Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-07
THREE BOUTS Of
NATIONAL INTEREST
KetcheI to Meet Papke, AtteIl-
, Moran Again, 0'Brien to
Face Temple.

Three great ring contests in the United
States today will decide many questions
which have been in dispute among the
sports. Stanley Ketchel will meet Billy
Papke in twenty -five-round bout at Los
Angeles, Abe Attell will face Owen Moran
at Coma. Cal, for twenty-three rounds.
while Jack O'Brien will have a try-out
with Larry Temple In Philadelphia for
six rounds. 1t will likely be Ketchers
last fight as a middleweight as he en-
phatically declares he will never make
weight again. He has agreed to scale l5S
pounds three hours before the fight with
Papke, simply to convince the latter's
friends that he is the master of the tough
German over any route.
Papke is surely tough proposition and
can absorb an endless amount of punish
ment. He will have to take il from
hetchel. Papke knows little about the
scientific end of the game, but has an
awkward defenSe-so awkward that a
clever man has to be continually at his
wits end to keep from breaking his hands
on Papke s elbows or head, which he fire.
quently buries in his shoulders to pro-
tect his jaw. If ketchel takes no chances
in the early part of today's fight and box
es carefully he is bound to reach Papke's
jaw in the waning rounds. and the Ger
man will go by the knockout route the
same as more than score % ketchefs
other victims.
1t is not fair. to regard Thea bout as a
championship one, the middleweisht
limit. 1J4 pounds, has never been changed
since FitZsimmons beat Jack Dempsey.
No one man can make a sliding scale OF
weights and ask the sporting public to
accept them-whether he is a Ketchel,
Papke. O'Brien, Gardner or Blackburn.
Today's battle between Ketchel and Pap
Ike Is simply a test of superiority and to
further DrOye ketcheIS class
With the Attell-Moran bout the condi-
lions are different. 1t is arranged at the
generally accepted weight for men OF that
class, and can be considered for the feath
erweight championship of the world. Mo-
ran, who Is rugged little customer,
drove all the featherweights to cover in
Great Britain and came to this country
and fought Attell a twenty-round draw.
Many thought he earned the decision, but
the referee of the bout wisely gave the
champion of America the benefit Of the
thin fiber of doubt. American sports pin
their faith on Attell, despite Morans rug
gedness. Although the little Californian
is only twenty-four years old. he has been
in the ring eight years and has proved
himself to be marvellous repeater. When
but twenty years old he fought Harry
Forbes, then the best little man in Amer
lea, boxing him two draws Then when
the ST Louis crowd got all its coin
down on Forbes, Attell promptly knocked
the bantamweight out in five rounds. He
fought Harry Baker sensational twenty
round bout in Los Angeles October 80.
1906 Attell received hairline decision.
The sports raved over Bakers work.
Attell demurred over a return bout.
He's afraid of the newcomers clever
ness" said the wiseacres. Attell was final
ly "goaded'' into a match and he knock
ed Baker out in eight rounds. or course,
Attell took a ticket on Attell and cleaned
I'D a tidy sum VIII history repeat itself
in today's fight? Moran is a hot-headed
kid, while the Californian expectorates
icicles 1t is this GOODNESS under fire that
has returned him victor so many times.
Jack O'Brien has taken on Larry Tenn
pie and will meet the negro middleWelght
at the West End Club, Philadelphla, TO-
night in order to prove his sincerity OF
wanting a match with ketchel. JACK
Blackburn boxed twelve and flfteen round
draws with Temple. and as Blackburn and
O'Brien had a most interesting sx-round
seance, it would seem that the Philadel-
phia middeweight would have to step
fast to beat Temple in the eighteen-min-
ute limit.