Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-17
JOHNSON HAS A
GOOD MANAGER
CoIored Champion Will Have
His Say When Time
Arrives.
By Clarence L. Cullen.

perhaps. possibly, after due consideration,
with certain reservations. on conditions
substantially as follows. and so on, why.
Jeffres will-er-Jeffries will
But wait minute. Just wait, If you
please, one minute.
Surprising JEFF does consent to fight?
Huh? Surprising he does?
Where's the dnge going TO come in
then? What's the dinge going to have
to do and say about II?
Because. you know, they're all leaving
Johnson entirely out of the calculations.
They hain't a-sayin' one single. solitary
word about what Mistuh Johnsing is 60
ing TO do in connection with the matter
It's all this-a-way: Will jeff fight? VIII
Mister Jeffries consent to emerge from his
retirement and take or the boog? Will
Jeff accept enc of these octillion dollar
offers and clomp to the front and put up
his maulies I'm front of the dinge?
It's all the JEFF stuff. you see. That's
all we're hearing-what jeff thinks. what
jeff is going to do, what jeff isn't going
to do. and all like that.
Fine, Gur-r-reat. But, after all, folks
after all, what's JEFF got to do with it?
Where and how does he nudge in for the
big sayso?
Johnsing is the champeen. isn't he?
He wears the belt with the big buckle
now doesn't he?
He's the top gee and gnk in pugilism,
isn't he?
Well, then, why haven't we got out ears
to the ground. a-listening little more
| keenly to what Mstuh Johnsing Is going
to have to say?
got to admit that. He's in the saddle
It's him to make and dictate the terms
He doesn't have to care three lead nlckels
whether Jeffries fights him or not. AS a
matter OF fact. presumably, he's just a
little bit glad jeff didn't fight Any
way it breaks. though. right now, he's
the champion fighter of the world.
And, as the champion fighter of the
world why, they've all got to side up to
him and ask him what he thinks about
fighting arrangements ana purses ana
terms and things.
You can gamble the rag kyarpet they've
got to.
mark known to the sporting business II
he didn't make 'em do a little kowtoW-
ing to him?
II he let JEFF have the entire say-so,
wouldn't he be a joke. seeing that me-
johnson. is the actual champion by ac-
tual conquest?
If he permitted Jeffries and his people
to amble to the center and dictate the
terms and walk off with the big kaie,
wouldn't he be softie of several dit
ferent colors?
but that. Even if he were. he's got a
man behind him-Sam F1tzpatrick-who'
never been accused Of being one OF those
people you could trudge up to and sell
two bits worth Of green goods to right
while he was looking at you.
Even If Johnson did happen to be such
a mark as all of these all-Jeff sporting
commentators seem to take 1t for granted
that he Is. why Fitzpatrick is going to
have something to say about 1t as to
uyho Tnh m &c a
seat in any negotiations over a fight with
jeff or whether johnson Is going to claim
the prerogatives of the championship and
do little bit of debating about the
money end and things himself.
You can take this right now as the
wisenheim stuff:
If Jeffries and Johnson clash for $780,
600 purse, in Australia or in Mazuma,
Nevada or on the bank OF the kongo, IN
Africa or somewhere near Timbuctoo or
in the Fiji Islands, or In any other old
place-if these two get together for that
piece Of change or any other whopping
lump of kale. why, Johnson is going to
have his great big even divvy, or there
won't be any fight. that's all.
Come to think of it. why shouldn't he?
Dye happen to remember. at the pres
ent moment. the name OF any other
champion fighter in your time or in any
other time who didn't do the debating
as to the money end?
Is there any particular reason why
Johnson shouldn't say, in essence: Gimme
mine. Never mind what jeff gets. ] want
thought of at this present moment Of
typewriting.
Here we all are, then, sort O. fizgigging
arOun and wondering if Jeff's light gym
nasium work really means that he's going
to get into shape; wondering when jeff
is going TO announce that maybe, after
all, he will take on the boog; wondering
what jeff will have to say when he does
make that announcement about the coin
end and SO on: and a heap of other Won
ders of that and similar sort; and all
the time we are entirely and idiotically
overlooking this:
What's Mistuh Johnsins Going to
SayP
Guess we better wait to hear what
he's going to say. It's his say, you know
He's wearing the big medal. He's the
cook that's copied the prize He's wear
ing the dictator's emblems and other
junk.
Maybe after Mister Jeffries consents
II he does consent-to chop off forty or
fifty pounds of blubber and get into the
ring with Johnson-maybe when that hap
pens, why, Johnson will be having some
thing to say himself
II he doesn't he's a crumb Of Roquefort
for himself. that's all the above-signed
mas got 10 say. MOI mat the ABOVE
signed wouldn't be roofing for the boiler
maker in any such a fight. But facts are
facts, and Johnson's the main gee. and
why are we all getting het up and things
at the mere thought of JEFF "consenting''
to train for johnson before we've had a
chance to get Johnson's views on that
subject?
Before Sam Fitzpatrick left the United
States he said that he was going to carry
his dinge around the world. if necessary,
70 not II ut IL xL.k
Johnson was going to lick Burns He
said, additionally, that when johnson did
lick Burns, why. then he-Fitzpatrick-
and Johnson would have the little edge
on the situation. Said that after John
son thrashed Burns he was going to hold
his man off from fighting for at least one
lunar year. in order that the old duff
might be gathered in.
For, you remember. Johnson didn't have
the price of a bucket of whitewash when
he landed in Australia on Burns trail
and neither did Fitzpatrick. Both Of 'em
were busted down to the final SUMMARIZE,
and they had to bone Macintosh the
fight promoter down in the antipodes, for
the eat money and things.
Well. they played the little game
through, and played 1t like game people
They took their medicine. They gulped
their bolus. Poverty isn't any joyfulness
or nuthin when you're about 1900 miles
from base and the co'n-bread bell, you
know. After having been up against it
the way they have, is there any particu-
lar reason for supposing that Johnson and
Fitzpatrick aren't going to do lot of
stalling and fooling around, the while