The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-05-16
THE SAN FRANCISCO SPORTS
HELD HIM TOO CHEAP IN THE
FIGHT WITH BRITT
Fight Was Fair One in Every
Way Possible

Echoes of the White fight are
still reverberating and it is likely to be
some time before the rumbling ceases.
The sports of San Francisco are chat
tering glibly to cloak their confusion,
writes W. w. Naughton, sporting edi-
tor of the Examiner. They feel that
they owe White an apology for plac-
ing such small estimate on his fight
ing ability, and they are rendering to
him in the shape of assurances that
the next time he performs here he will
pull a bumper house.
The English lightweight mas been
modest and accomplishing from first to
last. He admits that the critics of this
country could not be blamed to any
extent for forming unfavorable opin-
ions of his prowess in view of the way
he was belittled by some of the sport
ing papers of his own country. He
says that there are wheels within
wheels in the English pugilistic belt
just as there are in some other places,
and that most of the adverse criticism
he was subjected to was inspired by
personal feeling.
He is sorry that more of the local
sporting writer's did not visit him at
his training quarters and judge for
themselves of his class as a fighter,
and he derives a certain degree of con-
ISOLATION from the fact that the public
now recognizes him as a capable ring
ster and is willing to lend its counte-
nance to whatever attempts may be
made to rematch him with Britt
Fight Was Fair One
A notable feature of the internation-
al contest was the fairness and manli
ness of it. 1t was so full of action that
the interest of the watchers never
tagged. Some of the dye-in- wool
fans said, in fact, that they never knew
and hour and twenty minutes to whiz
by so rapidly. The men were very
tractable in the referees hands. They
broke the instant they were ordered
and then began again. 1t was a remin-
der of the old days at the California
club before the so-called straight
Queensberry rules" empowered brace
of pugilists to grapple around like a
couple of CANNES ina street fight.
Old time boxers like Eddie Graney
were very much impressed with
Whites clean hitting, the right cross
counter which Jabez uses earning for
him a particularly big mead of praise.
1t was with this blow that he ratified
Britt in rounds three, six and twelve.
The Englishman times mis- delivery to
a nicely, and sends his dexter glove
nome with splendid precision.
White has started back to England,
but he purposes returning here in the
fall. He will use every legitimate en-
deavor to get return match with the
native son. He believes he can do bet
ter if matters shape themselves so that
he will not be required to jump right
into training the moment ne arrives.
Is Britt Entitled to Knockout?
A controversy has arisen in regard
to the manner in which the Britt
White contest ended. Some of those
who bet that White would not be
knocked out are reluctant to admit
that they lost their money. White was
in such a helpless state when the round
lacked twenty seconds of completion
that Referee Smith jumped between
the totteritng Britisher and harm and
awarded the honors to Britt.
The referee said before leaving the
ring that Britt was entitled to the
credit of a knockout. He instanced
that when seconds interfered to pre-
vent a principal from being punished
unnecessarily a knockout was record
ed. and claimed that similar ruling
should be made when a referee found it
necessary to ring down the curtain in
behalf of a fighter who was utterly un-
able to protect himself.
The question of knockout or no
knockout came up first, if memory
serves, when Tom O'Rourke threw up
the towel to save George Dixon in New
York. To allow the winner the credit
of a knockout in a case of that sort
seemed a common sense proceeding.
IF the matter had not been decided that
way the seconds in battles that
have been fought since could have
saved the bets Ringing on the knock
outs by interfering wnen the collapse
of a principal seemed imminent.
1t is a referees duty to stop a con-
test waen it becomes brutal or palpa-
bly, one sided, but to proclaim knock
out when both men are on their feet,
is a horse of another color, though. 1t
is a point that might be argued by
such as wish to see the sport of the