The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-24
SPORT
WEAR DRESS SUIT
Referee Graney Will Present.
Swell Appearance in the Ring. I
FITZ AND JEFF ARE CONFIDENT
Final Preparations for Champion
ship Contest at sam Francisco =.
Tomorrow Night. =, >, ~ :

4 Sporting men from all parts Of the coun-
try are arriving at San Francisco on ev-
cry train to witness the contest to-mor-
row night for the heavyweight champion
ship. The bettirg has not been heavy!
in comparison with the amounts wagered
on previous events of the kind and the
odds have not f1uctuated much from 10 to 4
in favor Of Jeffries. ~ .,'~ .''' #'H
Those who fancy Fitzsimmons admit
that he has the disadvantage of age but
argue that he has led an exemplary life
and is younger to-day than the average
man Of 40. That he is trained to the
hour is beyond question. Fitzsimmons
has never made such preparations for a
battle. He is as fit as man Of his age
can be made. This being known the short
enders are looking upon him as a good in
vestment. Fitzsimmons is full of con-
f1dence and wishes to be quoted as saying
that he will surely win. ..,
Jeffries will do little or no work to-
day. He is in splendid spirits and de-
clares that there Is no possibility of his
defeat
The arena has received It's canvas can
opy and has been declared safe by the fire
authorities and is ready for use. Nearly
100 policemen will be employed to restrain
the crowd which Is sure to gather around
the structure while the fight is in prog
ress.
DR.. c., w. Green, physician for the San
Francisco athletic Club, has examined
both Jeffries and Fitzsimmons and pro-
nounced them in perfect condition phys
ically.
Eddie GDaney, the referee, will enter the
ring attired in Tuxedo dress suit. He
says he will order the men to break and
will not go between them. He will not
permit any 1nfraction of the Queensbery
rules. No one but Delaney or Dawson,
representing Jeffries and Fitzsimmons
A-,, IL
sponge. Graney will not allow either
man to be disqualified by a bottle holder.
If a man is knocked down the one stand
ing will be compelled to, go to his corner
or be disqualified. Graney looks for no
trouble. He says both men know tho
rules we'll and neither will commit foul.
Interest Is Incren sing.
The interest in the fight though
never very great at any juct-
ture, Is increasing at San Francisco as
the gong hour draws nigh, but the promo
ters have changed front in their position
that the fight would draw $6O, 900. Sam
Fhall, the stakeholder ard the man who is
handling all the money accruing to the
advance sale, now thinks that the pair
will box to about a 900 house. Less
sanguine ones than Thall think this figure
may be shaded down one-fourth. If this
latter figure proves correct, it will demon
turning down the 100000 guarantee from
Los Angeles-a mistake of something like
$4,000.
The big heavyweight fight houses in the
order of their drawing powers show that
Jeffries and Sharkey fought to $4,000;
Jeffries and Fitzsimmons to $4,000; Cor
bett and Mccoy to $56,G00; Jeffries aad
Corbett to $4,000, and Jeffries and Rubin
to s31 900.
It now looks as though the eastern
sports who were expected on in great
numbers, will be content to read about
the fight, for but few of them are on the
ground or coming.
Jeffries, over in Oakland, did very. little
work yesterday. He took walk in the
morning and boxed a couple Of mild man
nered rounds with Kennedy. Fitzsimmons
contented himself with boxing three
rounds with Hank Griffin for Mayor
Schmitz and a party in private.
Blind Louis Metzger, the lottery king,
Adolph Spreckels and Percy williams,
have taken about $4,000 on Fitzsimmons,
getting two and a half to one for their
money.
The fight between Joe Cans, the Balti-
> more negro, who faxed it with McGovern
In Chicago, and Rufe Turner, which takes
place at Oakland tonight is being more
heavily bet on than is the big fight Cans
is 10 to 6 favorite.
Difficult to Size Up.
Sporting men here acknowledge that
the coming battle is very difficult to size
up. If Fitz were normal man it would
be easy, as betting on jeff would be a
cinch, but Fitz is not normal. He is far
beyond the age when fighters remain in
the ring, yet he is pronounced physically
better than ever before, and he certainly
shows very few signs of age.
Fitz himself is perfectly confident he
will, reverse the result Of three years
,Nzago when he meets Jeffries Friday night.
: Ever since his defeat by the Californian
he has studied Jeffries style of battle
and has laid plans to overcome him. He
knows he can hit Jeffries, for he found
no trouble in reaching him before. The
study, then, comes down to the adm1nis-
tration of decisive blow of sufficient
force to put the big fellow on his back
s. for ten seconds. =,
There is the conundrum. Jeffries
thinks that no better success will follow
Fits raps In the coming fight than &C.
companied them in 1899. He argues that
what he once stood he can take again and
digest. Fitzs1nmons does not agree with
such conclusion, but says he will open
up some new work that will be surprise
to Jeffries and his hackers
Jeffries' confidence is something which
gives his hackers nerve to put up coin on
2 to basis. Most Of them talk as
though wagering money on him was like
picking 1t up in the street. There is nc
question of the enormous superiority Of
Jeffries In purely physical strength.
He is the most powerful man ever ir
a ring. capable OF hitting harder thar
4 John L. in his prime, and what makes
him dangerous is. that he has developed
speed. He Is very light on his feet and
he hits straight clean blow-straighter
cleaner and harder than when he net
s Rubin and sickened that big fighter will
SGyeral punches over the heart
II - HVHIE pHnlMn =