The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-27
The Mother Country Has Few
Pugilists or Note.
In the heavyweight Glass Have
Only Mole Left.
WOULD FIGHT yRBRIEN
'sThe Gunner'' Ready to Battle
With the American.
Not the Big Purses Offered as i'm
the W est.

London, Dec. 27-The Daily Telegraph
says: 1t has been said in New York,
where the critics come from, that Jack
! 'Br1en, fine American boxer, could
beat all the English heavy weights
in a single night. and that SO little
support is now forthcoming for box
ing in this country that there is no
English CHAMP on worth the name of
any weight at all. Fortunately for
boxing all the big strong men are not
monopOliZed by any country. We had
few who are not forgotten yet and
thera are some still left who will prob
ably make their mark even in the
country which has produced Philadel-
ph1a Jack O'Brien, J. L. Sullivan, FitZ-
simmons, Corbett Jeffries and me rest.
AS a matter of fact if O'Brien were
to- come over here tomorrow with an
open challenge to all Corners, which
Moir, if not by others, his supporters
might suddenly discover that the
American champion was q middle
weight who would find it somewhat
difficult to give away quite SO much in
avordupois whatever be his cleverness
The phrase quoted above is not likely to
have been used by O'Brien himself or
any boxer that knew his business
whatever he thought of English box
ing just now.
Britons Back Jack to Win.
But it is evident there are men who
believe O'Brien can beat Moir, at any
rate, for an offer has already arrived
from Newcastle backing the American
to beat Moir for $4,000 side and the
best prize offered, either in London or
the north for twenty rounds, with four
ounce gloves and that offer has been
accepted by the gunner.
When it comes to cleverness alone
nobody wants more of it since the
days of Pedlar Palmer, than was seen
when Frankly Neil came over here with
terrific flourish of trumpets to tram
pie on Joe Bowker. 1t was not Neil
who did the trampling. Owen Moran
too. If we stick to the lighter classes,
beat two of their best men when he
went over to the states and could cever
get on another match. No doubt the
American Cans has talent of a quite
f1rst-rate order, but If his compatriot
Attell, wished to make a beginning he
could no doubt fix up a match by re-
turn of post with Johnny Summers,
our present feather weight champion
of England.
It is quite true that man like Peter
Jackson does not happen to be boxing
professionally just now on either side
Of the Atlantic. 1t would be exaggera-
ton TO compare the best of either
country with himscg s,s4 4TctrT "a II szI~r=
Has Had Good Heavy INV efgatsa a7h
And 1t is also true that america has
had more good heavy weights than we
have since his day. There is plenty of
encOurag cement ready in the shape of a
big purse as soon as the big man comes
along, but he seems for the moment to
be hourishing among the amateurs in
stead of the open ring. No one knows
how good Hopley Of Cambridge could
be If he liked.
At the big Aldershot meeting, too,
Lieutenant Craven has shown such
beautiful form, such straight and quick
hitting and so much knowledge of the
ring that if a meeting were possible
they could defeat any adversary. But
the hypothesis is needless and imprac-
ticable and If is no use blinking the
fact that neither Moir nor Palmer is up
to the highest standard, even if they
seem able to take on any challenge of
philadelphia jack O'Brien may have
in store for them.
The fact is we have largely lost the
science and the ring craft which have
distinguished boxing in the United
States of late. and that is partly be-
cause the Americans who take it up
there are better educated men than
ours. English boxers seem only to
have retained their characteristic style
long enough to hand it on to others.
Then they proceed to forget it. Ameri-
cans. once having learned it, are put
ting it into practice now.