Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-09-27
RUSSIAN HOLDS
HIS POPULARITY
DEFEAT FAILS TO TURN FANS
AGAINST HIM
OPERATION AND LONG REST
HAVE BENEFITED HIM
Big Russian and Jim Barry Expected
to Furnish Exciting Time at
y, Mecarey's Cabin Next
Friday Night

Few scrappers have enjoyed the pop
<larity of Battling Johnson in the
face of defeat. yet it remains
fact that despite his beatings at the
hands of Jim Flynn and Al Kaufman
the big rugged chap is one of the best
cards in the heavyweight division, and
he does not have to beg for matches,
because the fans want to see him in
action, and always turn out in droves
to attend his scraps. When he and
Jim Barry hook up for ten-round
bout next Friday night 1t Is almost
certainty that the McCarey pavilion
will be damned with fans. This is be-
cause the big fellow has made a repu-
tation for always trying and for giving
the best efforts that are in him.
He has had considerable difficulty
with his breathing apparatus, and
when he sustained his crushing defeat
by AL Kaufman he was q sick man
and eighteen pounds off his feed. De-
spite these handicaps the big bunch
of gameness has gone into the ring
and fought like a demon. Recently he
had an operation performed on his nose,
which has entirely relieved him of the
worst handicap under which he has
been forced to fight, and long rest
and season in the mountains have
restored him to perfect health and con-
fidence, and his fortnight of training
has placed him in trim to put up the
best battle that is in him.
Manager Gaines brought him out of
the mountains Thursday and he began
work yesterday at Arcadia, where he
will work out this afternoon and every
day until Friday. Arthur Collins, who
will box Al Weining in a ten-round
preliminary to the big scrap, and Abdul
the Turk will be his sparring partners.
Barry is much better than the aver
age fan credits him with being. There
is only one scrapper who has anything
serious on Jim, and that fellow, Sam
Langford, has it on practically all of
them. Langford has Jim's nanny for
fair, and is the only scrapper who has
him under any handicap before they
begin fighting. All other scrappers look
alike to Jim, including Joe Jeanette,
Big Jim Stewart and various others.
Barry is a fighter of class and has
wallop that impressed an old timer like
John L. as being the real goods for a
champion to own.
Barry is working faithfully every
afternoon at Doyle's club on the south
side, and is in excellent condition. He
and johnson will go into the ring at
practically the same weight, 1876 pounds,
as both weighed 191 pounds yesterday.
In size they are about of the same
build.
Ten rounds should be ample time for
them to arrive at a definite adjustment
of their disputed superiority. Both are
famous wallpapers and game and their
bout will become an endurance contest
from the start. When right, Johnson
seems able to take an immense amount
of punishment without fiinching. and
his nerve and gameness usually rattle
his opponents. When he and Barry
mix there will be no light taps ex-
changed. 1t will be plain case OF
battering ram and a stone wall.
The preliminaries to this scrap are
unusually attractive. Al Weinig, not
so long ago a top notcher, will take on
Arthur Collins, the big black trial
horse of the local colony, at 1875 pounds
over a ten-round route. This bout
should be a hummer and almost as in
teresting as the main event. Eddie
Russell and Kid Murray will be staged
at six rounds in the curtain raiser.