Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-02-27
One For White Fighters and An.
other for the Black
Men.
IS SOME RACIAL PREJUDICE.
May be That Each viii Some Day Have
Their Own Champions and Fight
Among Themselves.

7CORDING to the views OF an
N ardent fight fan OF Salt Lake It
will not be many years before
there Is another shakeup In pug
dom, and changes aside from those
proposed at the recent meeting at De-
troit. will be made. II Is matter that
is receiving consideration at the hands
Of prominent devotees Of the game all
over the country. The result OF the
division, now talked OF, Il 1t takes
place. viii be two sets OF champion
pugilists --one for white men, another
for Ethiopians.
For long time the colored boxer
has been considered factor In the
game OF fistcuffs. despite the fact that
there Is strong prejudice against them.
The negro fighter. no matter how clever,
Is generally regarded as being the pos
SCISSOR OF big yellow streak" and II
given considerable punishment, would
quit But this idea Is gradually dying
out, for the reason that the theory Is
not true. Ring history for the past
few years has demonstrated that there
are many black fighters who are cap.
able OF taking a great amount OF pun
ishment, and In this respect they CON-
pare favorably with the white pugs,
Among the colored fighters who have
made great names for themselves In the
ring, could be mentioned George Cod
frey. Joe Butler Peter Jackson, George
Dixon Joe Cans and Joe Walcott.
Jackson and Dixon were the best liked
among all the negro fighters, because
they were regarded as square honest
fellows, and were never known 10 take
a hand in any crooked fights
But there II n deep rooted prejudice
against the colored fighter, II always
pleases the fans to see a white man
whip black fighter but little praise
does the latter get when he turns the
tables.
The opposition to the matching Of
negro and white boxers originated In
the south, New Orleans being the first
place to take the Initiative. Down there,
when n white man was pounding a
black boxer up pretty badly II was
thought to be great sport, and the fol-
lowers OF pugillsm always wanted to
have front seat. When, however, the
tables would be turned and the black
boxer was making a punching bag out
OF the white fellow II ceased to be
sport, and there was loud call for a
reform OF ring ethics. This state OF
affairs spread slowly but gradually, and
1t will in time cover the whole country
Other cities. such as Louisville and
Lexington, fell in line after New Or
leans. Then It reached Baltimore, and
the fact that Joe Cans, a colored man,
had the easiest kind of a time batter
ing up white boxers caused so much OPP
position that for while boxing was
put under the ban althogether In that
city and II was opened up again with
the understanding that the two races
should be kept separate In boxing con-
tests followed suit, and the boxing clubs
and promoters OF the Windy City have
announced that In future they will only
match colored boxers against men Of
their own race. In Philadelphia the
subject has been discussed more than
once by sporting men, and the better
class are inclined to favor the match
ing only Of white boxers against men
Of their own complexion, and It will