Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-09
Britt and Nelson Ready for
Contest
I'm SAN CISCO
JEFKRIEs no BD THIRD MAN IN
THE RING.
Odds 10 to z Against Battling Boy
Forty-Five Rounds May
Be Fought.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
SAN FRANCISCO September e.-Trained
to the hour and ready for their battle,
which will practically decide the light
weight championship OF the world. James
Edward Britt and Battling Nelson await
the call to the open-air ring at Colma this
afternoon. The referee question has been
settled. and Big Jim Jefrries will be the
third man in the ring. Jeffries and Nolan,
Nelson's manager, had an eleventh hour
conference. which resulted In the big boiler
maker being chosen as referee.
Britt reigns favorite at 10 to Z. the sta
ttonary odds of the past week. but consid-
ering the importance of the bout. the bet
ting has been unusually small. The native
son" money Is to be found at every pool
room and sporting center Of Frisco. but
the vaunted boast that Nelson would be an
even money bet of the contest has failed
to materialize, and. worse still. there Is not
much apparent support of the Dane In
actual cash at the prevailing odds. Bets Of
$lOO to $40 have not been particularly fire.
quent. and those that have been made to
date are Of the s. and $40 variety.
The conditions governing the fight are
many and varied. and have been changed
since first announced. on August 10.
As originally signed the agreement called
for forty-fve rounds or more, the fighters
to weigh in at 1873 pounds at 10 o'clock in
the morning of the fight. with the pugl-
lists share placed at 6o per cent of the
gross gate receipts Originally 1t was an
nounced that the winner was to take the
entire purse In addition to a 10000 side
bet. This. 1t later developed was mere
canard to arouse interest in the battle, for
the fighters privately agreed to divide tina
purse, ~ per. cent to winner and 40 to the
loser and to declare the side bet Off en-
tirely: Soft surgical bandages were to be
permitted. and the referee was to be Sc
lected by August 20. The latter paragraph
was not lived up to. for much wrangling
prevailed over the referee, and not until
today was 1t known who would be the
third man in the ring.
Ready at 1: 80 O'Clock.
The fighters agreed to be at the ring at
1:3O O'Clock in the afternoon, which Is ap-
proximately 4:3O o'clock eastern time, and
the club agreed to install an automatic
clock to dole away the fateful minutes Of
battle.
The fight will be held in an open-air
pavilion In Coursing Park, at Colma, which
ts the Coney Island of San Francisco. Ac-
commodations had been provided for l5,OO0
spectators, but the demand for admission
was 50 great that yesterday a large staff
OF carpenters was set to work building ad-
ditional stands Manager James Coffroth
OF the Coma Athletic Club which organiza-
ton is handing the bout. has estimated the
gross receipts at close to 10000, the pugI-
lists share thus being not far from 1880
II this estimate Is borne out by the actual
receipts the fighters will receive bigger re-
ward for their struggle than has ever fallen
to the lot of pugilists before. Frisco was
swarming this morning with sports from all
parts Of the country. and the attendance at
the rfngside will undoubtedly tax the ca
pacity of the vast amphitheater to It's ut
most. The price Of tickets ranges from $25
for ringside seats down to 50 for general ad-
mission and a bird's-eye view OF the con-
test.