The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-11
The $4,000 Purse Offered Burns and Johnson Holds the Rec
od-One Right Handed Swing Melted Joe Cans
$100,00 o and the Championship.

800
The fighting game is the most lucra-
tive vocation in the world.
Joe Cans went to Fort Erie, stepped
into the ring with Frank Erne, shot
out his right. and down ven the
lightweight champion. That n punch
Melted Cans at least 800, 900 worth of
engagements.
only a few months ago Stanley Ket-
chel stepped into a ring in California
with Mike (Twin) Sullivan. The lat
ter tented. Ketchel lodged, shot over
his right and down went Sullivan
Ketchel got $500 for hat one punch.
\ few years g England sent its
champion. Pedlar Palmer. to America
to vanquish Terry McGOvern. Terri
BILE Terry stepped into the ring, shot
out his right. down went the English
man. and while the referee was count
ing Mr.. Cashier handed Terry's man
ager something in the neighborhood of
$4,000.
The other day the news flashed IN
der the Pacific that Tommy Burns had
signed his name TO an agreement to
fight one Jack johnson. The bait was
a $50. 900 purse. The fight is to take
place in Sydney. Australia. in Deem
Der. This battle is 10 be for the
heavyweight championship of the
W. u jul liz P0A ~ Il III
thing about ii. 1t is the biggest purse
ever offered for a ring battle.
And on the same day Battling Mel
son. champion lightweight. declined an
offer of SIC, 900 TO meet Packy McFar-
land in a six-rOund battle in Philadel-
phia. If you figured it d0wn you would
find that the country pays President
Roosevelt some very small change in
comparison. Nelson refused to battle
eighteen minutes when his remunera-
ton promised to be $3.50 a minute. Six
rounds would only mean eighteen min
utes of actual fighting
But Nelson declined because he
feared McFarland-strange as that may
seem. 1t would have cost him a great
deal more than so. 900. Nelson is a
slayer. a bulldog for endurance. and
he knew that Mcfarland had a splen-
did chance to out-point him i'm a six
round battle. He had no mind to lose
$1,000 worth of his glory as champion
and j~eopardiZe his value as a theatrical
star. Il will meet him over the Mara
thOn route any time and place. he
wired the Philadelphia matchmaker.
Two years ago Nelson picked up $11,-
600 for a six-round battle with Terry
McGovern at the same club. He had
no fear of McGovern. Terry had gone
back And Terry was a fighter after
his W style. He knew it would be a
case OF slug. and he thought he would
be able to outslug McGovern. But Ter
ry gave him as good as he took, and
Nelson was lucky to escape with a di-
vision of the honors.
There are many fighters in America,
some still in the ring and others re-
tired. who have fat and juicy bank
rolls. There is Tom Sharkey, who left
Uncle Sans man-Of-war to enter the
ring and accumulate gold so fast it
-,n1. If-, Is--- 4-I To-o-, Dx-a,
who gathered in the sheckels for many
years until age laid him on the shelf
with all his gold our him. 1t is d
fallacy that fighters dissipate their
wealth away. John L. Sullivan did it
for years-and being the best known
fistic artist. the world decided others
in kind. George Dixon threw all his
wealth away, and Joe Cans, recently
defeated by Nelson. has done likewise.
Cans is returning to Baltimore. 1t
is doubtful if he will arrive home with
even a part of his end of his recent
fights in California. He has long been
a victim of the gambling germ-in fact,
carries 9Th bones in his pocket and
is ever ready to shake for either two
bits or his hotel.
But the great majority of real cham
pions have slowed themselves away
with enough to live on in comfort and
luxury for all life. Jim Jeffries, the
champion of champions. carried his
fortune to Los Angeles, and has been
adding to it ever since.
Jack Johnson trailed Tommy Burns
all over Europe. n was hitting the
trail to Australia when Tommy capitu-
lated. Burns is perhaps the cleverest
business man in the game. He has
never feared Johnson. He knew that
some day some club would offer d
purse worth while. And he was willy
enough to know that Johnson was the
best press agent he had. Johnson and
his were advertising the
champion from the roof-tops.
The fighters are to get $50. 200 at sgd
ney, $4,000 for the winner and $40, 00O
for the loser. The battle may go one
round. ten. twenty or forty. Neither
man has ever fought more than TWEEN
ty rounds.
Jim Jeffries was offered $50, 000. but
the match did not go through. When