The Washington herald., 1909-01-11
WHY THEY DRAW
THE COLOR Line
Fighters Usually Do 1t for
Sake of Convenience.
EXAMPLES ARE CONSPICUOUS
Sometimes Hiding Is Done on Ac-
count of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., Ket-
and Kid Mccoy Have Never Boxed
Negroes-COuldR't stop Johnson.

Jack Johnson's recent vs.cc-- over
Tommy Burns, which FOR the first time
IN the history OF pusilisIa earned the
title OF heavyweight champion Of the
world for q negro, has revived talk BY
several ring stars Of drawing the color
line"
While some pugillsts never have per
Taitted themselves 20 tight a colored nan.
notably John l. Sullivan. Tom Sharkey.
Stanley KetcheIl, Packey mcfarland. Kid
Mccoy. and Bill Pspke. others have used
the color line" simply as a matter OF
convenience and not as q result OF race
/ prejudice
Many fighters with long ring records
have met negroes on one OF two Occa-
siOns. and only then when bouts with
them were necessary 70 help them ad-
vance in point Of fame and fortune.
The fact that George Dixon. Joe Cans.
and ice WalcOtt held the feather-weight.
lightweight, and welteT-weight cham
pi0nships Of the world. respectively. for
long periods made Il imperative on NJ
merOus occasions for white boxers ID
cross arms with them
JefTies says he viii not fight the negro
Johnson because he has retired perma-
nently from the boxing game Jeffries
also declares that Burns never should
have allowed 2 colored nan 70 fight for
the heavyweight title. and that when ha
(Jefries} was the champion he firmly
drew ;he line.
But the records show that even Jefries
fought negrO boxers on three occasions
Peter Jackson. Hank Griffin. and Bob
Armstrong Jackson was al in. physi-
cal wreck. so 20 speak. when JefTries.
then an sspirsnt for championship hon
ors. knocked him out IN three rounds.
II was Billy Delaney. VINO now says
that his man, Al kaufman. never can
meet q negro, especially Johnson. who
brought JefITies 10 New York for the first
time. and when Tom ORoUrke's Lsnox 4,
.C. hung Up q purse for JEFF TO stop two
Iae1-Bob Armstrong and Steve O'DOn-
lell-in ten-round bouts in the sans ring.
there was no such preu6iced wall from
Delaney.
Jefries weighed all Of % pounds then
and Eever had been seen IN the East
before Armstrong wss q big black feI-
low. who had been used by O'Rourke IS a
trial horse for Tom Sha-key.
Couldn't Stop Negro-
Jeffries couldn't stop Armstrong n the
required limit, and when It came tine for
him TO put O'DonneH 10 the test the boil
ermaker said that MS thumb had been
spralned or broken. and that he could
not proceed with the Australian
JeeIries' unpleasant experience with
Armstrong probably made him sore on
TIE negro race. particularly because the
crowd guyed him numerically. and it's
also Just q chance that when Jack John
son knocked the daylights out OF Jefs
brother Jack the big ex-champion saw the
handwriting or the wall
Joe Walcott met more white men than
any other negro boxer on record He
vas under the management o. Tom
o ROurke. a master mind in the handling
OF pugiliSts. when ne met such fighters
as Tommy West Tom Tracey. Nike Hsr-
rs, Dick O'Brien, Austin Gibbons. Kid
Lavigne. Mysterious Billy Smith Georgia
Green Kid MCFARLAND. Australian Jim
Ryan, Dan C7eedon. Charley Johnson.
Dick Moore. Joe Chcynski. BIZ Hanrahan
George Gardner, Kid Carter, Philadelphia
Jack o BTien. Billy Melody. Jimmy Card
ner. Nike Donovan, and others
Fans FOught Many Whites.
joe Cans, former lightweight champion
q the world. also faced numerous white
pugilists Of note. including Young Grisfo.
Dial Hawkins. Nike Leonard. Stanton Alb
bott. KID MCFARLAND. Jack Daily. SPIDER
Kelly. George AIcFadden. Billy Ernst,
spike Sullivan Frank Erne. Terry Nc
Govern, Martin Flaherty. Willie Fltzger-
a p-g@
Willie Lewis. Harry Lewis. Spike Rob
son. Rudolph Unholz. and Batting Ne
son
Though Jack johnson IS. IN, first negro
70 win the heavyweight championship
OF the world, COlored pugfIists have won
fame in the ring for many years Peter
Jackson. in his prime. was believed By
many 10 be the greatest fighter in the
world but he never got a chance 10 fight
Sullivan for the heavyweight title
johnson and Jackson can be Dc. down
IS the best coIored ''heavies' that ever
drew on a glove sam Langford. the BOs-
ton negro, is a wonderful middle-weight,
the equal II not the superior. Of Ketch-
ell Papke, and Kelly. the best white men
n that class.
For many years Joe walcott, who was
as black as ink. was the recognized VEL
ter-weight champion. while ice Cans un-
III Batting Nelson lowered his colors,
was the best lightweight IN the world
Probably ring followers viii never see a
greater feather-weight than the lsta
George Dixon. Little Chocolate" who
WAS not only a wonderful pugilist. but q
sportsman. Jack Blackburn. with Cans
in retirement, Is the best coiored light
weight In the ring He also can put IN 8