Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-08-07
THE PUGILlSTS
SOME GOOD BOUTS
 READY TO TAP
Ross May Be a Surprise aud Then Again He May Be a Lemon
 Other News.

Tony Ross, the Newcastle heavy weight, is the latest aspirant for pugilistic honors Ross is regarded by many fight experts as conner. !" Two years ago Ross lived the simple life in Newcastle, Pa., and he had no thought of fighting. But after few trials with the gloves Jimmy Dime, the promoter and manager, decided that Ross would make a good prize fighter, and accordingly took charge of him.
 Ross showed gameness in all of his early contests, and then began to improve in his boxing. He fought Mike Schreck ten rounds to draw, and later knocked out Schreck in seven rounds with Jim Flynn, losing on a foul. In his first fight with Jim Barry he was put out in two rounds. He secured a return match with Barry and defeated his erst- while conqueror in twelve rounds. He is now negotiating for a fight with Al Kaufman and is one of the few men who have not side-stepped battle with Sam Langford the clever Boston negro.
 Ross and Langford will meet in the star bout at the Fairmont A. C.. New York tonight. Langford is a terror and is undoubtedly the best fighter in the country, with the pos sible exception of Stanley Ketchel. And a meeting between Ketchel and Langford would be worth crossing a continent to see.
 Ross is young, only twenty-two years of age. He weighs 190 lbs. and is 6 feet 1-inch tall. Langford is shorter by head, and is probably thirty pounds lighter. But size doesn't count for much where Lang ford is concerned.
 Kid Locke of Philadelphia, out fought Harry Ferns at the Princess A. C., New York, last night. Locke was the aggressor throughout the fight and rushed Ferns all around the ring, landing hard right and left swings to the body and many stiff jabs to the face. Ferns was tired and hanging on at the end of the last round.
 Ferns appeared to advantage in only two rounds. Tn the second and fourth sessions he stood toe to toe with Locke and battered away with right and left. He tore at the Quaker City lad fiercely and crossed over several hard rights to thA jaw In both rounds he. had slightly the better of the milling. In the fifth round Locke came back strong and battered Ferns. He drove him to the ropes frequently with hard swings. In the sixth round Locke punished his opponeIt badly.
 In the preliminaries George Col lins knocked out John Flander and Eddie Madden bested Battling Kelly. Kid Williams and Tommy Smith fought a draw and Willie Green and Eddie Toy fought six rounds with honors even.
 Bill Papke need not go back west without a fight if he really wants to fight. Now that Willie Lewis has apparently side-stepped the Illinois Thunderbolt, Johnny Mack, who is manager for Larry Connolly, steps into the breach, and offers to pit Connolly against Papke, winner to take all, at 150 pounds ringside, and, if needs be, a s1,000 wager on the side. The date originally set for the Papke-Lewis bout at the Armory A. C., Boston, would suit Connolly to a dot. Mack writes as follows:
 T see where Willie Lewis has fiunked out of his match with Bill Papke. offer Larry Connolly in his place, and will let him box Papke. winner take all, at I5O| pounds ringside, and wager $1,O00 on the side. However, if the bout is to take place in Boston, I insist upon having something to say as to the referee. Any one outside the club officials who will be agreeable to Papke will be satisfactory to me. Very truly,
 "P. S.-The date of the Papke- Lewis bout suits to perfection"