Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-06
|PARISGREAT TOWN
SAYS ARTfUL TOM.
PROMOTERS FIGHT AMONG
THEMSELVES
WILLIE LEWIS WRITES ABOUT
EVENTS ACROSS POND
Burns Hopes to Meet Sam Mcvey for
$4,000 and Side Bet, and Battle
VIII Attract Much
Attention


journing at the French capital, in g
letter to a Los Angeles fight fan writes
an interesting story of the fighting
game across the pond.
He hands out the dope that Tommy
Burns is a fighter and will whip John
son If ever they fight.
The full letter follows:
"Paris-This is surely a hot fighting
town. The only thing I'm afraid is thai
it's too good to last. Fighting clubs are
springing up all over in Paris. The
promoters are fighting among them
selves and knocking each other in the
different papers, and there seems to be
a chance that the authorities will cut
into the game before very long. But
It's sure good now.
Il went to see Tony Burns fight
Jewey Smith the other night. 1 was
in Burns corner, seconding him. Smith
was a big fellow (over 200), and he
looked tough. Before the fight started
Burns said to me, If this fellow is a
stiff I'll knock him out in a round, but
If he is a game chap and can fight at all
I'll let him go a while and give the
crowd a run for their money. And
that's what he did. He played with
Smith and he would occasionally drop
over a left hook or a right cross. and
down would go 200 pounds of English
beef. Believe me, Burns is a terrific
puncher. He dropped this fellow Smith
with little hooks that didn't travel six
inches. He's a corking good puncher,
and the fastest big man I ever looked
on. If you want my opinion, he'll whip
Johnson to death certainly. Any one
who picks Burns for a sucker is suck
er himself for doing 1t.
Burns came here few days before
the fight and we worked together for
my fight with Harry Collins on Friday
and he for Smith on Saturday. This
gave me a chance to get line on him.
and, believe me. he was big surprise.
He is large edition of Terry McGov-
ern when Terry was Terrible Terry.
He carries a sleep pill in either mitt.
and fights with a crouch that makes II
hard for an opponent to get to his jaw.
Los Angeles Negro Fighter
HE is very short and put together
compactly, but he's got an awful reach.
That's the secret of his fighting. His
reach is 74h inches, about the same as
Bob Fitzsimmons. He is a fast punch
er, quick to take advantage of an OPEN
ing, and he Is the jollying kid in the
ring. for while fighting Smith he kept
encouraging the latter to fight by say
ing. That's right, Jewey, keep coming,
and oh, you forgot to bloc,- that one,
and That's right, put more steam in it.
This got Smiths goat, and he had
barrels of confidence when he entered
the ring.
you may be surprised to know that
San McVey, the big Los Angeles negro.
is the Parisians fighting idol. and that
as soon as Burns got to Paris he was
pestered to death with challenges from
y lxf- 81 af-
fered a purse of $4,000 for the match,
and Burns said to me:
az had made up my mind that l
would fight only one negro-that's
1 hate like the deuce to
let this money get away from me- AT
the fight Saturday McVey and his
hackers again challenged Burns, and
Tommy replied:
"'Give me a purse of $4,000, split
$20, 900 to the winner and $4,000 to the
loser, and a side bet of $4,000, and I'll
fight McVey here If they fight the
scrap will draw an awful mob. Every
body in this town is crazy over McVey.
They never saw anything else as big
and ugly. They see him around SO
much that they've got an idea that
nearly all Americans are black. You
ought to see that coon. He's got clothes
that would make Sixth avenue
darkey dude look like a rag picker.
Last time ]. saw him he wore cream
colored suit that looked like silk--sort
of a oajama rig. He goes to fights in
a carriage with a dress suit on and a
bounuet in his hand. and they say soci-
ETY. has taken him UP, and he Is taken
around to dinners in the swell houses,
and let sit at the table without putting
a muzzle or chain on him. 1t must
be a treat to see McVey dining with a
duke.
"T'he frogs will go crazy when john
son comes home. And they will think
we're a dingy nation for fair when
those two big smokes go down the
boulevard at the same time.
"As for myself, I won my fight last
night by defeating Harry. Col
Inns, 16O pounds, champion of England,
in the first round. I put him out with
a left hook in the stomach. / made
Curiey Watson quit with a left under
the heart. 1 try the one two punch,
and If the right doesn't get there I slip
the left. Am lighter than I've been for
years. fight Peter Brown, Walter
Stanton and Patokee first. If | beat
Stanton I get a match with Gunner
Moir. This Is all In Paris. fight Tom
Lancaster over in London. hear Lam
caster Is tough. I am trying.to get all
the best ones, as want to meet Papka
on my return to Gods country. With
best regards to my friends at home.
"WILLIE LEWIS"
It is improbable Los Angeles fans
tba co me opinion of Rllrns which