Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-29
Jegfr,es and WaIcott Are Only Two
undisputed Champions of Roped
Arena and Other Honcrs
Must Be Fought For


ing To u champion
In the bantamweight class there is no
champion. frankie Neil, bantam cnain-
ion of the United States, was beaten BY
Joe Bowker, then bantam champion OF
the British isles.
Since that time both have aDandoneo
the bantam class and are fighting in
the featherWeight division. Bowker ad-
mits that he is too heavy to defend
title at 115 pounds and is now the poss
of the English feathers.
Neil can make 11S pounds easily
enough, but is terribly light for
featherweight aspirant, especially SO as
long as Abe Attell is in fighting trim.
Neil's acceptance of the terms LOT
fight with Attell for the featherweight
championship of the world definitely
puts him in that class.
Featherweight Minus
AtteIl is claiming the featherweight
title and none can deny the technical1ty
of his claim. There are few who Will
dispute it in the ring. These few are
aspiring ones like Neil and Bowker,
neither of whom has any valid claim
upon the title.
Able is therefore entitled to the full
share of profits upon the claim, al
though he has not wrested any cham
pionship laurels in this division. None
is better qualified in this claim than
Attell. but the title is yet open to dis
cussion in the ring and should be set
tied by absolute and decisive battling.
In the lightweight division Joe Cans
holds a technical title only. He won
the title, but has defaulted in its de-
fense. Battling Nelson, who disputes
the championship of Cans, has sought
TO secure match with Cans at light
weight figures, but the dusky champion
refused to meet the championship terms
and made the first public announce
ment of the fact that he had outgrown
the class and could no longer fight in
that division.
While Cans is the technical champion
and Nelson is regarded as the popular
champion, the title in this division is
as yet unoffcially adjusted and until
a miracle happens there will be no
lightweight champion.
Cans not only refuses to make the
weight, 1873 pounds ringside, but says
that should he attempt it he would be
too weak to fight. This statement is
offered by him as the sole explanation
of his refusal to meet Nelson for the
title.
With Cans abandonment of the title
and Nelson recognized as the best Of
those left in the division, both by
popular verdict and by test of the
all beat before laying valid claims upon
the honor.
WeIter Is CIouded
The welter title is beclouded by the
actions OF Joe Walcott. The negro is
the undisputed champion, yet his de-
fault in defense of the title has given
some respectable recognition of the
claims of others up in the welter di-
vision.
Jimmy Gardner was regarded as the
most able aspirant to championship
honors until Twin Sullivan put him out
of the running in Jig time. Lewis at
tempted to take the title from Walcott,
but the negro ducked the issue and
now Lewis is spouting his claims.
Cans defeated Sullivan. That set
ties Sullivan's claims. Cans fought
Walcott to a draw and is now con-
ditionally matched for another battle
with the champion. That will settle
the championship.
Sullivan is undoubtedly the best of
the white welters and whenever Cans
and Walcott adjust their argument,
which everybody believes will be in
favor of Cans, there will be but one
chance of Sullivan making good for
the welter title-that by reversing the
two decisive and painful knockouts
artistic, effective and sleep-producing
mitts.
In the middleweight division Bob
Fitzsimmons held the title until he
abandoned it to fight in the light
heavyweight and the heavyweight di-
visions. 1t is as impossible for any
one man to hold two championships
as it is for Abe AttelI to knock out
Jeffries.
IU[a,, O,rr;o, dofoo+oI 1,;4.;.,,,.
he earned no title other than that of
light heavyweight champion, which
title Fitzsimmons wrested from George
Gardner after Lanky Bob had lost his
heavyweight lauFels to Jeffries.
Jeffries is the Gibraltar that must
be taken before O'Brien or Burns or
any other heavyweight can even excite
any interest in their claims upon that
great big title. Cans must be decisive
ly whipped before any welter can con-
vince the public of superiority in the
welter division.
Rearrangement Necessary
Decisive blows must be landed in the
bantam, feather, light. middle and light
heavyweight class before any cham
pion in these divisions will receive the
public approval.
Los Angeles is the only city in the
DdIIlGS
be held and i'm the necessary rear
rangement Of fight togas Tom Nc
Carey manager of the Pacific Athletic
club, is seeking to put on his card all
battles that are required for a read
jrstment of the pugilistic champion
ships.
Joe Bowker and Abe Attell have been
invited to consider terms for the
featherweight argument during this
summer and it is more than probable
that the terms offered by McCarey will
be accepted, inasmuch as Bowker has
announced his intention of coming to
America to lift" the title from Attell.
frankie Neil is the bantam cham
pion of the United States and always
willing TO defend the title. If Owen
Moran, the English bantam champion.
carries out his expressed intention of
coming to America to fight Neil, the
battle will occur in Los Angeles.
Battling Nelson and Aurelio Herrera
are already matched to fight for the
lightweight title, and there are none to
gainsay their right to do battle for this