The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-07-03
JOE CANS IS
HOT FAv0R|TE
BELIEVED THAT THE COIORED
LAD WILL DEFEAT BAT
THING NELSON TOMORROW.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 3.-On the
eve of the battle between Joe Cans
and Battling Nelson for the worlds
lightwei championship hOnors, the
negro is a decided favorite. Book
makers predict that many heavy bets
will be made before the men enter the
ring tomorrow. Nelson and his back
ers are confident that he will win a vic
tory over his old time foe, but this
opinion is shared by only small pro-
portion of the sporting experts con-
gregated in San Francisco today to
witness the mill.
According to the articles of agree
ment, the bout will take place tomorrow
afternoon at Croffoth's Mission Street
arena and is scheduled to go 45 rounds.
The winner will receive 60 per cent
and the loser 40 per cent of the 70 per
cent of the gross proceeds which will
go to the fighters. The men will weigh
in at 1873 pounds at the ringside,
stripped
Jack Welsh has been agreed upon as
referee. A clause in the articles is to
the effect that the referee must not
put his hands on the men if they
should be in a clinch. They must step
back at his command. This clause was
inserted at the request Of Nelson's rep
resentative The Dane never clinches.
and this condition is thought to favor
him. It was considered of so much
Importance by Ben Selig that he had
a special conference with Cans before
he agreed that it be made part of the
articles Nelson does his most effective
work at infighting, hence this is ex-
pected to be in his favor.
There is every indication that rec
ord breaking crowd will witness the
encounter, anxious to see settled the
dispute which Nelson and his sup
porters have tried to keep up ever since
that memorable battle at GOldfeld on
September 8, 1906.
There has never been any doubt in
the minds of the fair ones as to the out
come of the struggle, for only the pre-
JUDGED gave any consideration to the
ridiculous claims of Nelson that he
has been robbed of a victory, but the
Dane and his immediate followers have
not missed single opportunity to
lightweight championship title, and
repeated challenges for another con-
test have been mingled with the nu
merouh attempts to harm the fistic
standing of the colored man.
Now it is all to be settled in the ring,
and if the apparent form of the two
men during the past year counts for
beating than he received at Goldfield,
and a beating. too, that will leave no
room for arguments in future.
In no fight since he escaped a knock
out or an adverse decision on points by
deliberately losing to Cans on a foul
in the forty second round in Nevada
has Nelson displayed his old-time abil-
ity. Nelson has pulled off one or two
creditable performances, all things con-
sidered, but nevertheless he gave in
every appearance the impression that
he was not the same Battler, showing
in many ways waning of the qualities
that once caused him to be hailed as
the king of the lightweight lot
Cans, on the other hand. has gone
right along in the same old way so IA
miliar to fans who have seen in him
for years the greatest fighting machine.
big or little, the ring has ever known
His failure to stop Unholz in shorter
time is not taken to mean the passing
of his famous punch by those who know
the remarkable ability of the Boer to
stand punishment. That ne is as fit as
ever in all other departments there is
not the slightest doubt, and the only
conclusion possible is that in the COM
ing contest Nelson is likely to discover
for the first time in his life how it
feels to be knocked out.
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