Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-20

Papke. both good sluggers, but lacking in
the scientific points of the game, which
made the Cornishman famous. Tommy
Ryan, too, would have outclassed Ketchel,
the boxing sharps declare, for whGO he
was fit he was one of the greatest bOxers
and ring generals in the world. 1t was
Ryan who taught Jeffries how to fight
Fitzsimmons successfully, which was an
achievement denoting brains and skill.
Ryan beat many tough customers in his
time and was a rugged. plucky fighter,
who never knew the meaning of a yellow
streak.
Joe Walcott was the undisputed welter-
weight champion of the world ten years
ago. He beat not only men in tina class,
but knocked out middleweights, including
Creedon, and several heavyweights, nota-
bly, Joe Choynski. At his best he was a
phenomenal two-handed fighter, who would
have easily beaten such welters as Mike
(Twin) Sullivan, the present champion;
Honey Melody, Matty Matthews and Rube
Ferns. Those who remember Walcott as
'the Giant Killer say that 1t will be
many years before the ring sees his equal.
Would the Little Fellow Lasts
What would Jack McAuliffe or Kid La
vigne nave done to Battling Nelson, the
present lightweight champion; Joe Cans,
Packy Mcfarland, Freddie Welsh and a
few others who are prominent in that class
nowadays? Ask this question of any old
time follower and he will reply that Nc
Auliffe could have whipped Nelson and
Cans in the same ring on the same night
and that Lavigne would have had things
just as easy. McAuliffe, the veterans de-
clare, was the greatest lightweight that
ever put up his hands, while they also say
that he had a worthy successor in Lavigne.
There was nothing fussy about Lavigne's
work in the ring. He was clever and cool,
but he was also a natural-born fighter,
who enjoyed smuggling and who could hit
like a pile driver. Lavigne showed his won
derful gameness when he beat Walcott at
special weights over at Maspeth in the old
days, for after being beaten to a pulp in
nine rounds Lavigne came back and
punched the negro into a helpless condition
in the fifteenth and last round. Lavigne
was literally cut TO pieces, but he won
with plenty to spare. His long fight with
Jack Everhardt at the Bohemian Sporting
club. In which he scored a knockout in the
twenty-fourth round, was another test, for
Lavigne came out of the mill with both
eyes closed and a broken nose.
Cans was fighting well in those days,
meeting Spike Sullivan. George McFadden
and Frank Erne among others, but he
never tackled Lavigne. who finally, be-
cause of dissipation. lost his title ON a de-
cision to Erne. 1t was after all these good
lightweights disappeared from public view
that Cans forged to the front. He became
lightweight champion of the world. the
veterans say, because he had an inferior
lot of pugilists to beat, among them being
Britt, a good boxer. but nothing more.
Nelson, a fighter from the ground up. beat
Cans when he was practically at the end
of his career. but not before Cans had
stood him off and beaten him on a fouI
after forty-odd rounds OF hard milling.
Abe Attell is the featherweight champion
OF America. He Is a superb boxer, but
only a fair puncher. Would he have
classed with the remarkable George Dixon
who held the title for so many years2 Oh
could he have beaten the cyclonic Terry
McGovern when the latter was at top notch
and had won the featherweight title by
putting Dixon to sleep2 Would Young Cor
bett, after stopping McGOvern, have beer
an easy mark for Attell? And Dave Sui
livan. Could Attell have put it all over him
Old liners say no with emphasis wher