The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-25
NEEDS NO KNOCKOUT
Followers Of Prize Ring AK if Cor
bett Can Get Title on Ref
eree's Decision.
He Will Be Champion if He Out
points Jeffries for the TWEEN
ty Rounds.

If Corbett outpoints Jeffries in their
battle at San Francisco next month, can
he gets the championship on tire referees
decision? That is a question which has
been asked frequently this summer, altho
on it's face it appears simple. >.
Some men argue that it is an ancient
tenet of the prize ring that no champion
can be dethroned except by a knockout.
AS pointed out by w. w. Naughton in
a recent article, however, champions in
the old days of finish fights with bare
knuckles often lost titles by default. If
by default, why not by the referees de-
cision?
The days of finish fights are over.
Fighters are content to let capable ref
cree award the big end Of the purse ac-
cording to his judgment. If the official
can be trusted with the disposition of
thousands Of dollars, why can he not
| award the championship as well?
A decision on points in a fight of such
Importance will please no one except the
partizans of the winner. The public at
| large likes to have big bouts decided by
Knockouts It has been suggested by
partizans of Jeffries that Corbett may
try runaway tactics in the hope of out
pointing jeff and getting the decision.
Discussing this point one day this week,
Oscar Gardner, the Omaha Kid, drew a
parallel from the former bout between
Jeffries and Corbett. He said:
| Many persons say that Corbett would
have received the decision in that fight
had not Jeffries put him to sleep in the
| twetny third round. With Siler referee
| ing, however, I hardly think Corbett
would have been a winner. He was SIM
ply tapping and scooting away land thres
| fourths of his blows were given not to
| injure Jeffries, but to keep him away.
| A man fighting that kind Of a battle ap-
I,,{I =, Of
| Siler knows the difference between
sparring match and a boxing bout for a
purse or title, and it is my opinion that
he would have given Jeffries the decision,
because the champion was chasing Cor
bett all the time, and tho he landed few
er blows, those which he did land did
more damage than Corbetts."
\ It Is to be presumed that Eddie Gram
ey knows a fight from a sparring exhi-
bition as well as Siler, and Corbett is
not likely to get the decision by Outlook
ing Jeff in a defensive battle. According
to the ex-champion himself however, he
intends to go after Jeff, and if possible,
put him to sleep.
} Reports from Jeffries' camp are all to
;. the champions good. Delaney promises
that he will be in much the same condi-
ton he was in when he played rings
around poor old Gus Rubin and showed
him up so badly. The sentiment around
! Jeffries' camp seems to be that Corpett
is merely out for the short end of the
purse, and all the big fellow has to do is
to get right and stay there. He has II
over Corbett and knows it, and Corbett,
they think, knows it, too. Still 1t is
! difference of opinion that permits OF prize
3 fighting.
: Jack O'Brien of Philadelphia is to make
> another fistic invasion of England. The
2 Philadelphia middleweight is to leave
1 for the other side in two weeks. OBrlen
5 mission abroad is to box Jack Palmer
8 who is at the head Of the middleWeigh
division of England. The contest, In al
. proba bility, will be decided the latter par
of next month in London. OBrlen was
, practically unheard of when he went t.
8 England about two years ago. But %!
4 defeating the best of his division on tn
0 other side he soon became known In tn
ffteen months O'Brien was abroad n
made over s25, 900. O'Brien says that h
u will not remain long across the water
I hit will return here within three months
2 ready to fight anybody in his class.