Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-27
WOLGAST MAY
ACCEPT TERMS
SHOWS SIGNS OF BECOMING
REASONABLE
WAVES WEIGHT QUESTION BUT
WANTS BONUS
Talks About Guarantees and Other
Things That Only Champions Are
Privileged to Discuss-Final
Conference Today

WThere is some slight chance left for
the success of the negotiations for the
twenty-round scrap between Abe At
tell and Ad Wolgast The latter slow
ly is losing his bullheadedness and Is
getting around 10 the point where he
begins to view his unreasonable stand
as others view 1t and he almost was
willing last night to talk business, In
stead of pulling around like child.
He and Baron Long held two or three
conferences during yesterday and while
they failed to agree. there is some
hope left.
Wolgast, at the first conference, in
sisted that he could not make ringside
weight, required very rightly by At
tell in a championship match, ana
when told that he would have to agree
to that condition or there would be no
match. he left In huff.
After a few hours thought, he re-
turned to Longs office and said that
he had figured out how he could make
the weight and that he would do So
but in waving the weight demand he
would insist upon a bonus. (Now
butcher laffing). Baron asked him on
what grounds he demanded a bonus
for a fight with the champion. why.
because | give In on the weight ques-
tion," he replied. Baron then told him
to run on back to the camp and thlnk
awhile longer. Then he changed his
demand from that OF bonus 10 one
OF a guarantee. Long asked him what
sort of a guarantee he wanted and he
replied that about $1,000 would be
his size. Long retaliated by telling him
he never had received $1,000 for fight
in his life and the Milwaukee boy re-
piled that he almost received that
much once for lighting two fellows in
three days. He did net get the guar
antee.
Negotiations have not been called off
yet, but Long has written to Attell,
explaining the situation without Offer
ing any advice and Abe probably will
come through today with something
deflnite--about to the effect that this
Wolgast person can consider himself
eliminated from the championship
game unless he does business along
business lines.
There is Just one of two things wrong
with Wolgast. Either he is afraid OF
Attell or he is too much of child to
be doing business for himself. Nobody
with any business judgment would at
tembt to dictate terms to champion
when the champion has been as rea-
sonable in naming the conditions for
a fight for the title as Attell has been
in this case. Abe actually surprised
local fans by his reasonable conditions
for the match and they are wondering
what is wrong with Wolgast in turn
ing down such a reasonable oifer, un-
less he really is afraid of the little
Hebrew. He never will get another
chance like it to fight for a cham
pionship.
It is among the possibilities that Woi-
gast will wake up with a better taste
in his mouth this morning and be ready
either to say that he will fight or Is
and it is his last chance. to say any
thing. If he wants to meet Attell he
can lose nothing by accepting the offer
1t is no disgrace to be whipped by a
champion of the caliber of Attell, who
is regarded as pugilistic freak be-
cause of his superlative cleverness and
speed. Wolgast would not lose any
prestige by such defeat. On the con-
trary, his friends believe that he is
clever enough to get in an occasional
wa1lop, and he certainly has the punch
to win fight with any featherweight
Abe Is going to slip one over on him
just as Nelson put it over on Cans, and
Wolgast, If he has the heart to believe
in himself and goes into the ring with
any sort of confidence in himself, may
be the chap to turn the trick. He
fought Owen Moran to standstill and
reports favor him in that battle more
than they favor Moran. Yet, the Eng
lishman got two draws from Attell.
There is no reason why Wolgast should
not have as good chance to beat At
tell as anybody may have at this time
Wolgast has bullheaded himself into
pretty mess, and he cannot get out
of 1t without losing prestige unless he
does a right-about-face stunt and says
.'let 'er CO." He will lose nothing in
defeat, but he will injure his drawing
powers so greatly by refusing the
match that he had as well move on
after doing so. Today will tell the tale.