The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-09
KETCHELL'S BOUT
 NOT THE SHORTEST
Shortest Fight on Record Was
 Twenty Seconds
BR0OKLYN'S FAVORITE SON
Thompson's Gossip of Ring Game. Negro Champion Hart Shines Agaln-CeciI kllrain,
 His Fathers Son.
BY JEFF THOMPSON.


 New York, March S.-while the per
 formance of Stanley Keteheh in put
 ting out Mike (Twln) Sullivan in half
 & round, undoubtedly sends the Mon
 tana cowboy a long way forward to-
 ward the championship of his class and
 stamps him as a most dangerous man,
 I am frank to say I am not so greatly impressed as l would have been had l the fight lasted somewhat longer. | While as a rule the chance blow ar- l gument does not appeal to me. It can not be denied that the element of luck does enter largely into the fighting game, ! and while I do not wish to detract in the slightest degree from Ketchelrs fine performance, do wish the fight had gone longer, SO that there would have been a truer line on Ketchelrs ability as a
 fighter.
 I see some of the writers are declar- ing this the shortest fight on record, but this is not so.
 l remember at least one battle be- tween good men which was not nearly so long. It was between Mike Cleary who some % years ago was one of the best
  English fighter known as "The Prussian." l do not recall his name now, but he came over much as Jack Palmer did re- gently. The bout was pulled Off at a hall in the Bowery. cleary put ''The Prussian" down and out with the first blow, a right swing to the jaw, be- fore the men had been fighting 20 sec onds. This was the shortest fight be- tween good men l ever recall having seen.
 Ketchell will doubtless be matched with the winner of the Papke-Hugo Kelley bout, and the winner of that fight should be pretty close to the championship.
 Brooklyn may yet furnish a heavy weight champion. provided Jim Stewart the young giant who halls from that borough, continues to improve as much In the future as he has in the year in which he has been engaged in the Queensberry business. Brooklyn has already contrl- buted light weight champion in Jack McAuliffe, and a middle weight champion in Jack Dempsey, and it would be a fine pounding out of her record fl she should produce in young Stewart lead CT of the heavy weight division.
 Stewart has an ideal physique for heavy weight fighter, being over the six-foot mark and scaling close to 200 pounds in condition. He is built for ac- tivity as well as strength, and has a strong punch, in addition to gameness, which he has snown III the contests In which he has taken part.
 All that Stewart apparently requires now is experience that comes with ring battles, and the science that precedes success. In the latter particular he has the benefit of the best possible schooling, for he is the sparring partner of Joe Jeanette, one of the strongest, craftiest and most formidable heavy weights now before the public.
 Speaking of Joe Jeannette naturally brings to mind that other eminent gen. tleman of color John Arthur Johnson, who professes to be anxious to fight for the heavy weight championship of the world with either Tommy Burns or Jim Jeffres as the party of the second part. [ Johnson and Jeannette have met in the ring five times. In four of these lights the result was a draw and in the other the decision went to Jeannette. Under these circumstances, why is it not Jeannette who should be crying aloud Tn the wilderness for fight with Burns DIT JeIrleS. 1Ie ITOuDle S6cllS lO DC that Jeannette has not so good press agent as Johnson.
 Burns would be perfectly justified in insisting that Jeannette and Johnson fight to a finish before he met either of them, put Tommy Burns will probably take on Johnson when he gets good and ready, for there is a good bunch of money in such a fight, thanks to the negro's press agent.
 Joe Cans, who knows a thing or two about fighting, believes when the two men meet the battle will go to Burns.
 There are two fundamental elements which go to make up first class fighter: The ability to give and the ability to .ake punishment. Burns has both John son has not demonstrated that he has ,ither to any superlative degree.
 Marvin Hart has come back to life, and took on Jim Flynn at New Orleans asst Saturday night. The Kentucky leavy weight has always been a mys- cry to me. At times he fights like d. champion and the next time like a tyro. At his best Marvin is a tough proposi- ion to any of them. At his worst he S an easy mark for almost any fighter n his class.
 I noticed news paragraph recently cling how Cecil Kilrain, son of the ,nce famous Jake, has figured in a fight in Baltimore. Young <ilrain Is said to have speed, skill and
 punch and that he Is likely to make . name for himself in the ring equal to hat of his father.