The Washington herald., 1906-12-16
FEW GOOD FIGHTERS IN Ring
Rapid Deterioration of the Prize
Fight Game.
Burns fin JeRries' ShOes-OId-time
Crack Smiles when He Surveys
the Field of PugiIisss.


Not since pUgilism was introduced IN
America. ninety years ago, has there been
such a rarity OF really hrst-class fighters
as during the present year. Considering
even the fighters Of only ordinary ability,
the men in the ring Of to-day who are
really professional boxers. and worthy Of
such distinction, can be numbered on the
the fingers Of both hands. Such a state
meat may sound far-fetched. but it is
correct. nevertheless.
Why this decline, when there is more
opportunity Tor success. the financial re
muneration greater, punishment and LA
bility to serious injury less By far than
ever before?
No doubt the fact that boxing has re-
Gently met with severe reverses, until
at present Chelsea. Mass, Philadelphia,
San Francisco, Los Angeles. and the Ne
vada mining camps are the only locales
Of bouts of any consequence, is, no doubt,
responsible in a way for the lack Of In
terest by men who might take I'D pugi-
Iism much as they would any other pro-
fessi0n.
There are but twelve men in the six
different classes who are fighters worthy
OF the name. even at the present time
They are. frankie Neil and Jimmy Walsh
bantam-weight. 1i5 pounds; Abe Attell
and Harry Baker, feather-weight. 122
pounds: Joe Cans. Battle Nelson, and
Jimmy Britt, 132 pounds: Billy Melody
and Joe Thomas. welter- weight, Il2
pounds; Philadelphia Jack O'Brien and
Hugo Kelly, middle-weight, l5S pounds
and Tommy Burns. heavyweight.
What a contrast with few years back:
George Dixon, Pedlar Palmer. Kid La
vigHe, Frank Erne, Tommy White. Joe
Bernstein, and numerous light men were
as well known and as good. II not better,
than the champions OF the light-weights
Of to-day.
In the lightweight class Joe Cans. who
was beaten by Frank Erne and other
fighters six years ago, is the undsputed
champion. and practically in a class by
himself for twenty-round contest
The welter-weight division is a farce. so
far as the men fighting these days at Ii2
pounds Is concerned. Joe Walcott who
has been fighting for sixteen years, has
been. up to the present, able 90 defeat
all Of the uprising crop of men in his
class. Age and dissipation finally did
what purchers could not accomplish, and
Walcott lost TO Billy Melody, whom
he could have knocked out In four rounds
when al his best, some seven years ago.
Another instance: Joe Thomas. because
Of the fact that there are so few men
in the class, was credited by some au-
th0rities with being the welter-weight
champion. Al Neil. an old-timer who
never accomplished much. met Thomas
recently and gave 10 the new wonder all
he could handle in a 10-round bout
Besides Melody and Thomas there are
practically no welter-weights in the ring
to-day. with the exception of Willie Fitz-
gerald and a few more men who are 100
heavy for lightweight class and too light
for the WeiteTs In fact. Thomas is too
heavy for the welter class and is really
q mlddle-weight.
There are but two active middle-weights
who are well-known-Jack O'Brien and
Hugo Kelly. What a difference from the
days when Tommy Ryan, Kid Mccoy
Bob Fihzsimmons. and Mysterious Billy
Smith held forth In the middle-weight
class, besides numerous others
Strictly speaking. since Jefries retired
the ring has been without heavyweight.
with the possible exception of Jack John
son, the negro, who might just as well be
off the pugilistic map. for the reason that
he is unable to get battle Burns is
nothing more than a light heavy weight
Nevertheless he holds the heavyweight
championship title. John I. Sullivan.
Jim Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, and Jim
Jeffries smile when they think of it.
There are but two bantam-weights who
are ever heard of these days-Frankie
Neil and Jimmy Walsh. Owing to the
few even promising men in their class,
both have been fighting at the feather
weight limit. although they can make
hantam-weight-1l pounds. The bantam
weight class is practically a back num-
Der because Of the lack CT men in the
division.
Joe Cans. Battling Nelson, and Jimmy
Britt. are three good light-weights Kid
Herman might be included in the list,
but he is too light for a lightweight
and too heavy Tor the feather-weight,
and a very ordinary fighter at best; so
that ne must be left out. Jimmy Gardner
is az times a capable fighter, but he is
50 unreliable that il would be impossible
TO class him with men like Jack
McAuliffe. Kid Lavigne, Frank Erne,
and Cans. That Cans holds the
lightweight championship demonstrates
how the boxers of to-day are retrOgradlng
~ skill and ability.
At the feather-weight limit Abe Attell
is in class by himself Attell could
probably hold his own with any 122-
pound man that ever put up his hands
for a bout up to twenty rounds. Harry
Baker. who has had but three profess
sional fights, is the only man in the
ring who can make the feather weight
limit and put up a respectable battle, out |
side Of Attell
Tommy Murphy. of New York, is a
light lightweight and was beaten by
Attell, a feather-Weight, and MCGOveTn |
and Young Corbett are nothing but heavy |
feather-weights and has-beens.