The Washington times., 1906-04-08
BERGER IS TOUGH
GAME FOR O'BR|EN
Has Wicked Punch and
Some Experience.
WILL BE GRUDGE AFFAIR
Frisco Man Made Too Many Sarcastic
Remarks When Jack Met Fitz-
Burns Conner
WILL BE GRUDGE AFFAIR
BY CHIP.

CHICAGO, April Jack O'Brien is
going 10 be an extremely busy pugilist
during the next two months. with three
important matches staring him in the
face. The first go viii be with Sam
Berger, the latter part of this month;
May 10 he takes on Tommy Burns. and
lstec on in that month he plans to meet
Frank GOtch. the noted wrestler, who
has been trying to break into the fight
game for some time.
Tic clever Philadelphian may have
son:s little trouble in running the gaunt-
le- composed OF Messrs. Berger, Burns.
ara Gotch unscathed., Right at the
start he will. many believe. find a for
I1idable opponent in Young Berger, who
reHounces the amateur heavyweight
championship to get crack at O'Brien.
Grudge Fight.
The affair with Berger will be some
thing of a Grudge fight. During
OBricns memorable battle with Fitz-
simmons. the California youngster.
seated near the ring, made rather
sighting comments on O'Brien's meth
DDS. and freely asserted that the tactics
used by Fitzsimmons conqueror would
not avail against him CBerger). OBrien
u.
the fight. declared he would be only too
glad to take on Mr. Berger when the
opportunity should come if for no
other. reason than to show the young
man tSat he still had a few things to
learn about the pugilist game.
However, this Berger boy is a pretty
tough proposition for any one. amateur
or professional. He has been in a class
by himself among the amateurs-and be
1t remembered that on the Coast the
gulf between the amateurs and the
pros is an extremely narrow one
Berger's friends have been trying for
long time to induce him to enter the
professional ranks, but his answer has
always been that he would not do so
unless he could. like Jimmy Britt, bat
tie with the topnotchers right at the
start No working his way up for him
Berger Has Punch.
Berger is big. husky young fell
low with terrible punch, and con-
siderable knowledge of the finer points
of the game He has acted as SPAR
ring partner for some Of the best and
cleverest professional boxers that have
ever visited the coast and undoubtedly
has picked up great deal Of valuable
experience in this manner. He will
unquestionabl put up a sitter fight
than Al. Kaufman did with O'Brien.
as he is generally considered the bet
ter man of the two. The reason that
the question OF superiority has never
been settled between the two men is
that their great friendship for each
other has precluded such a test.
So when O'Brien and Berger meet.
the fur is bound TO fly and the veteran
Will find use for every bit of his
science. coOlness, and generaIship, IL
Berger performs as his admirers con-
fidently expect he will The knowl-
edge that he will practically own the
entire State of California in case he
should topple over the Philadelphian
will be a great incentive to the young
ster to extend himself to the utmost
In case O'Brien does for Berger, he
will next stack up against Tommy
Burns. who is beginning to be looked
upon as Conner"
OBrien probably has no misgivings
whatever about this match. as he has
previously met Burns at Milwaukee
something over year ago. when he
had no trouble in outboxing the De-
troit lad Burns AYERS, however. that
times have changed since then, that
he has improved wonderfully, and that
he will give Foxy Jack the fight of his
life when they next meet in the ring.
There is no denying that Burns has
come on rapidly within the past six
months. he is beginning to receive
due credit for HIS defeat Of Marvin
Hart, which. at first. was looked upon
as something OF fiuke, but which is
now regarded as having been due to
the little fellows remarkable quickness
and superior generalship. Burns has
lately shown that he has something of
a punch by the easy manner in which
he recently knocked out a couple Of