The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-10-31
JIMMY BRITT AND JOE CANS
WILL CROSS ARMS IN
SAN FRANCISCO.
Fight Fans Are Evincing Much In
terest in the Mill to Take
Place Tonight.

SAN FRANCISCO, oct. 31.-Jimmy
Britt, the great California, and Joe
Cans. the lightweight champion of the
world, cross arms in Mechanics Pa
viliOn tonight for what is expected to
be the greatest lightweight mill since
Jack McAulliffe, 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. a
The conditions of the battle, aside
from the fact that it is championship
in recent ring annals. The men will
meet at the true lightweight limit, 1873
pounds ringside But aside from the
interest that this most remarkable
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
q day.
Undeniably classy" strong. willing
masters of every trick of the game and
possessed of remarkable powers of en-
durance. the boys are looked to put
up a whirlWnd affair that will go
down into history. not as the best
since McAuliffes days, but the best
ever pulled off
There are, however, three reasons
why fight fans should not be cha
grined in case the battle has an UNI
satisfactory 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
another trick. The third is that he
will prove to be so greatly superior to
Britt that the meeting will be totally
lacking in interest.
1t is hardly probable. however, that
either of these will come to pass.
Cans conditioned to the low notch
nicely and apparently is as strong as
when he met Joe Walcott and gave
the Barbados Terror the battle Of
his life
While talk of job" as is custom
airy in connection with San Francisco
fights, has been in the air, it is ex-
tremeIy unlikely that Cans and his
manager Al Herford would dare to
pull of "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 business.
The third question, that of Cans
much Wanted superiority, is coming
i'll 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
distinction.
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. Ii
not gamer. than the negro. can assim-
ilate more punishment and can HAND
out about as much. AS to cleVerneSS
he is outshone several degrees, and
with Cans at his best, is not quite
so strong.
With everything ON the level anC
Cans not weak i must be a serat go