The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-05-05
NELSON AGAIN
S|DESTEPP|NG
Gees Not Seem to Want to Meet Me
Farane, but Coffroth May Force
Bout on July @ketche
Has a Hard Fight.
By Edward w. Cochrane.)

(By Edward w. Cochrane)
Some time ago / made a statement
through this column that Battling Mel
son was afraid of Packy Mcfarland.
Some critics thought l was mistaken,
while others believed as I did, but
every move of this fellow in connection
with a fight with Mcfarland seems to
bear out this statement He has avoid
ed Mcfarland for more than year and
now he has been forced to come right
out hat-footed and dodge the Chicago
stock yards wonder, who wants just
one more battle in his fighting career
"a bout for the championship of the
lightweight division.
A short time ago Nelson and McFar-
land signed articles of agreement for
fight in San Francisco or Colma, to be
more exact, July 5, the day that will be
really celebrated as the Fourth of July
this year. Nelson attached his sigma
ture to the articles all right and Jimmy
Coffroth stated that he had the bout
clinched Now Nelson announces that
he has called the bout off. 1t may be
that Coffroth and public sentiment will
force the Dane to fight Packy but If it
is possible for him to crawl out of this
match he will do so.
In a telegram to the sporting editor
of The Journal from Buffalo he said:
81 put Mcfarland match off to Sep
TENDER 8, as it means $4,000 to me to
do So Will fight Johnny Thompson
July and Mcfarland comes later"
Then he stated that he thought pos
sibly he would fight Mcfarland as
scheduled, but he is so changeable
there is no telling what he will do. 1t
is a cinch that he has not posted the
$4,000 to cover a similar amount post
ed by Mcfarland and until he does this
fans can figure that he will try to avoid
meeting the Chic ago boy on July if
possible.
Afraid of Defeat?
Nelson figures it out this way: If he
can fight Dick Hyland per schedule on
May % in Los Angeles his end of the
purse will be $4,000. Then he will
meet Cyclone Tommy Thompson in
Frisco July and will pull down an
other $4,000.
This is the amount he is figuring on,
When he says he would lose a part of
the $4,000 by meeting Mcfarland July
s. it looks as though he was afraid the
Chicago wonder will bring home the
bacon and he will then fight Thompson
instead of Nelson. This dope may be
all right but fight followers in America
have been anxious for Nelson to meet
Mcfarland for a long time and but for
the heavyweight controversy he would
have been forced into a bout with
Packy long before this. Nelson is liza
BILE to state in the next "a hours that
he will or will not fight Mcfarland July
5 but those on the inside will not be-
Iieve it until his money is up.
The only thing that makes it look as
if the fight will be pulled off is the fact
that Jimmy Coffroth of Frisco has stat
ed that there is no need for Gilmore to
worry about Nelson backing out. Cof-
froth has lot of influence with Nelson
and he also holds forfeit for the Nell
SON. Hyland bout which he can take for
himself if Nelson refuses to meet Gill
more's protege, but that will not settle
Hard Bout for Ketehel.
Fight fans are more than anxious 10
see Stanley Ketchel and Sam LOngford
fight in Los Angeles next week In or
der to have the long standing dispute
between these fighters settled and II
will be a great battle Each man claims
the middle weight championship and
heretofore Ketchel has refused to meet
the Boston tar baby. When he meets
Langford he had better be in good con-
dition and ready to stand a lot of pun
ishment if ne wants to win. There are
few better fighters or harder Differs
in the NIT game than Langford. He is
negro and many people think negroes
have yellow streaks but if any negro
was shy one of that hue it is Sam. He
is gamer than Jack Johnson ever was
and he has conceded weight to john
son and then made the big black extend
himself to the limit to get fifteen
round decision. That was when john
son was doing as good fighting as he
could ever do and when Langford was
not the classy puncher ne is today.
Willis Britt became very chesty at
ter the LangfOrQ-Fer SuSOH uSill All boS
ton in which Langford failed to put his
opponent out Britt filed kilograms by
the score that night assuring his friends
that Ketchel would be the victor Wnen
the Michigan tiger meets the Boston
black on the coast. This fellow VIII
| know he has been in fight when ket-
| chel is through with him and he VIII
have no cinch,' is what Britt says Yes
and so will Ketchel know he has been
| in a fight providing everything is
/ strictly on the level and Langford is IN
condition for good fighting. 1t VIII pe
remembered that Johnson was beaten
by Ferguson up to the end OF theii
| battle, when Johnson got the better OF
| the argument by little better rms
generalship.
| Up to Stanley to Win.
| This fellow Ferguson is no sloucn
He has fought a lot of good men ano
any time a fighter steps in the rlns
with him he had better be prepared Ioi
| chit froy,, tho tom Of the gong TO the