The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-19
ARE
EVENLY MATCHED
YOUNG CORBETT AND HANLON
SHOULD Make GOOD FIGHT.


Bout Is Evenly Divided-Sam
Berger of San Francisco May Be
Future Heavyweight Champion.
The fight between Young Corbett
and Eddie Hanlon at San Francisco,
Dec. 20, is the only event of import
ance in the pugilistic world in the near
future. These two good little men,
it will be remembered, met some
months ago and fought to a draw
Opinion is divided in regard to the
probable outcome of their next con-
test. Californians think Henlon a
sure winner, but the well-known par
tiality Of Pacific coast fight-followers
to native sons deprives this estimate
Of Importance.
1t is admitted that Corbett was not
III his best form when he fought Han
lon last. The featherweight champion
never takes the time to condition him
self thoroly for a fight unless he is sure
it will be close one., He underesti-
mated Hanlon, and the mistake came
near costing him dearly, for Corbett
himself admits that Hanlon had him
practically out. This time Corbett
will be as fit as he can make himself.
On the other hand, Hanlon is said
to have improved greatly in the last
champion. He has discarded his pc
culiar style Of covering up his head,
and fights more aggresslvely.4sgHe mad
slightly the better of the last-bout, and
the coming one appears to be a pretty
even proposition.
test, since Young Corbett has an
nounced his intention, if winner, of
challenging Jimmp Britt, the Pacific
coast lightweight. COrbett, however,
it is understood, will insist on l3O
pounds ringside for such match, so
that it cannot be held to be Tor the
white lightweight title. A match be-
tween Corbett and Britt should be
god one, tho the latter is not nearly
| so highly regarded as he was year
ago.
Eddie Graney, the we'll known San
Francisco referee, says he conslders
Sam Berger the most prominent young
| heavyweight now before the public.
Bergersis San Francisco boy mas
| learned what he knows about boxing
| at the Olympic club in that city Inc
! Olympic club has turned out such box
| ers as Jim Corbett, Joe Choynskl ana
| more recently Jimmy Britt.
| Berger is considered by Graney to
| be the equal of either Corbett or Choy-
nski when they were still boxing as
| amateurs at the Olympic club. Ber-
ger is 20 years old, feet 1 inch tall,
and weighs $50 pounds. He is still
growing, and will surely take on more
| weight as he gets older. He never
smokes or drinks, so his condition is
| as near perfect as possible. In the
| art of boxing he has had more than
| ordinary training under the careful IN
struction, Of Professor Vancourt, who
is the best boxing teacher in San
Francisco, and to add to this, Berger
| was Corbett's sparring partner last
| summer and acted in the same capac-
! ity for Fitzsimmons when the latter
was preparing for his fight with
| Gardner.
Berger is very apt pupil, and he
soon learned all the cleverness Of Cor
belts footwork and also all the tricks
| used by the foxy old COrnishman.
| Graney takes all these points into con-
sideration, and then states that by the
time Berger becomes a professional of
some standing Jeffries will have
reached the limit of, any ordinary
fighters career, and that Berger will
be just the sort of a fellow to win the
| cham piOnShip.
Berger will go to st. Louis next
[ summer to Box for the amateur cham
| pionship of the world, and then east
ern critics will have a chance to pass
on his abilities. In California there
are a good many followers Of the game
I who agree with Graney in his predic-
ton that Berger will some day wear
the heavyweight championship belt.
The old saying, Take one fighter
out of a family and you have them
ALL" hardly holds good in the case of
Hughey McGovern, brother to the
famous Terry McGovern. Hughey
fought sixteen fights in about two
years, and has won eleven of them
and made five draws. He has scored
f1n ot1o wi,
have been on points. Hughey can
make. 115 pounds and be strong. He
is willing to fight any man in the busl-
ness, and, like Terry. thinks he can
whip them all. Confidence is one of
the best features of Hugheys makeup,
and his friends predict a bright future
for him. At the beginning Of his
career Sam Harris, his manager, was
q bit dubious about putting Hugfey
against hard hitters, as he was wont
to invite a knockout by sticking up his
nose at his opponent and daring him
to hit him on the jaw, but he has over
come that habit, and is strictly busi-
ness when he gets in the ring. Sam
Harris says Hughey has improved
wonderfully in the last year, and he
truly believes that he will become a
great fighter some day.
1t is believed that a genuine light
weight rival to Britt is looming up in
the person of Jack Cordell. The
young fellow named broke into the
professional ranks a couple of months
ago when he boxed a ffteen-round
draw with Joe Angel, who acted as
Terry McGovern's sparring partner
while the Brooklyn whirlwind was
training at San Francisco to box
Young Corbett. After that Cordell
met and defeated Herrera, the con-
queror of Kid Broad. Now CordelI is
matched to box Charley Seiger before
the Reliance club at Oakland and If
he succeeds in defeating the "Iron
Man he will be looked on as the
logical opponent of apparently un-
beatable Jimmy Britt. 1t may be said
that Cordell is regarded as a sure win
ner over Seiger, and in consequence
the Britt-Cordell match is being dis
cussed as tho it were fixture instead
of a mere prospect:
CURLING