The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-31
|6r92AQU1Rkks lszS|
EENSBUR1 IN
T. / ~BY AzALACHY HOGAV- MI
~DY AzALzACHl HOGAN

position of which is generally credited
to Tommy Ryan. Fitz announced after
his defeat by 0 Brien that he would
not appear in the ring again. Ryan is
supposed to have abandoned the game
and there is a chance for a new cham
pion to appear. O'Brien is too heavy
to lay claim to this championship. J.,
Practically all of the battles on
which titles depended were fought in
California and the remarkable vitality
of the sport there was all that kept it
alive all over the country It has re
manned alive there only because the
bouts have been clean and the fans
have been furnished real contests.
There have been some chickering's be-
tween rival promoters, but the public
is not especially interested in them,
and as long as the participants are
honest and the bouts are not >marred by
accidents, there will be no popular out
cry against the sport. ~
Despite the fact that big purses have
been offered in San Francisco, the pro-
moters have made money. and appar-
emily everyone is satisfied with cond1-
tions. The result has been that all OF
the boxers of exceptional class have
flocked to the Pacific coast. where the
talented ones have done we'll.
The Surprises.
Practically the only surprises were the
defeat of Jimmy Gardner by Sullivan,
and the rise Of the former amateur, AL
Kaufman, who was set back year or
two by o 'Brien, who has proven to be
one of the biggest boxing cards in the
country.
Chicago fans have had to be content
with amateur boxing and even that has
not been allowed to go it's way peace
fully. It received it's deathblow last
week, but in the past two months has
thriven wonderfully under the patron
age of the Chicago Athletic association
and the new Illinois Athletic club. The
latter organization gave two tourna-
ments at the Coliseum which were of
exceptionally. high class, and showed
what a great number of really clever
amateurs there are in Chicago.
Most notable Of the tournaments
given by the Chicago Athletic assoc1a-
tion was the one in which the Boston
team of six men came here and prac-
tically divided honors with the local
lads. The fasteners were all good, and
only one of them was in reality out
classed. It was found impossible, how
| ever, to match the pick of Chicago IS tai
ent against them The most interesting
feature of the second Coliseum tourna,
ment was the Gilmore-Lindstedt bout,
in which Gilmore disposed of an OPP
ponent who had previously put him to
sleep in one round.
Thinks 'Iid'' Unfair.
I do not think the action of the Chi.
cago authorities in. stopping the last
| Coliseum bouts was warranted, 1t indi:
Gates an unjust attitude toward high:
class sport. The new Illinois Athletic
club, as an organization that has done
more for pure athletics than any other
since it was organized, deserved better
| consideration. Its members are not peo
pie who need police guard about them
when they are conducting tournament
The club has contributed largely to
charity and it's events are not mere
moneymaking ventures. Such an atti
tude as this has proved detrimental to
high-class boxing during the last year
and if persisted in will hurt it during
: the year to come.