The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-11-07
SPORTING NEWS.
Is Jeffries the Champion Heavy
weight Pugilist?
Many of the Sporting fraternity
Contend COntrariWise.
SHOULD FIGHT AGAIN
And Dispel the Cloud Hanging
Over His Title.
A Complete Knockout of Shar-
key the Thing Required.

Many of the best sporting men OF the
country are dissatisfied with the outcome
of the Jeffries- SharlSey mill Friday nghr
as rendered by Referee Siler and claim
that the former fighter did not establish
a clean title to the heavyweight cham
pionship.
In many ways the outcome of the bat
tie was unsatisfactory and should De
fought again to a finish between the two
men. Some of the best journals take THIS
position ,-,- -. ,,1,,.+r, +,s,
the idea in the following article. 1t says:
''Jeffries and Sharkey will have to night
is not to be settled on points. One man or
the other must win completely and declS-
A contest which does not go on to a
finish is mere boxing match-interesl-
THAT Jeffries had the better OF. Friday
nights fight is maintained by the ma
jority ana denied by the minority Peo-
pie who had money on Jedr1es regard lle
decision of the referee as a righteous one
So, likewise, do many people VINO mao f, no
entertain contrary opinion for the judg-
bv subtle bonds Of sympathy. The fight
BY rounds indicates that Jeffries really
was the stronger at the end or the maj
round-that he had inflicted the greater
punishment and that if the fight had been
carried to a finish he would have Knocked
But that settles nothing. The hypo-
thesis is conditional JeffrieS might nave
beaten Sharkey in the end. but it Is not
possible to affirm that Sharkey might
not have beaten J effrieS. When 1t comes
to suppOsitiOn one guess Is as good as
another. We saw that Sharkey was twice
knocked down in the second rOund-Iak-
ing eight seconds, in one instance to re-
sumo the contest. Yet in the next round
he was the aggreSSOr and had the better
of the milling. Is there anything to dis
prove the assumption that he might nave
repeated the proceeding in the twenty
sixth round--if there had been d twenty
sixth rOund-and that he might eventu-
ally have won out?
The championship is not securely held
by Jeffries. There is a cloud upon the
title, and the cloud Will rest upon it until
he shall have beaten Sharkey to a stand
still-rendered him incapable of coming
to the scratch at the call of time. And,
speaking of clouds upon the title, there IS
a cirCumS tance which. under a strict con-
structiOn of the pugilistic statutes, vests
the heavyweight championship not in
.Jeffries FftZSimmO or COrbett, but
in John /. Sullivan, who won it from
Paddy Ryan with bare knucl<les under
London prize ring ruleS-the only way IN
which ii can be Won Jeffr1eS may be
Queensberry champion or boxing cham
piOn but he is not champion heavyweight
pugilist. The title is not to be won with
gloves.
This point, however, viii not seriously
be considered by the modern champions,
who fight for gate receipts rather than
glove championship there must be a fight
to a. finish in order to fix the title. JEFF
fries viii have to meet Sharkey and keep
meeting him until one man OF the other
throws up the sponge Decisions on points
don't go %