The Washington herald., 1908-07-28
Poor Prospects for Champion
in Australia.
BIG CROWDS, BUT NO MONEY
Fans on the Island Refuse 40 Pay
More Than Seventy-hve Cents for
a Seat-EnEIish Sports Want TO I'm
prove Their Boxers-John L. SuIIi-
van Reaches Half Century Mark.

]
I prices charged there were small. % cent
being the highest price asked for the bes
seats in the ordinary shows. and wher
/ more than that was demanded by tn,
/ club owners the patrons Of the spor
I kicked and got square by staying away
I says r. H Kain. in the Philadelphia
/ Record.
keyes would have remained in thi,
county. and he intended 10 send for his
family. having wife and a couple OF
little ones; but his health was not good
while he was here. as he had a spell OF
nlalarial fever. and he decided 10 return
home as soon as possible.
News is coming from Australia nov
which tends 20 coaaTm what Keyes said
while he was e. this city. and Tommy
Burns may not ind that the long trip he
VIII have 10 take 20 box over there viii
be a profitable one.
Burns, ii is reported, has been offered
a big sum 20 fight two men in kangaroo
land. and when Tommy started from
England everything looked promising fo-
his venture But Il appears that the pro
moters reckoned without the home tai
ent- II IS the custom IN many places TO
treat the home talent as If they were only
excess baggage The star fighter who
comes from abroad wants Il all or as
much as he can get. and the foolish pro-
moter generally appears 10 be willing 10
lose money himself In order 10 give the
visitor as much as possible.
But some one evidently has put the
Australian heavy-weights wise to the fact
that If Burns is going 20 get such a big
Wad they ought 70 dip in Tor a little slice
Of II themselves, and now il is reported
that the local men want 5000 each for
fighting the big Canadian To pay them
any such money as that and pay Burns
what he wants will make the price al
most pr0hibi-ive and may possibly end in
calling the fight on
II VIII not Be easy 20 use Burns in the
ring by himself and II the home heavy
weights have nerve enough 20 stick out
for their demands there would be nothing
TO it but the failure Of the whole scheme
The Australian sporting public Will prob
ably approve Of the stand taken by the
home boxers, as they are & peculiar and
loyal people.
May queer Fighters Plans.
What may have looked Ike an easy
proposition 10 Joe Cans. Battling Nelson.
and the men who are handling their bust
ness interests may not run out as well as
Il promised when their recent fight.
which took place on July 4 was arranged.
There IS now good reason to think that
the manager OF Nelson hoodwinked Cans
into agreeing 20 fight his man. and a part
Of the arrangement was that another bat
tie was TO follow. win or lose Cans lost.
and then quickly followed the proposition
for another fight Il came from Cans and
was readily granted by the Nelson side.
Tex Rickard. the Nevada promoter.
thought well enough OF the match 10 Of
fer purse OF $4,000 for a fght to take
place in the gold regions on labor Day
next
Now a hitch has arisen which has
killed the whole affair Rickard has been
unable TO get a reduced rate from the
railroad companies which run from Calf
fornia. and he fears that unless q cheap
rate prevailed he would have 10 depend
on the men IN the mining camps for his
This. he IS afraid. would not
be large enough 10 make the a1air a
financial success
At this distance It is hard TO under
stand how enough people could be inter
ested n seeing a man who has just been
defeated n q contest that was not inter
esting OF exciting and pay money in big
slices 70 see the same men brought back
into the ring 10 fight again at such short
notice Perhaps Il Is the fear that the
1ght might not prove as attractive 10 the
sporting fraternity as II appeared 10 him
self that may have made Rickard hest
tate about pulling on the contest unless
be had @ chance 20 draw his audience
from more widespread territory than
that OF his immediate vicinity. Il Is Just
possible that Cans and Nelson may have
10 fight the next time IN California and
ln percentage. when the chances are that
hey would not draw anything near to |
he purse of s3a0d0. which the Goldfeld
promoter was Offering.
Want Better Boxers.
There is every reason TO think that a |
-evival Of interest In boxing may soon
axe place n England There are a num-
'er Of wealthy sporting men over there |
Who are not at all pleased with the box
ng situation They DO not at all like the |
1ea Of having strangers, especially Amer |
cans. go around with chip on their /
.houlders casting defiance at the English /
lighters. for your real English sporting /
nan IS proud CT the ring history OF old /
Just how they are going TO bring about /
remedy Of the present state Of affairs /
S not clear at present, but some method 1
S sure TO be discovered and the best one
would be 20 offer sufficient inducements /
md encouragement for the young men
Who are taking Up other branches Of /
port TO devote some OF their time to the /
manly art
some Of the officers high up in both the /
English army and In King Edwards navy
Ire reported 70 be taking quite an inter /
81 n boxing, and they are encouraging
heir men TO devote all the time possible 4
Q the practice Of this form OF exercise.
-hey have been offering suitable rewards
or competitions among the various
companies and crews. and this is sure to
wing about a great revival Of interest In
ne sport Now. Il the same method is
'lrsued On land, there is no reason to i
lou0t that many good big young men viii
e found who VIII become proficient IN
,oxing.
Il was through this means that Charley
ditchen wss discovered in England and
,eter Msner came out Of obscurity in the
itue Green Isle Billy Madden, when he
vent 10 England with John L. Sullivan
a series OF boxing tourna-
nents in the various cities and towns In
which they appeared. He offered good
ash prizes for boxing bouts between. 10
a. men, and II was through one OF these
fairs that Mitchell frst came to notice.
nd the fact that he won out against the
est men over there caused him TO earn /
International notoEiety. Peter Maher was i