The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-03
FIGHTING TALK
BY GEORGE S|LER
Veteran Referee Thinks Harry
Lewis Is Entitled to Match
With Joe Cans.
(eY GEORGE sILERD

The only fight in which a top-notcher
took part was pulled off at Denver.
the tOpnotcher being Harry Lewis, who
stopped kube Smith i'm the eighth round
of their scheduled ten-round bout.
The Nevada boomers rested on their
oars. Lewis demonstrated I'm his fight
with Rube Smith that he is good enough
to fight for the lightweight champion
ship. title he has been aspiring to for a
long time. lie took Smith on at 142 pounds
and did more with him i'm eight rounds
than Jimmy Gardner did i'm ten. He had
the Denverite on the verge OF knockout
several times during the fight. Lewis has
been after Joe Cans and ali other light
weights of class and. although a good
fighter, is unable to get a hearing The
reason Of this is he is not so favorably
known as Cans and others. having never
had an opportunity to fight for juicy
purses.
Young Corbett" the pudge ex-cham-
pion feather weight blew into town early
in the week and Immediately signed arti-
cles 10 fight kid Herman for the usual
largest purse offered and also IL was
stated for a side bet of 5000 Corbett
is now signed up for two fights Herman
and Tommy Murphy, and IL Is doubtful If
either will be. decided. What Corbett
and his proposed opponents want is
five figure Nevada purse and that is not
forthcoming. The Nevada promoters.
while good game sports with plenty of
money. are grabbing every match that Is
offered them. Immediately after the
Gans-Herman fight the Tonopah fight
promoters talked some of giving Corbett
and Herman a purse, since which, 1t ap-
pears. they thought more OF the purse
than of the match. When Murphy de-
feated COrbett there was talk of match
ing Herman and Tommy. but as there
was no Nevada purse i'm sight IL petered
out COrbett is on his way to Nevada
and while there will try TO induce a club
to hang up purse for him and. as he
says any lightweight in the business
barring Cans. In matching with Herman
he set practically a welter's weight to
the match. He demanded 14e pounds
weigh IN three hours before entering the
ring. and Herman. to the surprise of his
friends. agreed to the proposition. If that
was the lowest weight Corbett can fight
at there Is no room for him in the light
weight division. The weight. however
would suit Harry Lewis nicely. but the
probabilities are he is not seeking Lewis
game.
The Tommy Ryan-Hugo Kelly match.
articles for which were signed about a
month ago. seems to be dead issue AT
any rate nothing regarding IL has been
heard for some time and the men are
seeking matches with other men. Ryan,
in this respect. has been the most sue
cessful. as he has twenty-round tilt on
with Dave Parry which is slated to take
place at Hot Springs on February e. This
Will be Ryan's first fight in two years
March 20. II will be sort Of tryout for
him. Although I'm excellent health he is
not sure of himself as TO engaging in
finish fight with a tOpnotcher. Kelly, on
the other hand. prefers going the full
route and would rather have Jack
o Brien than Ryan for an opponent. Not
that he fears Tommy. but he has an old
grudge to settle with Brien and there
fore is anxious TO get at him. The Phil
adelphian. however is determined to keep
him in the background. that is as far az
he is concerned. so the prospects OF their
coming together are not bright
London sports are all worked up over
the coming heavyweight championship
battle between Gunner Moir and I'll
ger Smith which Is slated TO take place
before the National Sporting club on Feb
ruary q. Moir recently defeated Jack
Palmer for the title and as Smith is only
what we term a light heavy. the Gun
ner' undoubtedly will retain MS title
There Is some talk of matching the win
ner with Jack O'Brien or Tommy Burns
Senator Gus Hartmans anti-fight bill
seems to have been lost in the shuttle.
Is II possible the Frisco fight promoters
bound end gagged him and rifIed his
pocketsT
Jimmy Britt and his manager. Jimmy
COffrOth. have hiked to Byron Hot
Springs. Britt TO boil out before train
ing for his fight with Joe Cans and C0f-
frOth to superintend the boiling.