The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-11
TIMELY BOXING TALK.
O'Brien's Right 20 Meet Tommy Ryan 70
AIlddlcweiEht Title Established.

u
By defeating Young Peter jackson az
| Baltimore the other night Jack o'Brien Of
| Philadelphia looms again to the fore as the
| legitimate aspirant for middleweight honors.
| This class, or rather who is at the head OF IT,
| has caused Just as much discussion as per-
haps the featherweight division. which IL
without a leader Rs well Many claimants
for first place have bodied up in both classes
and II will be some time before the riEhtful
possessor Of the honors Is known. Jackson
was really the only pugillst In the way Of
O'Brien for the championship in this class,
unless Tommy Ryan Is 20 DO considered In
the controversy. But he IL 30 busy nursing
his present laurels by lighting when II just
suits HE fancy. and this is only at the rate
OF twice or three times a year, that the public
Is beginning TO forget that be is a contender
for tho title. Ryan has been called the
middleweight champion. and has accepted
the caption with good grace But when
person refuses TO fight for his crown. a. Ryan
has done. he becomes less important in tho
eyes OF the public.
O'Brien Isl a pugilist who Il vastly different
from Ryan IN temperament O'Brien 10 after
the money. and thus Ear has made his share
OF II. But be wants more and realizes that
the only legitimate way OF eorralling II IL 70
scrap for It, and this is what he has been doing
during the last ave years. O'Brien has
thing that counts In the prizernE
jackson had a victory over O'Brien early
In the Philadelphlan's career. As long as
this reverse rested against him o'BTien could
not be safely considered a proper contender
for middleweight honors. But 10 has been
wiped out, and IL Is up TO Ryan now 70 do
something. 10 Ia firmly believed that O'Brien
IS sincere ia his challenges to Ryan. He
has hurled deh after uen at "Tonslilitis
Tommy" and none Of them can be considered
unreasonable or arbitrary. OBrlen IN bis
Ryan at the middleweight limit. i5S pounds
weigh IN at the Tiugside or az O'Clock on
the afternoon OF the contest. lie has pre-
side which is in strict accordance wtththe ethics
Of this or any other class Ryan IN reply TO
O'Brien has displayed eyasiNeneEs, but
TOmmy's answers We're so cleverly con
struCted that he gave the impression that
he was more sinned against than SHINING
and that he was really the only one that
" Ryan iguofed oBrlsns Weighing propo-
sitiOn and suggested i54 pounds ringside.
Ryan took for his standing In making this
suggestion that Bob Fitzsimmons aud Jack
Dempsey when they fought for the title ia
this class did not scale as much as IS! pounds;
This Is undoubtedly correct; both fitz aud
Dempsey were under the scale: But they
were not compelled to fight at this weight.
The Hunt Of this class Is i5b pounds, and any
man who can scale between l45 pounds and
lbs pounds Ia considered a middleweight.
Thirteen pounds divides this class from the
weltsrwelEht division. and the gap u a long
cannot get, or does not weigh above $50
pounds in condition. which he has led his
friends 60 believe. although he has refrain ed
from Weighing in publicly. It Is not O'Brien's
fault, and Ryan should not insist on the
Quaker making any unfair concessions IN
weiEht II Ryan was on the level resP3rdiinhg
weight limit be i5s pounds and so ahead and
sign articles.