Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-25
FEATURES Of THE
BIC CONTESTS
Many Odd Contrasts in Fight
ers and Arrange
mentS.

Just about the time that the average
Washingtonian is putting away his Christ
mas gifts and preparing to slip into his
pajamas tonight two pugilists will be
shaking hands on the other side of the
earth before engaging in a battle for the
heavyweight championship of the world
The contest and the preliminaries fairly
bristle with contrasts and unusual fea-
lures. which, added to the Importance of
the title at stake, have aroused interest
wherever boxing prevails.
Despite the fact that both principals are
natives of the North American continent
and that every worlds championship event
in the heavyweight division for some
years has been fought in America. Jack
Johnson and Noah Brusso. better known
as Tommy Burns, found It necessary to
go to the antipodes to settle the question
of supremacy. For the first time In mod
ern ring history a heavyweight title holder
will meet negro on equal footing In a
battle for the premier honors Of the
squared circle.
Nor do the contrasts end here. The
purse for which the pugilists fight is the
largest guaranteed sum ever hung up fol
glOved gladiators to compete for. The
physical makeups of the two men are also
widely at variance. Johnson. standing
over six feet and Weighing close to 2t
pounds, will be opposed by an opponent
whose height is scarcely that of the aver
age American citizen. and who will be be-
tween twenty and thirty pounds lighter
than his negro competitor. Another fact
out of the ordinary is that. although the
battle is not scheduled to begin until about
will be known in this country not far
from midnight tonight. owing to the diff
ference in time and the fash of electric
sparks over intercontinent cables.
johnson Hounded Burns.
Not since the days of Peter Jackson has
there been a negro heavyweight whose
claim to class and caliber demanded by
the heavyweight requirements has been
equaled by those of Johnson. and never
in the history of modern pugilism has
there been a heavyweight title holder
whose claims to championship laurels
have been SO derided and denounced as
those made by Tommy Burns. Personal
enmity will also form a big factor In the
result of the battle. For months Johnson
has bounded the trail Of Burns demand
ing a chance to fight for the handed
down title received by the holder from
Jim Jeffries. the greatest heavyweight of
them all. by way of Marvin Hart. Pur-
sued from America to England and from
England to Australia. Burns has at last
consented to fight a negro for the great
est honor of the pugilistic ring. and has
thus broken a precedent set in the days
when Sullivan awed the ring world and
Jim Corbett was a bank clerk just learn
ing to spar in spare moments.
So there are old scores to be settled in
the stadium ring at Sydney, Australia.
tonight, and perhaps when the new year
rolls in there will be a champion whose
status is beyond question. since it Is gen.
orally conceded that In Burns and John
son. the best men of the heavyweight
division of the present day are to meet.
They fail to flash though when compared
to those who have gone before. and the
decadence of the topmost rank of pugil-
ism since the days of Sullivan, Corbett
Fitzsimmons, Jeffries and Sharkey is such
that even the most ardent supporters of
the modern ring comedies the superiority
of the quintet that revolutionized the
fighting game. But since Johnson and
Burns are the best that pugilism can
offer for the championship the interest
Is none the less keen. and If the constant
rumor of fake is dspelled by a grueling
battle ending in decisive victory for
either one the other of the two prin-
cipals the present devotees of the ring
will accept the winner at his face value
ard let it go at that
Promoter Mcintosh of Australia who