The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-27
THEY WANT THE FIGHT.
Immense Sums offered for the JEFF
fries-Sharkey Contest.
M

From present indications the forthcom-
| ing battle between Jim Jeffries and 1om
| Sharkey for the heavyweight championship
any similar event that ever took place.
Notwithstanding that the date Of the battle
| is three months away interest in the great
affair Is paramount to everything else or a
pugilistic character, and some idea OF the
manner in which it Is regarded by promo
tiers of sporting enterprise. d may be gathered
offered by one California syndicate, while
| $40, 900 bids are so plentiful that little. If
any, consideration Is being given to item at
all.
The first offer that made fits appearance
was one of $4,000 from Charles Newman. a
for for 500 as guaranty Of his sincerity in
| the affair. Newman, acting solely in his
| own behalf, wants the contest to be held in
was built several years ago for bicycle
matches. 1t has a seating capacity Of 15.c00
persons It is the purpose Of the promoter mote,
should he be the successful bidder, to bring
| off the match during the daytime.
Upon the heels of the irst bid came enc
tions identical with those made by Newman.
except a purse Of $4,000 was offered. the
fight to take place some day t., september
between the hours Of ? a; m; and p. ?; m;
seems ms to indicate that the New York fight
ing clubs, which have engineered 50 many
tap If they secure the fight. To q club
which has the facilities for making pho
Geographic reproduction OF the battle &0O0
would not be too much for the lighters to
cilities would be taking extremely hazardous
chances. The microscopic exhibition Of
fstic contests has passed beyond the expert
mental stages. When Fitzsmmons and Cor
bett were shown the films were indistinct
was made by exhibiting them in every coun-
| try on the globe will never be known. To
such an extent has the photographing of
movable objects been perfected since then
that a wholly satisfactory result may be OBJ
terest that is now being taken in pugilistfc
affairs an exhibition Of genuine champion
ship fight, such as the one forthcoming
ought to profit its promoters to the extent
Of several hundred thousand dollars. This
Is really the incentive for the offers Of the
| large purses now under consideration. Some
| lively things will happen before settlement
| is finally made.
| The heavyweight problem will be more
| complicated than ever If the number Of as
| TO be added to with the same frequency
| that has characterized the situation during
| the past year. Already Joe Kennedy, the
big Californian, who won decision recent
ly over Gus Rubin. is being doomed as a
| future factor in the disposition of the THU
| lar honors. and a half dozen self-consti-
tuted managers are falling over each other
trying to get engagements for him In the
| East.
| California's wise fistic people are also try
| ing to tell US about another heavy-weight
phenomenon named Jeffords. who is re-
puted to have done all sorts of things with
Jim Jeffries in a four-round scrap which
took place short time before the latter
tails of the alleged affair were written
| doubtless by some individual who is inter-
ested in launching another derelict like Mike
Morrissey upon the pugilistic sea.