The Saint Paul globe., 1898-07-03
QUEER RING PERFORMANCES
BOXING, LIKE BASE BALL, IS
HARD TO HANDICAP

Bent sharkey anu 'sharkey smoth-
cred Ruhlin-Jen' Smith Fought
Jake KiIrain 100 Rounds to a
Draw, and DAN Creedon, Middle
weight, Beat Smith HandiIy.
There is nothing certain in a horse race.
and it is decidedly difficult matter to sue
cessfully handicap a base ball game. But
either Is easy when compared with Judging
in advance the probable outcome of battle
with the gloves between two gladiators any
where near an equal footing. Va Thursday
night Of last week Tom Sharkey the husky
man-of-war' s-man from the Pacific coast,
stopped Gus Rubin. the Akron giant. in two
minutes and seventeen seconds Recently
Jeffries, the big boxer who is now making
bid for heavyweight championship honors,
beat Sharkey SO decisively that there was no
question as to which was the better man, and
not long ago, prior to that event, Rubin
boxed Jeffries to a draw. Now the puzzle
is which is the better man of the trio?
THE BIG FOUR.
When Fox and John L, Sullivan had a
falling out because John L. refused to wear
the "dog collar, provided by Fox. Jake Kill
rain became thes first worlds paper cham
pion." He had to do something, SO he went
ognized champion heavyweight of England
Kilrain and Smith fought LEG rounds to a
draw. and so evenly matched were the men
that neither cared to renew the combat to
settle the question Of superiority. Kilrain
came back to America, and it took seven v
five rounds for Sullivan to demonstrate that
he was Kilrain's master Then Dan Creedon.
middleweight. went over to England and
beat Smith, handily, in a few rounds II
form counts for anything in ring contests,
then Creedon was. for time at least. cham
nj Aierht n Plrt fpr,oo
does not count in prize fghting-that is not
always.
MCCOY. AND SHARKEY.
The next move on the puglistic checker
board now should be Sharkey and Mccoy.
Sharkey has Just beaten, in a round, the
man Mccoy could not stop in twenty rounds.
But they won't meet-McCoy has other ar
rangements. made in advance; that will make
1t impossible for him to grant Sharkey a
match. And the publlc-that portion of it
interested in ring mattersy-does not care a
rap how many engagements Mccoy may
man or lose a lot of prestige. sharkey is
willing. He has his faults. but lodging any
one Is not one of them.c He has met 10th
the stars-Corbett and Fitzsimmons-was
within an ace Of thrashtng Corbett Moth
ing saved the pompadour champion but the
fact that the bout was limited to four
rounds. He could not have gone one more.
COhbElI In II1E 0tAME
All hopes of meeting between Mccoy and
any one save Corbett seem to have been dis
PEELED. Corbett saw Mccoy. fail to stop Ruh-
lin. and he Immediately made play for Nc
Coy. There was a meeting of representatives
Of the men in New York, one day last week,
and there We're any number of bids for the
battle, but nothing was agreed upon. One Of
fer was purse of $25 800 by Tom O. Rourke.
It was not accepted, and the probabilities are
that the affair, like many others in which
Corbett has figured. will fall through. Nc
Coy should let 1t drop and take on Skarkey.
There would be more in that for the Hoosier
than a go with either Corbett or Fitzsm-
mons sharkey will make the best Of them
real fighter. Il Mccoy doesn't want his game
why doesn't Corbett take 1t? Because-wel,
the posted ones know. - '-'
WHERE Is FITZSIMMONs?
There is one man who can give Sharkey an
interesting argument. That individual is
none other than Bob F1tzsmmons He is the
best man that the sailor ever met. The man
of-war's- man says SO and he ought to know.
Fitz is not very busy at this season of the
hiding and give Sharkey q 60. There would
be big money In 1t for tie winner. And the
wise ones think they cam pick that man-and
point at Fitz. - EN
BAR THE .PLEXUS.s 500 o..
It;is about time, that the solar plexus blow
were barred, in boxing contests. 1t is dan
gerous blow, and permits unfair fighters to
take advantage of it in fouling dangerous
opponent The heart blow is bad enough,
but when a boxer is permitted to strike an
opponent in such a vital spot as is designated
the solar plexus 1t is making of sport most
serious matter. Oscar Gardiner knocked out
young McClelland, of Pittsburg. with the
solar pleXus, Thursday night, and for a time
1t was feared that McCleland would not sur
vive. 1t is difficult for a referee to see where
a solar p.exus lands, and the safest plan is
to bar the blow. 1t is barbarous, anyway.
MAKE NEW RULES.
There is a growing demand for new rules
to govern moxing matches. The Marquis of
Queensberry did very we'll in his day but his
rules are now regarded as practically OBJ
solete and something new is needed. The
Queensberry rules were framed to prevent
clinching-that is to prohibit taking advan-
tage of a clinch-and nowa the referees say
be free. That gives the stronger man and
not the most scientific, the advantage, which
is step backward rather than forward-a
move toward the old style OF fighting, under
London rules. Some one should prepare new
rules that will elevate rather than further
degrade the sport.
GIVE ALL A CHANCE.
If the promoters Of boxing want to popu-
larize the game, let them take away from
contestants the power to dictate what they
will do and who they will meet. There might
be prepared an emblem representing the
championship, and let any man contend for 1t.
Those who are disposed to bubble can then
take a back seat and watch the procession
of real boxers pass by. That would nave
wholesome effect on the sport. and rob it OF
much that makes 1t unpopular with the
masses. Willie Green.
THE SONG OF THE EIGHT.