Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-10-31
LIGHT
WEIGHT
FIGHTEES
Battle Tonight for the Cham
piOnShip of the
World

San Francisco, Oct. 31.-Jimmy
Britt, the great Californian and Joe
Cans, the lightweight champion of the
world, cross arms in Mechanic IS pa.
vilion tonight for what is expected to
be the greatest lightweight mill since
Jack MeAuliffe, once holder of the
title, fought Jim Carney, the English
man, and ran away from the ringside,
still champion, but one of the worst
beaten men that ever stepped within
the roped enclosure
The conditions of the battle, aside
from the fact that it is champion.
ship affair, make it one of the most
unique in recent ring annals. The
men will meet at the true lightweight
limit, 133 pounds ringside. But aside
from the interest that this most re-
markable fact gives to the match, the
records of the two men, their great
ability as prize ring warriors and the
money and title they will contend for,
all make for one of the hardest fought
battles between men of their weight
in many a day.
Undeniably "classy" strong, will
ing, masters of every trick of the game
and possessed of remarkable powers of
endurance, the boys are looked to put
up a whirlwind affair that will go down
into history, not as the best since Nc.
Auliffe's days, but the best ever pulled
off.
There are, however, three reasons
why fight fans should not be chag.
rined in case the battle has an unsat.
isfactorv ending. One is that Cans
may fail to make good his promise to
be all that he needs be at the weight,
the lowest he has made since he beat
Erne for the title. The second is that
Cans reputation for shady work makes
it not unlikely that he will turn an.
other trick The third is that he will
prove to be so greatly superior to Britt
that the meeting win be totally lack
ing in interest,
1t is hardly probable, however, that
either of these will come to pass.
Cans condition to the low notch
nicely and apparently is as strong as
when he met Joe Walcott and gave the
Barbados Terrer the battle of his life.
While talk of "job," as is Gus
tomary in connection with San Fran
cisco fights, has been in the air, it is
extremely unlikely that Cans and his
manager, Al Herford, would dare to
pull OFF a cleanup here. If they should
they would never be permitted to leave
the city with whole skins. As for
Britt, he is not in the cleanup bust
ness.
The third question, that of Cans ,
much vaunted superiority, is coming in
for much serious consideration. The
negro is a marvel. Britt is a grand
little fighter but hardly a marvel. He
will have to beat or draw with the
champion before he can claim that dis.
tinction.
The most important question, there
fore, that obtrudes itself is whether
or not Cans has made the weight and
saved his strength. If he has the wise
ones say he will win and cannot in
any event lose, except by laying down
or committing a palpable foul.
On the other hand, it is contended
that Britt is younger, is as game, if
not gamer, than the negro, can as
similate more punishment and hand out
about as much. AS to cleverness, he
is outshone several degrees, and with
Cans at his best, is not quite so strong
4 With everything on the level and
Cans not weak it must be a great 60.
Britt has all the best Of the articles
in the matter Of division Of the purse.
If he wins he gets 70 per cent, and If
he loses or draws he gets 80 per cent.
He refused 70 fight unless these con.
eessions were made.
Eddie Craney viii referee.
D