The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-23

is ~. HIhtcIl VIII lie between Abe
nltell anu owen Moran. on NeS Years
rs the faycritc IN the betting, and
looks to have good chance To win.
WINS Not Trninc-Up.
Complaint comes from one of the
officials OF the Dayton, Ohio. Athletic
club regarding atory published in
this column few weeks ago regard.
ing the bout at that place between
money Nlellody ana Frank MnntelI.
the good people OF Dayton are SORE
over the fact that 1t was Insulated
that the match was n frame.np, ami
thnt Mnntell double-crole,d Melody.
They say that there was every eyi-
dcnGe that the fight was on the level
and that II was tho flercest they have
ever mad at that club. They also seen,
TO place great fnith In the skill and
ability OF Mantoii az boxer. ind they
do not think they could he fooled by
anything that was not strictly OH tho
level In the lighting line. AZ this
story nas been going around the coun-
Try for some time. the Dayton boxing.
club Official appears rather surprised
that the manager OF Melody and Mel
lody himself had not denied the lnsin-
nation that tho affair In the l,,lstling
little Ohio city was very much off
color. Now. In regard TO the last pro-
position. there is nothing surprising
about the fact that Melody and his
manager have kept quiet about the
Dayton contest. There are certain
things that IL you stir them UP they
smell bad and In sporting matters II
Is often considered wise to let things
alone till they are forgotten, taking
the advice Of the old adage. 1.-THE less
sald the soonest mended." The real
trouble Is that in the case OF small
towns like Dayton they seldom get
q chance to see good boxers in action,
and they are hardly capable Of judg-
Ing a real contest when they do see
one. Men in those places who are fond
OF the sport are often willing TO pay
big money for contest. but they do
not always know how to 20 about
getting one. They leave themselves at
the mercy OF managers of second or
third-rate boxers. who are constantly
on the alert to dump their men IN
anywhere they can get piece OF soft
money. These fellows. like bunco-
steereys and green-gocds men. are
very active and enterprlsing. and they
are constantly filling the country with
the advertising matter of the boxers
whose interests they happen to BIS
booming. They are also good CORE
spondents. and 1t is cold day when
the athletic club manager does not
get iiiahly-colored boosting letter
telling Of the great deeds of the scrap
per represented by the llustl.nE man
ager.
Middle and TIeayywciShts.
H. ~. ..ts.,-..-.. .,..t.t-- '''''.-
pnpkc and Stanley Ketchell are the
two no ...nsnt
old years goes out. Both have come
into notice during the present year.
ketcheIi. by the three beatings he has
administered to Joe Thomas and Papkc.
by the good record OF knockouts he
has piled up for himself in fights both
in the West and East kctchelrs
broken hand may keep him out of the
business for some time, and Papkess
future will depend considerably on the
result of his match with Hugo Kelly at
Milwaukee on December goth. The
winner OF this latter contest is al
most sure to be matched with Ketchell
for the middleweight honors.
In the whelterweight class there
were no contests of any special merit.
Honey Melody. who has been claim
ing to be the CHAMPION Of that division.
has been beaten almost every time he
fought OF late. His last battle was
with Frank Manteli at DAYTON. o.. and
Melody was knocked out. the Boston
boxer claiming that he was the victim
of donble-cross.S Jack Blackburn has
things pretty we'll to himself in this
division. although he can scale at the
,iphtwaieht limit and wants 10 fight
for the ,iehtweieht cnar,nionshin. Rnt
1t seems to be hard inb to find men
willing to meet hin, FIR the reason that
he goes r'oht on heating every man
he is matched AGAINST
Jefsriea and Ettx Ont OF 1t.
While IT is probable that Joe Cans
has only stepped aside for little while
to invest the money he has made In
fighting any time real good match
with big purse is offered to him, the
chances are that the world has seen
the last OF two of its greatest figures,
for there is not much chance OF Jim
Jeffries or Bob Fitzslmmons ever TAX
Ing part in another ring fight.
Jesfries retired from dislike for tho
life OF pugilist. and the fact that
there was no one In sight worthy of
his attention. He promised that IL any
foreigner appeared who would be like
~ to take the championship away
from America, he would don his tight
ing clothes and endeavor TO get 1t back
This was his answer when the posi-
b!lity of Bill Squires being able to win
pugilistic honors began to be debated,
but, judging from Squires's work here
there Is little chance of Jcffries ever
being forced into the ring. Fitzsim-
mons retired under cloud, his fake
with Jack Johnson in this city being
one OF the rankest things In pugilistfc
annals.
The sport has had several hard
knocks during the year. The califor-
MIA earthquake hurt it considerable.
The scandals In political life in San
francisco, in which the fight promoters
were mixed up. also had bad effect
OH boxing. Political squabbles In In
diana. Illinois and New York have had
the effect OF practically closing those
States to the glove wlelders as far as
big contests were concerned. aud this
has greatly narrowed the field OF ac-
-tivity for the ambitious scrappers.
Don't Like to Get Punched.
One of the spectators at the indus
trial Boxing Club on Friday night,
after the termination OF the bout with
Jack Morgan, said OF his colored oppo.