Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-07-15
He DAYS DOINGS IN N1E WORLD OF SPORTS.
sTREAKs OF MELLOW.
Show Through Brushes Vii, Which
Color Lines are Drawn.

c1lored boxer which causes the color
line to lie drawn 50 much as it is a
wholesome fear of his prowess. Brer
Downing says:
Three negro boxers who have "buf-
faloed" most of the white menin their
classes will show soon in Philadelphia.
Jack Johnson. heavyweight. sam
Langford, middleweight. and Jack
blackburn. weltcrweight. might, claim
championships if fighting was done as
in the old DAYS. For there was once
a :ime when champions who failed to
meet good men didn't retain popular
favor. Now, however. all that is
changed, and title holders are shy of
dangerous men.
Their failure to meet first-class men
has aided in bringing the business to
such a pass that there is hardly
champion with a clear deed. None OF
the white hcavyweights. including JEFF
fries, will meet Jack Johnson. Bob
FitzsimmOns, now AZ years OF age, has
taken him on because he is anxious to
convince the public that he Is still fit
for the ring, and because he would
show, that. even if the others are
afraid of the big black, there is no
streak of yellow i'm Cornwall. OF
course. the fact that Jeffries has meyer
met johnson is not proof that the
champion is afraid. Probably there is
no one who thinks that the negro
would last many rounds before the
hest man in the world.
But Mike Schreck, Jack O'Brien.
Tommy Burns. and the host of heavy
o1.li, nt1p
color line which they have drawn was
painted with a yellow brush. So too.
with Joe jeanette. a negro one shade
lighter than Johnson. Repeated efforts
to find Il match for him have met With
failure; yet there are good judges Of
fighting who think that he can whip
any man in the country, barring JEFF
fries. Though not known as well as
johnson he is probably as good. The
big black has failed in four contests
to knock him out.
The situation as to the middle
weight division is similar. That
strange thing, the color line. has been
drawn by lot Of white bruisers who
never had more social standing than
obtains rabbit warren None of the
best white middleweights will meet
LangfOrd. But every one who has
seen him fight knows him to be one of
the first-class men Of a decade.
Joe Thomas. finished fighter and
claimant Of the welter title. was asked
about the Boston negro some time ago.
"Oh, wouldn't fight a Niger" he an
swerad. =
Jack c'Twin') Sullivan wont meet
him. nor will Brother Mike? Almost
starving to death in Boston. notwith-
standing that he is better fighter
than white men who have tucked away
nice bank accounts. he was forced to
go to England during the first part of
the year. After easily beating two
n.iddloweiChts there was no one to face
him except Gunner Moir, who weighs
40 pounds more than he.
When the Boston negro returned
there were no more white men ready
to meet him than there were before.
So he had to get on another match
with George Gunther a second-rate ne
gro. whom he has twice beaten de-
cisively. Despite these facts there are
several boxers with white skins but
strcaked hearts. who arc claiming the
middleweiEht championship.
Going farther down, into the Weller
weight division, there is a like situa-
tlon. VINO is there among the men
now squabbling for the title to NEE,
Jack Blackburn, the Philadelphia ne
sto! Ihree or four white fighters
clalm the title. and it is almost certain
that not one Of them would be as
a feather buster at 142 pounds. Yet
mere rs a superb colored fighter. IN
duestionably welterweight. who has
never been beaten except by Joe Cans
ana seemingly none Of these boxers
cares to tackle him
Inc darker Skin is the insurmount-
apie obstacle. Boxers who were
raised on the Bowery or in the tenc
ineh'S or some other city are as deli
cafe IN the color of their social con-
her'iohs as an Alabama ma jor
sometimes the excuse is varied Of
zen IT IS said that there is little money
III hghting colored men. There is
I"'h IN that assertion But the
truth IS there because the colored box
erS nave been so persistentIy barred
from contests with white men that
'hey nave not acquired regulations
commensurate with their abilities. Had
the white heavyweights. ;. middle
weights, and weltcrweights' not shut
out Johnson, Langford and Blackburn.
their regulations would be great
enough to draw thousands to any club
This leads to the situation among
the l1ghtweights. Joe Cans. holder of
the title and as dark-hued as Jack
Blackburn. is not ostracized by a single
white lightweight of importance.
FRANK Erne might have drawn the
color line, avoided Il meeting with
Cans and held to his championship till
jimmy Pritt knocked him out. But
the acquisition of the title, along with
Gans's marvellous fighting ability and
the shrcwd management Of Hcrford.
made him great drawing card. Climbs
can offer him big purses. FOR where he
fights there will be big crowd. The
small end of the purse will be large.
and he is such great fighter that the
reputation of none of the modern light
weights could suffer by defeat at his
hands. As a result every lightwcigh,
In the country would jump at a chance
to meet him. No color line bars tho
Baltimore boxer