The Washington herald., 1908-01-12
JACK JOHNSON A CONTENDER
Texas Negro Is Shadow I'm Path of
Heavy-weight Champions, While
Sam LangfOrd, Another Black, Is
After MiddIe-weight TitIe-Foolish
Claim Made by Melody.


to pose as the champion. Tommy Burns.
however. thought he had as much claim
10 the title. and then some more. as Hart
had. and suggested that a match would set
tie the question of superiority. The match
was fought at Los Angeles on February
% 1906. Burns won all the way and got
the decision on points at the end of the
twenty rounds, says the St. Louis Re
public
Jack O'Brien. having beaten Fitzsim-
mons, former holder of the title, rushed
to the front O'Brien had a sx-rOund
victory over Burns 10 his credit and also
twenty-round draw, and he made an
other match. This took place on May s,
1907, n Los Angeles. and Burns won de-
cislveiy. 1t is also on record that O'Brien
thought he had Burns promise to lie
down" in the last fight and that the
champion doubIe-crossed ''Confessor jack
and beat him.
As O'Brlen had beaten Al Kaufman.
who IN turn had beaten Sam Berger, and
who later disposed Of Mike Sclreck,
Burns came 10 the conclusion he haG done
championship and did so. Then he elineh-
ed the Australian title by putting BIZ
Squres away in a round. and made him
self champion OF the world by defeating
Gunner MoiT in London en- December 2
in ten rounds.
II is true that Burns has not beaten
Jack Johnson, who by many is regarded
as the best heavyweight in the world
next to Jeffries. but the champion Is on
record with a promise 10 meet the black
man as soon as he returns 10 America,
and that is as far as he can be asked 10
90 at present
MiddIe-weight Title.
The middle-weight class has been COM
plicated by questions Of weight and also
by the claims OF Bob Fitzsimmons. Fitz
won the title from Jack Dempsey. Amer
ica's greatest middle-weght. in New Or
leans. on January "A. 1891. by knockout in
thirteen rounds. The stipulated weight
was 154 pounds. ring side. and Fitzsim-
mons surprised ali hands by scaling 1914
pounds. Dempsey weighing li7lA pounds.
Dempsey was outclassed In all particu-
lars.
-14lCL Al-aL lt64iL It IlAAGlAAALlUl4E AVn4u llllu
TO more middle-weights willing to take
chance with him and was compelled to
enter the heavyweight division. He took
on the heivy-weights in quick succession,
Maher, Ch0ynski, and Sharkey being
disposed Of in order Then the freckled
fighter got his chance at Corbett and won
the heavyweight title at Carson City on
March II. 1897. knocking out Corbett in
fourteen rounds.
Shortly after that battle Fitzsimmons
formally announced that he had retired
from the middle-weight class and that
the title was open to competition. In any
event, from the time that Fitz beat
Dempsey until the present. a period of
sixteen years Fitzsimmons has not en-
gagged in a middle-weight contest. and
made no attempt to defend the title won
from Dempsey. He forfeited his claim
to the middle-Wsight championship, and
ii was securely held by Tommy Ryan, a
young fellow who showed remarkable
class.
At the time FItzsimmons announced his
retirement as middle-weight champion
Ryan laid claim to the title and fought
steadily and consistently. He beat almost
try. and a few years ago had practically
exhausted the crop But In the last few
years new cluster OF formidable l5S-
Founders has come to the front.
Quartet After HOnOrs.
It is now three years since Ryan fought
and the competition among the contend
ers for the title has narrowed down TO a
quartet of dangerous men. Hugo Kelly
of Chicago; William Papke, the Illinois
Thunderbolt: Stanley Ketchel, the Mon
tana wallpaper, and Sam Langford. the
negro, Langford being the best Of all, are
now In line for honors. If Ryan remains
in retirement till these men have settled
the question Of supremacy, he Will be
compelled 20 fight the best of the lot or
give up the title. 1t looks as if Ryan
intended to let the title go by default
although he IS quoted as saying that he
objects to the claim Of the youngsters
that they are in the hunt for the laurels.
Ryan branched out and blossomed into
a middle-weight, and Smith claimed the
welter title and held it until 1900. when
the laurels were wrested from him by
Matty Matthews. Matthews won by
knockout in the nineteenth round
Then Matthews and Rube Ferns fought
three battles, of which the Rube won two.
The deciding bout took place in New
York on May "a. 1901, and Ferns won
by knockout In the tenth round Ferns
had a high opinion Of his own ability.
for when he was challenged by Joe Wal
colt, the Giant Killer. the champion at
once accepted and met the Barbados
Demon at Fort Erie on December IS, 1901,
and Ferns, who never had a look-in, was
knocked out in FIVE rounds.
For five years no one could make any
impression OF Walcott, but finally Honey
Melody, the rising New England welter,
got q match with WalcOtt for the cham
pionship. and it took place on October 16,
1906. The bout lasted the limit of fifteen
rounds. and Melody having a decided
advantage, get the decision and the title
in a gallop.
Just previous to beating Walcott Mel
lody was knocked out by Joe Thomas.
and this defeat. In which Melody was
roughly handled. seemed to have taken a
great deal out of the youngster Mel
lody and Mike Twin Sullivan met at
Los Angeles on April % last and fought
twenty rounds. Sullivan won all the
way and got the decision.
MeIIOdy's Foolish Claim.
After the battle Melody made the alb
surd claim that. because the bout had not
been contested at 142 pounds ringside, ne
had not lost the title. AS Melody and
Walcott did not meet at 142 pounds ring
side when the New England boy Won the
championship. and as none Of the pre-
ceding bouts for the title was fought at
l42 riHgside, It can be seen that Melody
made silly claim. Mike Twin Sullivan
is to-day the welter champion. and hts
right to the title cannot be disputed.
In no pugilistic class has there been SO
snuch controversy as In the lightweight,