The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-05-26
OM YTHREE CHAMPIONS
NOW BEFORE PUBLIC.
Jeffries, Attell and Cans Only
Ones Who Hold Undis-
puted Titles.

There are at present only three
champions who hold their titles with
out a shade of dispute. This Is duo
to many causes, the most important
of which is the spirit of antagonism
to prize fighting which seems to have
swept over the land during the past
two years. Whore formerly bankers
and brokers' mingled with bootblacks
ana newsboy9 to match Il champion
made and unmade, there are now only
to be seen those devoted followers OF
sport whose lives seem to be given
UP to the practice of finding enjoyment
in the physical superiority of one indi-
Niuual over another.
There is one real champion, and no.
body disputes his title, no matter how
| often he retires and returns to the
ilghting game. That is James j. JEFF.
fries. The big boilermaker. now a
specialist In the cultivation of alfalfa,
has roundly defeated every white man
who had shade of a claim to the
heavyweight honors. One man has
had the temerity to insist that he could
defeat Ieffrles, and that Is Arthur
Johnson, better known as Jack John
son, the negro champion heavyweight
Color Line Intcrfcred.
| The color line prevented these two
men from ever facing each other in
the ring, and resulted in reducing the
popularity of the white title holder in
the North and West.
Jeffries's view of it is that the cham
pion has the right to select, the men
he considers eligible to try for heavy
weight honors. and then, II some mu-
nfcent club puts up n purse of $780,
600 or more. with a bonus guarantee
to jeff himself, he may consider q
challenge. One thing stands to rea-
son, and that Is that there is no pu-
gilist now in the limelight who could
dare to face Jeffries with any hope of
beating him, except by accident.
| Joe Cans. the Baltimorean, stands
way aboye every lightweight in tho
i country, could probably beat most of
the welterweights. and would give
some of the middlcweights n hard run
for their money He is undoubtedly
the best boxer on earth, and in his
class reiGns supreme. only one man
has the nerve to make any claim to
Gnns's title, and that is Battling Nell
son.
Nelson's Weak Clnim.
The methods of Nelson and his man
ager, Billy Nolan. are too well known
| to allow this claim to detract any
credit from Cans. Whatever claim
Nelson has to championship honors is
based on the fact that he has never
been Knocked out, and that he lasted
forty-two rounds against Cans, losing
on foul. But Cans pounded Nelson
to q jelly in that battle and gets ali
the credit for victory.
| Abe Attell is the third champion
who has real title to his credit. This
| featherweight champion has tackled
all of tho boys of his class who are
rated at the top. and disposed % them
ALL He seldom uses Knockout punch,
but the punishment he can give is
equivalent to that. Attell to-day is
the best featherweilsht in the ring, and
| justly holds his title.
| There are so many bantamweights
now in the game that the title is
claimed by about twenty of them.
frankie Neil holds the American hon
ors. but he has now become so heavy
that he could never defend them. Joe
Bowker, of England, is credited by
most OF the experts with the worlds
championship. He is probably as we'll
entitled to it as any ole else, but he
is now fighting way above his weight
and If he had to make the ll5-pound
| limit would probably be defeated by q
good boy with fine sparring ability
and a sleep punch.