The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-12-22

by an EngllSu repOTtcI vi eiiC DuAAS
Johnson fracas, he said:
81 certainly believe that the negro
will prove himself the better man and
if he doesn't I will be the most sur
prised man in the world. Johnson Is
a terrific hitter. I can vouch for that
myself. He knocked me out In two
rounds in Philadelphia some timei ago
with a right hand uppercut.
Zone punch, mind you and it was g.
hard one, as hard as any that was ever
landed on me.
when you look at the fight you
must figure it the way you do every
thing else Johnson is cleverer and has
a harder punch and he will weigh more
than Tommy, and that's the way /
have it on my cards.
you know a good big man will in
variably beat a good little man, and
no matter how good the Canadian may
be, Johnson is the winner, according
to all sorts Of figuring.
Il see," said Bob, that Squires fan
cies Burns; but 1 don't, as a siXtoot
two inch man like Johnson, who
knows the game as good as any man
living, must be tough nut to crack.
Do you know I offered to stop Tommy
in twelve rounds, but, although we
had two matches made, neither came
off, One was stopped by the governor
of the state, and Tommy got out of the
other somehow"
Parenthetically, Lanky Bob still
holds to the illusion that he has an
other fight in him, and to his British
interviewer he made this boast-one
that must sound pitiful to the ad-
mirers Of the former Champion
II am still in the very best of form,
as you can see-never better in my
life; strong as lion and inclined to
take on any man in the world for any
amount of money. AS you are aware,
1 rank in the middleWeight class of
boxers. Nevertheless l bar none Any
heavyweight in the universe is invited
to step into the ring with me, and
l only hope 1 will get a chance Of
meeting one Of them in England before
I return to the states
Although Bob must be considered a
down-and- outer, so far as meeting
any reasonably good American fighter
is concerned, he would probably find
it easy to administer the knock out
pions. Let the Britishers match Bob
with any of their fierce heavyweights,
and wise Americans will back Bob to
cop.
The news that Burns and Johnson
will fight in a 24-fOot ring has cased
considerable comment on Broadway.
Burns is practically in charge Of the
arrangements for the mill and has
everything his own way hence the con-
clusionth at he is responsible for the
24-foot ring plan. Tommy has been
Dragging that he will chase Johnson
all about the ring, and it is evident
that he wants all the room possible
for the Marathon. If Tommy was so
certain that he would be the aggressor,
1t seems likely that he would have
wanted the ring as small as possible
and this leads to some interesting con-
clusiOnS, unnecessary to set forth. The
size OF the ring may prove useful, in
case Johnson should decide to do some
of the chasing and Tommy should con-
slider discretion the better part of val
or.
Canadian Tommy as a rule, does lit
/ tie foot-work when in the ring-at least
scrappers that he has been going up
against during the last year. It is pos
sible that he realizes that Johnson is
an entirely different sort of proposition
Johnson is much like Joe Cans in his
style of fighting. While he shifts from
| side to side, he needs very little room
and could do his best fighting in a
ring half as big as the one erected for
the coming bout.
In refent years, 24-foot rings have
been decidedly out Of fashion, but few
decidedly out of fashion. and very few
important bouts have been fought in
rings of such SIZE Twenty feet is the
average of the modern ring, and many
clubs use 1Sfoot enclosures for the
fighters
Still, it must be admitted that the
larger the ring, the better the chance
of getting away from an aggressive
| opponent. And Tommy Burns always
was canny lad, with both eyes peeled
for the main chance. He isn't going to
let that title slip away from him for
lack Of precautions.