The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-04-10
Tommy Ryan Flunks Out of
O'Brien Match.
Every Demand Of Ryan's Had
Been Cheerfully Met.
ONE OF HIS OLD TRICKS
Offers a Trip to England as His
Only Excuse.
Kid McCOy win Be Asked to
Take His Place.

Cincinnati. April 10.-The Enquirer
says:
Tommy Ryan has "hunked" out of
his match with philadelphia" Jack
O'Brien at Louisville. His only excuse
is that he has been matched to meet
Johnny German in England. AS the
contest with German does not come off
until month after the date set for the
Louisville bout it seems as if Ryan has
deliberately backed out Of his go with
O'Brien.
The official announcer ent of the
match being declared off was made By
Manager Bob Gray. of the Southern
Athletic club. in a telegram to the sport
ing editor Of the Enquirer last night.
This however, only confirmed the an
nouncement made in yesterdays En-
quirer that the match would not take
place.
This is not the first time he has funk
ed out of a match. At New Orleans in
1892 he was matched to meet Danny
Needham, and dropped out on the plea
that he had tonsilitis. A year after he
threw down George Dawson, this time
claiming he could not fight on account
of sprained ankle. Ryan has persist
emily turned down joe Walcott on the
ground that he win not fight a cOlored
man. Yet 1t is a well known fact that
he fought Frank Craig, the Harlem
Coffee Cooler" He knew Craig was
easy, and therefore did not bother about
his color
When the O'Brien-Ryan match was
first suggested Ryan claimed that
O'Brien would not do weight for him.
He repeatedly refused offers of large
purses to fight O'Brien because the lat
ter would not make 158 pounds
To show that he was sincere in his
desire to fight Ryan a forfeit of $500 was
posted by O'Brien with well known
was at once notified that his weight pro-
position had been accepted. After vast
ing much valuable time he was finally
prevailed upon to sign articles with
O'Brien and Mr.. Robert c. Gray, of the
Southern Athletic club, made the men
an offer, which was at once accepted by
O'Brien. Ryan made all sorts Of de-
mands and asked many concessions To
preventive match falling through both
O'Brien and the club management gave
in to everything Ryan asked for. For
feits Of $500 each were to be posted with
the sporting editor of The Enquirer to
guarantee weight and appearance at the
ringside. Ryan did not send on his
money as was stipulated in the articles,
but wired that his forfeit was up with
a Kansas City paper. O'Brien expected
to post his cash when he arrived in this
city next Sunday night to begin train
ing.
The Southern Athletic club, under whose
auspices the contest was to nave been
pulled off. gets the worst of it all around.
Several hundred dollars have been eXpend-
ed already in preparing for the match, and
this expense will fall on the shoulders Of
Bob Gray and his associates. That Manager
Gray is justly indignant at Ryan's UNDER
hand methods is shown by the following
telegram:
louisville. KY, April 10 1so2-Ryan
has given US the hot end of it. He wires
that it VIII be impossible to fight O'Brien
on account of going to England to meet
German. ROBERT c. GRAY"
Gray said that Ryan's actions were those
of a man with a streak of yellow in his
veins and the only conclusion that could
be drawn was that he was afraid to face
o Brien in the ring.
But we are not going TO let him break
up our show for Derby night" added Man
ager Gray. .I have wired Kid Mccoy in
New York. and if the Kid can do the
weight he viii prove a good substitute for
Ryan. If we can not get Mccoy we shall
make an effort to land some other good
man. At all events there will be a star
attraction at the Southern Athletic club
on Derby night, May 3. The public can
rest assured of the fact"