The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-12-25


johnson and Tommy Bprns, ne Brusso,
christened Noah, will start their battle
for the heavyweight championship of
the world.
The result should reach here, allow
ing for twenty rounds and reasonable
amount of delay in cabling, between
eight and eleven o clock tonight.
understand that Jack Scully has ar
ranged for a cablegram and he will
doubtless show his usual courtesy in
notifying questioners of the result.
Most of us, of course, want to see
the white man win because the big
negro has not particularly ingratiat-
ing way with him and he has managed
to make himself about as cordially dis
liked as he could if he were trying
to do nothing else. During his last
trim to Australia he had trouble with
his manager and, while entirely wrong
in his side of the dispute, took the
cowardly method of beating up the
other man who was about half his size.
But, to get right down to pugilistlc
precedent, there seems little chance for
Burns provided, and ] suppose we must
spell that with great big ?, that the
fight is on the square.
Australia is not an easy place in
which to do crooked work. The sports
there require absolute straightness as
sine qua non with all athletic per-
formers. Both men will find it hard to
get to each other with any monkey
business. but there is always way
of doing these things and it cannot be
said that either one of them can hold
M his hands in holy horror and say
that his record forefends any such sug-
gestion.
Jack johnson has the very obvious
fake with Hank Griffin against him and
Tommy was sadly implicated in the
business that caused all bets to be call
ed off the last time he fought Jack
O'Brien.
AS a matter of fact that fake would
have gone through if it had not been
for Burns brother-in-law who happen
ed on the spot just in time to stop II.
He showed Burns where he would be
losing money and prestige by throwing
to Jack O'Brien as the San Francisco
promoters would certainly give the win
ner of the bout the chance at Bill
Squires.
Burns refused to throw the fight at
the last moment and he and Tom Nc
Carey agreed to have all bets declared
off after O'Brien was in the ring so
that the latter could not back out
Burns won his fight with O'Brien and
got the chance at Squires which started
him on his tour of the world, during
which he met and defeated practically
every white man of any timbre in the
ring.
But Tommy Burns could not put Jack
O'Brien away when he had him at his
mercy This happened in two instar ces
In the first fight at the end of l9Ot
Burns caught o Brien terrible snorkel
that opened up the latter's facial
over. If / remember rightly that was
in the seventh round and it seemed
impossible for O'Brien to last another
round. Under the light of the Cooper
Hewitt lights everybody had the color
ing of a corpse and the effect, wheI
O'Brien was staggering round the rims
with great blobs of violet colored blood
falling from bis agonized face, wa'
something to make one SILVER at the
thought.
For ten rounds O'Brien ran away
and then began to work back. He di'
this with such effect that Jim Jeffrie
called the go draw. The second TIM
Burns had o 'Brien very much at hi
mercy because Jack had not been train
ing. When the bets were called of
by Charlie Eyton, look of surprised
horror crossed the Philadelphian IS face
He expected to merely have to dane
b round the ring for few rounds AM
then have Burns fall sweetly to tn
floor. He was not in condition AM
he knew that Burns would come afte
him for all he was worth. Even a
that Burns could not land the sleep
producer and merely took the decision
That, of course, was some time ag
and the Canadian has had much expert
ence since that time. But he is goini
up against a man who is just about a
clever as Jack o 'Brien and twice tn
latter's size. 1t is possible that h
may be able to throw himself into tn
negro Is stomach and land knockou
blow there, but it is very doubtful
Judging by what i have seen the bi
dnge do in the ring
johnson has always been very care
get the better of his opponent and the
let things go without knockout. ii
has often said that man takes chance
when he is looking for an opening, an
he did not care to take those chance
when he was sure of decision. Thi
method of his has got him disliked b
the fans to a great extent and has los
him one or two fights, but it does no
take away from the fact that Johnso
has a big sleep-producer in either han
and can surely land on Burns.
As to the yellow streak that the bi
negro is supposed to have / cannot sa
that 1 have seen it. 1t may be ther
and it may be that he win grow s
discouraged when he finds that Burn
is an awfully hard man to put ava
= and that the Canadian comes back fo
more after each wallop, he will give VI
The money involved is so enormou
in amount that there should be enoug
of it to fix johnson. The question j