The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-25
HOW MANY PUGILISTIC
TITLES ARE UNcL0UDED?
Flaws Can Be Picked in the Cham
pionship of Nearly Every Top
NOtcher of Various Glasses.

Although St. Louis Tommy Sullivan
does not possess any pugilistic champion
ship as yet. unless he sees fit to lay claim
to the local title at 126 pounds, he takes
comfort In the fact that few champs
of to-day have absolutely clear right to
their respective titles.
Its dead easy to claim the champion
ship at some weight no other fellow ever
thought Of" says Tommy, 'and l dare
say could announce myself the champ at
1264 pounds il I wanted to. 1 don't know
of any one else claiming exactly that
weight
How many of these champions to-day
have absolutely clear titles at the weight
accepted as the class limit ten years ago?
Mighty few. Except Jim Jeffries. almost
every holder has a flaw in his title of one
sort or another.
Harry Forbes claimed he was down
only nine seconds when the referee gave
to Neil the decision. Harry was good and
strong a moment later, so Nels victory
bett won the feather-weight title when
he was five pounds above the limit. Joe
Cans is still called lightweight cham,
pion, yet he was licked by coon named
Langford few days ago.
Joe Walcott has been going up ana
down, licking and getting licked all year
Yet they call him the welter-weight
champ. Syracuse Tommy Ryan and Bob
Fitzsimmons each claim the middle
weight title. Yet Mccoy put Ryan away
and Fitz is far above the middle-weignt
limit.
heavyweight title. Each clairns It. That
brings us up to the heavy weights. Jen-
ries has knocked ell his men out, SO he
here we have Jack Munro with q decision
over him in a four-roand bout.
Now, with all these guys having title
with a cloud on It, what's to prevent me
rloir NJ
pionship at weight no one ever heard
of? Abe Atteil and McGovern each claims
the legitimate feather-weight title-that Is,
the 122-pound championship even this
class has an argument in 1t. !
Championships don't count for much,
after all, unless man wins them 1alrly
and squarely Mt the regular figure. A man
Ike Benny Yanger probably makes as
much money! as II he had a title to fall
back on. That is, he made 1t when he
was fighting steadily in Chicago, Wheth-
err that was due to the fact that he was
fighting in his home club or not is q
thing we are not talking about just now"
Sullivan is about the only member OF
| the pugilistic persuasion left in the city
these days Gus Bezenah has been In
Chicago for some days. Andy Walsh is
| spending his Christmas in Pueblo Tom
| Johnny Regain is in Brooklyn. Abe Attell
| has returned TO Chicago and Is doubtless
| explaining what he would have done tC
| Forbes had their fight taken place.
Harry IS also back in Chicago. Clar.
ence Forbes. who was here short time
! ago, is at New Orleans. John Reid, man
| ager OF Bezenah and Walsh. is in Chi
cago. OF course. we have George Biocl
and Joe Yanger always with us. and Jacl
Doyle is stu resident of this burg
| Billy Huber has fallen from grace. II
| Jack Crowley's estimation. and probably
doesn't deserve to be mentioned in thi:
| company.
1t is likely to be a doleful Christmas a
| the West End Club. "Scotty," the Gus
| todian, is said to be mournful in the ex
| treme. He had counted on seconding {
| good man in one of the fights lately
| scheduled, thereby pulling down certain
sum for himself. Just to cheer him VI
| Ctc - Haughton states that he viii
shc' few holes from the billiard-roon
| through the roof Of the basement apart
ment where Scotty sleeps. This Away!
has had an enlivening effect on Scotty.
At the Columbian Athletic Club thu
| Christmas present handed out by the DO
| lice in the form of an order to keel
| shut has not affected the members FEES
| tivities continue at that locality, ant
| Billy Zimmerman and Gus Zimmerman
are hopeful of putting on good matche
| in the near future.
Taken altogether. this holiday period 4
not the most cheerful fighters have ex
perienced in this city of late. but Haugh
tor insists that the promise is for bette
things.