jocularly remarks
that there is nothing but a thin haze of
gubernatorial objection that darkens the
air around his big scheme, and it looks very
much as if the man who was laughed at
from one end of the country to the other
for his insistence would turn the tables on
those who jeered at him. Not content with
carrying out his pet scheme as regards the
fights, Stuart has also arranged for five
bull fights to take place, one on each of the
days that will see fistic championship
won or lost. A famous troupe of bullfight-
ers has been imported from Spain. and
bull ring has been pitched at Juarez, just
over the river from Ell Paso.
The full program as now arranged car
ries with it five men and as many bull
fights, the former taking place In the afrer-
noon and the latter in the forenoon, as
follows:
Feb. 14-Maher vs.. Fitzsimmons. purse
of $4,000 and the heavyweight cham
pionship of the world.
Feb. l5-Bright Eyes VS.. Walcott, purse
$500 and welterweight championship of
the world.
Feb. 16-Jack Everhart vs.. Horace
Leeds, purse $500 and lightweight cham
ni92pashi9 eofss pf ths W9yld d,xon VS.. Jerry Mar
shall, purse of $500 and featherweight
championship of the world.
Feb. 1S-Jimmy Barry VS.. Johnny MUIR
ply, purse of $250O and bantamweight
championship of the world.
Already the town of Ell Paso is fast fill
ing up with the visitors VINO have come to
see the greatest fistic carnival that has
taken place in the history of the prize ring.
These five fights that are billed to take
place, and which undoubtedly will occur,
are each for what may be considered the
championship of the world. To attempt to
pick combination of winners is an evil
thing. but in the present instance, judging
from past form and present condition, the
list of winners would reae very much as
follows: Fitzsimmons, Walcott, Ever
hardt. Dixon and Barry. Walcott fights a
man that is, comparatively speaking, an
unknown quantity, though there are golden
reports of his dash and quickness. In the
Everhardt-Leeds match, to the uninitiated,
it rather seems as If the fight was in some
measure gift to the clever New Orleans
man. The hardest fight of the lot in
which to pick winner is the Barry-Mur-
ply match. Barry's hand is not all that it
might be since it was broken, though other
wise there is nothing to cavil at. But he
will need all the advantage that he has,
for he will meet man that ia a past
master at all the points of the game.
On October %, 1890, at Providence, r,
l., before the Gladstone Athletic club, for
purse of $500 and a side wager of like
amount, Murphy fought Dixon for two
hours and forty minutes. In the fortieth
round, and while the bantams were in q
mix-up in the center of the ring, both in
action, and apparently good for lots more,
one OF Murphy's seconds threw towel in
to the air. Referee Coakley parting the
men on the signal and declaring Dixon the
victor. Murphy to this day claims that he
was betrayed by the second who threw up
the towel, and since that time has offered
to re-match himself against ORourke's
wonder.
To come back to the Walcott. Bright Eyes
match. Sometimes these unknown men
have knack of turning eleven calcula-
lions upside down, but unless the Texas
darl1ey, "Bright Eyes, is a wonder, he will
have tough time of it when he faces Joe
Walcott. The Barbados darkey isn't very
pretty to look at, but he is ''black de-
mon," indeed, for the toughest of them
What he will be if he gets ian easy marlS'
the future will tell, Tom O'Rourke ad.
mitted the other day that he considered
Jerry Marshall, the darkey who is to face
George Dixon, "pretiy hard game" though,
of course, he expecis Dixon to win. AL
mith does not. He is betting on Marshall,
who is not an Australian as many suppose,
but New York boy, who went to Austria
liza with a minstrel party and there became
a scrapper. He gave Critic the fight of his
life there and would have defeated him had
not the battle been stopped in Critics in
terest.
AS to the big fight between the giants,
the sporting papers are still discussing the
chances of Maher. The very fact that SO
few remarks are made upon the ability of
his opponent goes to show that deep down
in the bottom of their hearts the detractors
of the lanky Australian have q lingering
doubt as to the ability of their new idol TO
do all that is promised for him, but not by
him. Barring accidents, against which no
man can guard, the big fight should 60 to
Fitzsimmons, though it seems a pity that a
good man like Maher should have all his
chances spoiIt by one defeat.