Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-22
Battle for, HeaY weight Championship
Fakes Place Saturday.

Battle for, Heay weight Championship
Takes Place Saturday.
SYDNEY, N. s. w, Dec. 2~1.-Toz1my
Burns, French-Canadian heavyweight pugi-
list, and Jack Johnson, American colored
pug1list, who are to fight here on Saturday
next for the heavyweight championship of
the world, are both in the pink Of condi-
ton. Hard work has made them fit for
a long and hard battle, and although the
ODDS favor Burns, probably because OF his
recent signal victories, johnson has many
Burns is quartered at Darling Point and
has placed himself in the hands of his
sktllful trainer, OKeefe, with O'Donnell,
the Australian middleweight champion, as
q seaside suburb. Jack Mullins is his
trainer and Bill Lang. whom Burns
trimmed so handily in Melbourne last Sep
TENDER, has been doing his best for the
last few weeks to give Johnson points on
BUTTS, style Of fighting; Several other
pugilists have been assisting Lang In this
tesk and Johnson has been putting in tho
hardest kind of work with the gloves and
on the road preliminary to what he con-
Both have been giving training exhibit
tons twice a week at the stadium and
thousands of persons, including many wo-
men, have watched them at their work.
In this way they have been enabled to
gather in q lot of money. a portion of
The pubic betting fRaveoSTs Vf Burns at 3 to /
and already a large amount has been put
In the hands of Stockholders at these
VII see the fisht and 900 Tick tickets Pef 6Sps
already been sold. As yet a referee has
rot been selected, but 4 is believed that
Contracts for the picture rights are being
made in all parts of the world.
When the final count of the referee at
Ruchcutters Bay, Sydney, Australia, next
Saturday, proclaims Tommy Burns or Jack
Johnson the worlds champion heavyweight
pugilist the adherents of the fighting game
of North America. Europe and Australia
Will have finally settled for them the much
mooted question OF which is the superior
man. Since James ]. Jeffries retired and
Burns defiantly flung his banner to the
preezes and announced that he would de-
fend the title against all c~omers-barfing
coIored me~n--Johnson has camped on his
trail, denying the right to Burns to draw
the color line; and no little amount Of
Pupils opinion has sided with the big black.
sistently refused to grant Johnson's de-
mands for a fight and went his way pick
and third rate fighters. Nobody. however,
good fight. :
Bill Squires, the Australian. came across
the seas with the championship bee and
sought a fight with Jeffrles. The Californ-
ian. however, was out OF the game and
Burns took him on In San Francisco. The
fight lasted less than one round Burns
claimed that this battle clinched bis right
to the title OF heavyweight champion, but
Johnson stu demurred. Burns then went to
W. ullll u
In ten rounds and afterwards whipped Jem
Roche In Ireland and several other heavy.
weights.
johnson followed Burns to London and
challenged him. Burns declared he would
give him a fight II a purse should be huns
up OF sufficient size to assure him $50, 900
win, lose or draw, but this was not forth.
coming and Burns sailed for Australia
where he again trimmed Bill Squires aftel
a harder battle than the Australian haf
given him in California and eight dav,
later also defeated Bill Lang.
Then the fight promoters OF Sydney huns
up a purse OF $35.O 900 and Burns cabIeS
Johnson his ~ultimatum. This was that al
the $4,000 Burns was to receive 1900 o de,
spite the issue OF the battle, Johnson's enc
to be 5000. Johnson accepted and immedi
ately left for Australia.
The fight will be to a finish in a 2-foo
ring in the open air. Besides the purse o.
$4,000. Burns Will obtain a moving pietur,
film valued at 81, $50 and transportation fol
himself and manage back to London
making In all $4,000 that he will receiv,
for meeting Johnson.
Johnson also gets his travelling expense,
from London to Australia and return.