The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-06

"Bat" Masterson writes: You can
take it from me that Jimmy Coffroth
will be the only bona fide bidder for
the .Jeffries-J johnson fight. Coffroth,
unless all signs fail, has That match
sewed up so far as competition is con-
cerned. The reason Coffroth will be
the only bidder Is because there is no
other place in this country, outside OF
Coffroth's bailtwiclx, where the battle
could be held.
1t is all right for the principals and
some OF the newspapers to advance the
argument that there win be spirited
competition among certain promoters
to secure the battle. But when It comes
to putting up forfeit to guarantee
that the battle will take place, therein
be but one man In the field and that
will be Coffroth.
Won't Go to Australia.
Hugh Mcintosh. the Australian,
might be able to raise Coffroth in the
matter Of purse, and 1t might be,
IL the raise is sufficiently impressive,
he'll get the battle. But it is hardly
probable that Mcintosh will be bid
der. Had the Australian been anxious
for the fight. he would have, indicated
the amount of money ne was willing to
nav for IL before Jeffries left for home.
AS it is Mcintosh has made no offer
that could be considered genuine. At
any rate, ne has not put up any money
To guarantee the fulhllment OF his
promise provided the offer, If he has
made one. was accepted. Mcintosh Is
reported to have bid $4,000, but like a
good many other things that have APP
reared in the newspapers in connec-
ton with the battle, the report, when
sifted down, win probably be found
to be untrue.
The Miller brothers. whose head
quarters is at Bliss, Okla, are said to
nave offered $4,000 for the fight. 1t is
a good betting proposition, however,
that the Miller brothers have made no
such offer. Someone connected with
their show may have put such a report
in circulation for advertising purposes,
but there is no reason for believing
that the Miller brothers would even at
tempt to handle the fight in Oklahoma.
ls Crank State.
while d good part Of Oklahoma was
Indian Territory before its admission
to the Union as state. 1t is now con-
coded to be one Of the biggest crank
states in the Union.
In addition to the numerous fool
laws on the Oklahoma statute book
there is one making prize lighting
felony and, If am not mistaken, one
or perhaps two prize fighters have al
ready been sent to the penitentiary
from that state for violation of this
law.
It may, therefore, be put down that
no attempt VIII be made to promote
prize fight in Oklahoma.
Left to California.
The only state in the Union where
the battle could take place, outside OF
California, is Nevada, and, as I have
already stated on previous occasions,
Nevada could not successfully compete
against Coffroth. The situation, there
fore, resolves itself down to the one
place and that is Coffroth's Mission
street arena in Colma. 1t would be a
reflection on Coffroth's intelligence to
assert that he did not understand the
situation. No one knows better than
the sagacious Coffroth that he is the
only man in the country to be reckon
ed with in this match.
1t is not putting it too strongly, l
imagine, to state unreservedly that
Coffroth realizes that 1t is not even
necessary for him to guarantee a purse.
If the men fight, his position is such
that he can compel them to battle on
a percentage basis. Moreover, he need
not agree to give the fighters the en-
tire gate receipts. He can name the
percentage. The fact is, Jeffries and
Johnson will have to take what Cof-
froth is willing to give them whether
they like 1t or not. So Tar as this fight
is concerned Coffroth seems to have
strangle hold on the situation and
he can be depended upon to make the
most OF 1t.
What Sam Says.
Berger said to me: 'TIl stake my life
that when JEFF and johnson face each
other in the ring the big fellow will be