Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-22
NEW YORK'S WEEKLY
LETTER ON FIGHTERS
Bill Blunt Writes Entertain
ingIy About the Boxing
Game.
By Bill Blunt.

By Bill Blunt.
NEW YORK. August Clocks as
though the question. Who Is the
present champion. JeffrcS or Johnson?
is going TO he asked as often as those
three other interroga;ions that have be-
come threadbare by continual use: Was
John l.. Sullivan champion of the world?
rs Tommy Ryan Hebrew and
! What constitutes d Knockout? Numer-
Gus wasers are going to be laid on the
| first proposition. In fact the fans have
started to bet ON it already. Here goes
for the four of them: Sullivan was not
champion of the world. Ryan is not a
. Hebrew. knockout means to be incapaci-
tatcd from continuing for ten seconds
from any cause and not necessary, being
rendered unconscious and Johnson is the
present champion with Jeffries portraying
the role o. challenger. Neither OF the
tour interrogations can ever be answered
to the entire satisfaction of everybody,
but the answers as outlined above seem
10 be the consensus of opinion OF many OF
the closer students of the boxing game
and are worth a wager under almost any
conditions.
: When Jeffries retired the day OF the
Hart-kcot contest at Reno, New, July 3,
1906. he relinauished his title to the win
ner of that bout. Hart won; he was de-
feated by Burns and the latter lost 1t to
Johnson, the present holder. Even though
Jeffries may have since repudiated the an
nouncemeDt he made at Reno, II cannot
alter the facts in tie case. 1t was in
cumpent upon him to DO one OF two
things. the same as 1t is upon the cham
pion OF any class either fight within a
reasonable time or retire Taking him at
his word. he chose the latter course.
During the four years following his public
abandonment of the title he reiterated
1t times without number by stating. when
asked II he intended to fight again. I'm
through. All ] want is to be let alone"
or words meaning the same. A few
months ago he is reported to have said:
Il didn't give the title avay. When
retired, l took the title with me- Such
line of conduct would be illogical, i'm
possible and contrary to all usases of the
ring. championship title is the per-
he may acquire, own. hold and take into
retirement with him. 1t merely is the
distinctive appellation b. which a boxer
IS known as or conceded to be the best
in his class. claim based on an ac-
knowledged or perhaps an alleged right.
1t is supposed to be won by conquest, but
sometimes is acquired by default. for
feiture or bestowal. 1t is his to use,
enjoy and profit by. only SO long as he
sees fit or is capable of defending it
against qualified or eligible challengers.
That IS the technical side of it.
However, when Jeffries retired he
did not forfeit his right to endeavor TO
reWin the championship any time he
cared to. Having once held it and hav-
ing retired urbeaten. he naturally has
the call and his challenge must be ac-
cepted by Johnson. His recent state
ment that he will re-cnter the ring will
do much to cloud Johnson's Tenure of
the title and will create doubt in the
minds OF many sportsmen as to the lat
ter's right to its possession. There is
just one way to settle 1t clearly to the
satisfaction OF all and that is for Jeffries
and Johnson to meet In the ring. Then
the question will answer itself. Should
Johnson win ne will be the undsputed
champion. II Jenries is victorious, there
can be no d.sputing his right to Ahe
title. II by any chance Jeffries falls to
meet johnson. the latter remains cham
pion and it will be necessary to defeat
him before he can be deprived of his
title except in the event that he forfeits
to Jeffries. Under those circumstances
Jeffries could either defend his newly
acquired title or retire as he did before,
and permit the other heavyweghts to
=
as to who is champion Johnson tech
nically holds the title, much as the sport
ing public in general would wish it other
wise. His holding may even be claarac-
terized as formal and literal as compared
to real or indisputable, but the basic
principles upon which the boxing game
is founded. we'll as precedent, pro-
claim Johnson champion until he is beat
McAuliffe retired in favor of Kid Lavisne,
and there is none who will deny that
rtavigne was the accredited title-holder
until he was beaten by Frank Erne at
Buffalo three years later. 4 champion
cannot publicly withdraw himself from
and permit the title he once held to be
buffeted about from one TO another with
out losing it. To regain it, it is necessary
for him to reWin it, The truth. and espe-
us, but ii is just as well to be fair even
if it is trifie painful Johnson is cham
pion today.
Conforming to the prevailing custom OF
polite sporting circles and emulatins some
Of the more senteel OF the hstic scribes,
it is graceful and seemly to refer to the
proposed Jeifres-Johnson contest as the
battle Of the century, 1t is traditional
that all worlds championship contests
are battles "of the century, And so
most Of them prove-before the contest
and while the preliminaries are being ar
ranged and while the affairs are being
exploited to arouse public interest. TO
attempt to gatnsay any Of the antebellual
statements would be rantanlouut to con.
tossing guilt. asking for conviction and
praying tor sentences on the ground OF
n;gh treason. Oftertines however the
fights 90 not come Up 10 eApecta tons, and
they prove to be short. commonplace and
devoid Of interest. 1t is but necessary to
refer 10 tie Corbett- Mitchell, Jeftries-
Mu.roc and BGras-Squires bouts. Strange
coircidence-ail three of these bouts sub
joined make d grand total OF six rounds.
approximately the exact length Of the
recent Lewis Burke bout. There was
more real fighting crowded into this one
contest than there was in the three
championship fights. 1t isn't because 4
Jeffries-JohBson contest gives promise of
being wicked. stubborn. interesting
bout that, even at this early dar and in
the face OF the uncertainty OF it's final
ratification, il is commanding attention.
II is because Johnsoa, tine holder of the
title. has succeeded in making himself
thoroughly Gnpopuisr witt! the sporting
classes. and the latter, anxious to see
him detroned. have pinned their faith
and hopes to jefiries. that rugged, hon
est old gladiator. who. when al his best
proved himself to be the greatest heavy
weight glove fighter in tie annals OF lie
modern ring. 1t caDnot tr1;tIfl,Ilv ba