The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-05-17
NELSON AND HYLAND
IN Center OF STAGE
Next Big Fight ls Between Fighting
Dick and California Challenger
and Will be Pulled Off In
San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17.-Battling
Nelson, the lightweight champion of
the world, and Fighting Dick Hyiand.
the husky little California challenger.
now occupy the center of the pugilistic
stage, for they are to furnish the next
great big morsel of ring excitement at
Coffroth's Mission street pavilion Sat-
urday afternoon, May 20. Though the
Battler figures a 10 to shot on form
over Hyland, still there are plenty OF
wise ones who believe that Dick had
royal chance to administer to Nelson
his first knockout, and these men will
play the little fellow strong.
Nelson has been making a lot of
noise since his arrival week ago. He
is a great card here-one of the great
est that the ring has ever known. At
local theater he is making nightly
speeches, denouncing Packy Mcfarland
and all day long he is busy getting into
shape for Hyland when he is not BOTH
cred about reading proof on his new
book or something else of this sort He
is the busiest pug that has hit Sar
Francisco in many moon, and he is
making them all sit up and take notice
of mis- actions.
Thus far, Nelson is looking upon Hy-
land as a sort of Warmup. He does not
even figure Dick to be dangerous. and
nobody can convince him that the little
fellow has a chance. Still, the Battler
is not neglecting himself, by any means.
e is going through q thorough course
of training, and right now he looks
good-good enough in fact to wade l.
and defend his title. Still, none
| them ever can tell till a fighter starts
his fight.
! Hyland Tough Nut.
| Hyland is as tough and as rugged {
little chap as ever put up his dukes
with any of them. Outside of one
knockout, administered by frankie Nei
four years ago, when Dick nearly killed
himself making 120 pounds, the boy has
never known the taste of defeat. He
never gained any great sensational vic
tories in his day, but he plugged right
along and beat such men as Cyclone
! Thompson, Young Corbett, Leach Cross
and others who were up in the front
seats of the dress circle of pugdon
then Hyland has the greatest kidney
punch of any fighter since the days OF
the great George Dawson, and it
with this that he hopes to beat dowr
the untiring ruShes of the man who
has laid them all low. If Hyland's
body blows fail to stop the Battler
then who is going to put the crushel
on him?
Fighter and Promoter Out.
! There is still lot of controversy be
| tween Nelson and Promoter Jim COT
frOth as to the Mcfarland affair. The
relations of the men have been severel
strained, and nobody seems to know
just yet what will be the outcome. COT
froth was very sore when he learned
that Nelson mad decided to take
Thompson July and pass up McFar-
land till some later date. Coffroth does
not like the idea of Nelson making
matches to suit himself, while Nelson
on the other hand, knowing that he
| a champion and the great big drawing
card is doing a little debating on the
side.
Coffroth says that in the event that
| Nelson refuses to take on Packey or
| July he will substitute Ketche
and Langford, or Ketchel and Philadel-
phia Jack O'Brien. This will be done
| partly to spite the Dane and partly be
cause Coffroth looks upon such an at
| traction as big event, that will pull {;
| lot of money into his box office. He has
a weakness for Ketchel, and would
have the Michigan lion fighting here
every month if he could dig up enough
| opponents for him.
| Bat Doesn't Care.
| And the meantime Nelson says that
[ he does not care. While in Denver he
| received the tip that the game would be
opened up there within the next month
or so. A certain big influential politi
clan and promoter went to the Battler
and asked him to fight Thompson in
| the Colorado city July 5. Nelson replied
| that he would in the event that the in
ducements were sufficient, Whereupon
| the promoter offered to hang up a purse
of $4,000 for the bout. This tickled
| the Dane to death, and ever since tn
| bug has been in his head. Thus he has
one on Coffroth, and thus the war con-
| tinues.
| If the present wrangle between Nell
| son and Coffroth and Nelson and Nc
| Farland is not brought to close, the
chances of the great lightweights com
/ ing together this year will be visibly
lessened Both of them are sore, very
| sore, especially Nelson. He has insisted
| that Mcfarland make known his inten-
| ton to fight him not later than last
1 night, and as Mcfarland did not comf
| through, the chances are that Nelson
will soon be out with a statement the
Packey must consider himself out OF
| the running.
| If Nelson and Thompson meet in this