The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-10
LIVE GOSSIP OF THE PRIZE RING
 AND THE ''PUGS"
By JEFF THOMPSON.

New York, August 9.-This man Ketchel certainly looks the goods in a pugilistic way. and after the neat and work man like manner in which he put away Hugo Kelly last week, I am not at all certain that the claims of his friends that he Is the man who will get the Indian sign on Tommy Burns have not strong foundation in fact.
 Of course, friends of the Italian pugilist claim that the blow which put Hugo to sleep was a chance blow. They always do wh en there Is knock out after a hot fight. But it is to be noticed that in nearly all of Ketchels fights this same accidental punch fig ures, and it always brings home the goods. When a man constantly wins by good luck" it would seem to man up tree that this kind of good luck" Is a pretty close indication of real ability.
 When Tommy Burns comes home from his trip around the world. it would be a good idea to match him with Ketchel and see If the cowboys luck" would still hold.
 see Dy lHe CdDleS that JdCh son has knocked out an Englishman of wh om no one in this country ever heard until he was matched with the big darkey, and again announces that he Is coming home and claim the championship.
 What Johnson ought to do is to come home and fight Blackburn or Langford for ha e1oo ,iou ucl1i iy, ho Is able to win this, and it Is no cinch he will, there then will be some sense in his claim to a right to fight with the champion.
 We soon are to know who is the lightweight champion of New York Tommy Murphy and Leach Cross each Is confident he Is the man. they have been matched to fight 1t out be- fore the Navarro club some time be- tween August 25 and September l. It will be a battle royal, and if the win ner has not earned the right to a go with Battling Nelson, it would be hard to tell why.
 Nelson, by the way, is to have an other go with Joe Cans on Septemba ar g. One thing always liked about Nell son is that he Is always willing to fight The Dane is not pretty, and his manners are not always fully up to the mark, but he is afraid of nothing, and is always ready to take on any body who wantes his game. provided fitting purse is offered
 r U1a h an easier time with Cans now than he had before, it is not to be denied that the negro is still a dangerous custom CT. I understand his sojourn at Harbin Springs has done him world of good. and that he Is confident he will como back and regain his lost laurels May be so, but very gravely doubt 1t.
 Jim Stewart, whose championship as- pirations received sudden jolt when he was knocked out by Barry, is again in the game. He knocked out Morris Harris, the big Philadelphia negro, ir four rounds recently. Stewart has the making of a great fighter, but his last bout showed that he has a lot to learn about ring generalship before he gets into the ring with a real champion with any hope of success.
 Another foreign boxer has blown up. This time it is Charlie Griffin, the Au- stralian featherweight, who was loudly touted to be the master of Abe Attelt. He went against that hard-hittfng lft- tie New Englander, Matty Baldwin. the other day and was outpointed, out generated and outfought by the Ameri. can. Is 1t necessary to say he was soundly dumped.
 Tom Jones, manager of Billy Paplxe and Hughey Gatens have got togeth ," and agreed on a Papke-Frank Mantell match. Papke will fight Burke if the Coliseum club will put up guarantee to old the show, but 1t will have to be in hurry or not at all Papke VII take on Mantell next week. providing one of the local clubs will bid for the match and give reasonable percent age.
 fish Derby, Is at an end. The tendons of the fore legs are strained. and Orby will never face the flag again
 t,rnEH h