The Washington herald., 1909-02-13
By FREDERIC ]. HASKN.

By FREDERIC
Just at present the American public is
having the remarkable experience Of see
ing the almost defunct and rapidly per-
sshing sport OF professional boxing re-
ce5ve more attention IN the columns OF
the newspapers than It had IN the days.
twenty years ago, when Il iOuTished most
luxuriantiy This sudden stimulus to the
game and the great expenditure Of print
ers' ink Is due to the fact that Jack
Johnson. American negro. from Calves
ton, Tex. on December g, 1873 won the
practical worlds heavyweight cham
psen from Noah BrUsso. better known
as Tommy Burns. at Sydney, Australia,
in fourteen rounds before crowd esti-
mated at soOoo. and which contributed
something Ike Sl500o0 IN gate receipt
While the fight broke al records for
attendance and profits. il VAS not Won
derful affair from the standpoint Of box
ing. and the interest It aroused was due
70 the fact that negro was now become
the champion Of ali champions" a title
that John L. Sullivan gives himself in
his press agents efTusiOns. The clean
cut victory Of the negro. the fact that
he Is, with the possible exception of the
retired champion, James J. Jefries. OF
Los Angeles. recognized as the best fist
fighter living. has given boxing a new
lease on life IN this country. Great Brit
ain, and the English colonies. There is
little danger OF the sport being finally
suppressed until white man again wins
The title and this feeling is not confined
10 the United States
That johnson and Burns should have
drawn such an enormous attendance and
attracted Sl5a.el8 70 the box Office is not
surprising when Il IS remembered that
135090 people were az the track when
Carbine won the Melbourne Cup in the
's8's Boxing has f0urished in Australia
and New Zealand for many years YOgEg
GriTo. an Australian. was probably the
cleverest defensive boxer that ever lived,
and IT is said that when he fought Joe
Cans TO draw in 1887 his defense was
80 wonderfully skillfUl that the future
lightweight champion Of the world shed
tears from sheer evaporation over his
inability 10 land a damaging blow.
Boxing is general in England at the
present time but the large arenas and
spectators numbering tens Of thousands
for q single combat are almost unknown
The great fights are held in the National
Sporting Club. near Covent Garden. Lon
don That is real club with Turkish
baths. dlning-rOOm. reading-room- and -
closely scrutinized membership list. When
a bout IS held there an outsider has 10
gain admission through a member, al
the spectators are IN evening clothes,
and the commercial feature IS entirely
absent for only a member can buy a
drink The arena IS not very large and
probably would not seat 1.500 people
Purses ranging from SOC 20 $3.50 are the
rule. There is big fight once OF twice
a month. but unimpOrtsnt battles are fre-
ouent Most Of the other clubs IN Eng
land are small enterprises with small
purses and small admission fses-from
an American standpOint-and the talent
shown in their Tings is mostly OF very
small caliber
one PECULIARLY Of the National Sporting
Club is that, instead Of a large number
OF preliminary bouts, limited to four or
six or eight re5mds, as N this country. It
VIII have the first fight twenty rounds
the second fifteen. and the third last and
most important, ten rounds. This always
amazes Americans, who are accustomed
10 seeing the last fight scheduled 70 be
the longest
Paris has recently become enthusiastic
over the boxing game, and any American
who sees two FrenChmen in the ring II
The BOWling Ciub. where the big fights
are held viii gain cheering and amusing
memories that time VIII never efface. a
large proportion OF the spectators at the
delightful French prize fights are women,
and there is little chance Of their being
horrifed by the sight Of blood Women
ushers. who charge sou for a programme
and then do not hesitate TO come around
later and ask you for a tip on general
principles. are another OF the curiOsities
OF Paris pugilistic contests
John I. Sullivan did more 70 revive
general public interest in fighting than
any other man HIS wonderful career in
knocking out all cOmers in four rounds
as ne toured the country inspired thou
sands OF boys with desire to use their
fists While he battled his way to the
top by using bare knuczles, the fact that
Sullivan agreed 10 meet James J. Cor
bett to q finish under Marquis Of Queens
bury rules, at New Orleans. on June IS,
1892, practically killed the London prize
ring rules and bare knuckle prize fight
ing. The London code also allowed trip
ping. and everything else short Of the
use OF a hatchet on an opponent. Under
Marquis Of Queensbury rules II Is con
sidered bad form 10 use gloves weighing
less than five ounces
But, despite the great boost given the
game by Sullivan, public boxing has been
Icgislated out Of existence in many
States and IS barely alive IN others
Nevada alone permits absolutely finish
fights. The California law oompels the
fights 10 be limited 10 a definite number
Of rounds. bat does not specify the num-
Der, hence y-fiye-TOund engagements
are scheduled there. which practically
means 70 q finish. Under the Maryland
law the same might be done. but is is
not likely that a promoter would care TO
take the chances.
Followers OF the prize ring IN the Unit
ed States have often wondered how the
different weights for boxers originated.
Under the old rulings the bantam-weight
limit was 112 pounds. the feather-weight
1s5 pounds the lght-We eight 133 pounds
and the middle-weIght I5S pounds. Later
Innovations were 10 pounds for welter-
weight limit, and the Ight-heavy-weigh
limit indefinitely fixed around 10 pounds.
AS the civilized world counts IN decimals
these days. it might have been supposed
that the figures would have been us. IS.
I55. &c. The explanation Is that the olG
Championship classes were based on
English stones and II the tight little
island they are stili figured on that basis
A bantam was originally an S-StOne
man. a feather was a S-stOne man.
''light-Weight' was a 9-stOne-and-ahalf