Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-12-24
THE PUGILISTS
Tommy Burns Still Rules tbe Favorite Over Jack Johnson
 Other News.

In addition to Tom Sharkey, sey- eral other noted pugilists, including BOD Fitzsimmons, Battling Nelson, Sam Langford, James J. Jeffries and Joe Cans have picked Jack Johnson to win the worlds heavyweight championship fight from Tommy Burns at Sydney, N. S. w., on Satur- day. Fitzsimmons has insisted all along that Johnson would win and when asked in London the other day II he had changed his mind, he said
 Johnson Is bigger, quicker and cleverer. If he is fit he will cut Burns to ribbons. think Johnson could lick three men of Burns's cal lore. Nelson says that class" will win the battle and that Burns never compared with Johnson as q scien- tihc pugilist and hard hitter. The llgntweight champion, who is in New York, said yesterday that he mad seen both men fight and that Johnson, barring Jim Corbett, Is the fastest man that ever drew on a glove. Nelson insists that q good Dig man always beats a good little man and as Johnson is nearly five inches taller and twenty pounds heavier than Burns the latter will be defeated
 The Dane ridicules Burns
 hghts' : with Moir, Roche, Palmer, smith and Squires and says that thees men were simply a lot of
 dubs. He points to the fact that Burns never knocked out first class man and that Johnsons superior cleVerness will prove too much for the Whlte man. Langford, who knocked Jlm Flynn out in less than l round the other night, says he will make a match with either Burns or ketchel put does not care for any of John sons game. Johnson is fighter '' says Langford, and Burus is a bluff CT and a four flusher." Jeffries de- clares that Burns is too small to have chance with the big negro, while Joe Cans predicts that Johnson will win by a knockout inside of fifteen rounos. Bill Lang, an Australian pugilist who has been knocked out by both Johnson and Burns. states that he does not see where Burns has chance. Fitzpatrick has made a wonderful boxer out of Johnson, " Lang says, and he will simply wor- ry Burns to death with his quick ness. Burns will be stopped inside of the limit
 But Burns is supremely confident, He says that Johnson will be dea l game until he gets into the ring and aftel that the yellow streak will be- gin to get in it's work. Ha declares that if Johnson is prevented from holding him in the clinches the negro will take the count early in the fight. Burns insists that he will scale at about 1855 pounds on the day of the mill and that he will be as fast as ever. His hands are good, he states, and his endurance is better than ever. The men have not been able to agree as yet upon -efe"ee. Burns wants R. l.. Baker to be the third man in the ring, but Johnson has filed an objection to this man, de- claring that he has been forced to make concessions in every other de- tail of the match.
 If the men do not compromise mat ters by tomorrow Promoter McIn- tosh says he will assume the right to appoint the referee In Sydney yes terday Burns still ruled the favorite at 10 to s, chiefly because of his ex- treme popularity in Australia. John son is not very well liked by the sporting fraternity, but that will cut no figure when the mill begins. The big negro got on the scales yesterday and tipped the beam stripped at 19S pounds. He has let up in his hard work and will step into the ring at trifle more than 200 pounds He says that he never felt better in his life and will win inside of the tI enty round limit. In this prediction John son is backed up by his manager, Fitzpatrick, who says the coiored man is the best heavyweight or his color since the days of PeJe" Jackson. There was some light he.ting on the fight in the Broadway sporting re- sorts yesterday, Burns ruling slight favorite at to 5, but it is thought that even money will prevail in New York by tomorrow night. The re- suit of the battle may he known about 1 o'clock tomorrow night.
 Tommy Burns is the first heavy weight champion to permit colorel man to fight for the title. When John l.. Sullivan, James J. Corbett, pnharf ENitvui m, and 11n1n=
 Jeffries were champions in turn all of them drew the color line. Burns would probably have followed their example too had it not been for the fact that he was forced by public opinion to make the match with Jack Johnson, which will be decided at Sydney, x. s. w., next Saturday morning. When Jeffries retired and Burns proclaimed himself champion he said he would bar negroes, but Johnson immediately camped on his trail. Many sporting men clamorad for such mill, but Burns steadfast- ly refused and took on Bill Squircs of Australia in San Francisco. Squires lasted less than one round and Burns lost no time in claiming the championship of the world. Again Johnson issued a challenge to battle for the title, but Burns ig nored him and went to England, where he stopped Gunner Moir, a second rater, for the title in that country.
 Johnson followed Burns to London and again challenged him. In this