The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-05-19
make is to- raise the issue which hi
opponent dare not discuss. s: =
At tho Metropolitan.

At tho Metropolitan.
In speaking Of the gentle art of
boxing, John L. Sullivan, who comes
to the Metropolitan next week, with
his company, says:
Boxing has not improved as an
art, years, though there were not
as many boxers Ii years ago as now.
It is an evident fact that when took
up boxing I put it on the plane that
it now maintains. I put it In a shape
so that they could make some money
out of it. both the managers and the
fighters. Boxing has gone ahead In
this country and deteriorated in Eng
land. They have not had a champion
in England for a long time, neither
heavy nor light weight Mitchell was
the last champion they had in Eng
land. Jim Mace, like myself, WAS
champion both Of this country and in
England, in his day. He is still alive.
This goes to show that boxers or
fighters, if you prefer that term, have
as such men, lived to good old age.
Mace is "a years of age, and we'll and
hearty today.
ION what lines was the boxing diff
ferent Is years ago? Mere foot racing !?
The difference in the styles of fighting?
Well, in boxing Is years ago, the used
to fight for very small prizes. The
boxing prize was $1,000 for interna-
| tional championship. or 200 pounds in
English money.
on the 7th day of April at Farnsbor-
~, cid M TT
national championship OF the world.
Spectators broke into the ring, and the
referee declared it no contest. Box
| ing has not improved any.
! The lightweight championship of 20
years ago was fought for by such
men as Billy Edwards, Arthur Cham
bers, Tim Collins, Mullins, and Patsey
Shepard. Now they could fight all the
lightweights we have today and beat
them easily. 1t seems today the light
weights have the hOnors on fighting.
It Is fact that more lightweight
fights have been put IN the ring for
the last four years than sany other
class OF fighters. For the particular
reason that there don't seem to be any
other classes to fight. In the light
weight class are Britt, Nelson, Corbett
| and McGovern. Jeffries has not
trained for a heavyweight fight in the
| past year, nor has Jim Corbett for
| two years. There has been no mid
dleweight fighting. The middle weight
used to be 154 pounds, now they make
it as high as 1873 pounds. Middle
weight, according to Fistainer was 154
pounds; anything over 154 pounds was
considered heavyweight. The best big
man In this country or England either,
did not weight more than 165 pounds.
Morrisey, Herman, Coburn, Mace and
John Dwyer, did not weight over 165
pounds, in condition, and they were
classed in the heavyweights. These
have only been put in vogue within the
last ten years. According to Fistianer
in his day there were only four
weights featherweights, lightweights
middleweights, HghtweightsI welter-
in this day they have bantamweight
featherweights ,lightweights, weller.
weights, middleweights and heavy
weights, in fact they make their owr
weights.
"A great many people imagine, OF
think, that if a man is boxer o,
fighter, that he has got to be tough
or an ugly mug, but such is not thu
case. A boxer or fighter can be a.
much of a gentleman as the banker
broker, physician or merchant. Ant
If the manly art of self defense wa
taught among the generations of SOM
people there would be less murder
less shooting and firearms used. The,
would resort to manly means to set
tie their difficulties. Now, I have al
ways advocated boxing as a clear
i, manly healthy exercise. More so thai
g football playing, wrestling or jockey
3 ing. There is never time that
I locked mounts a horse in a runnin
+ race that he doesn't take hs life i
his hands. There has been less fa,ta1
tiles in the prize ring and contests q
n this kind than there has been anon
r football players and jockeys.
e "Statistics will prove that this is
+ fact. In the month Of October, 100
e up to the month of December durin
d the football season, there were owe
r 10 football players that were kille,
: and God only knowns how many WEI
Y MANNED and injured for life. This
: a fact, too.
Every young man from IS to
IT. years Of age, should be taught tt
n manly art of self defense, in ordt