The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-06-13
COlored Population of Gotham
Collects Twenty Thousand
Dollars to Bet.
MONEY IS WIRED TO
JOHNSON To HANDLE
JeGries Is FayOrite; Big Odds
VIII Stop Many From
Taking 4 Chance.

NEW YORK. June Eff the statement
that Baron Wilkins the local boullace.
sent $50 900 10 Jack Johnson TO bet on
himself against Jcffrjcs mt the best odds
! obtainabe, is true. those who deslr> TO
! bet the retired heavyweight champion
viii be apt to get Il better price Tor their
money than they nave been cXpcCling.
! The betting nov quoted on the fight
makes JcffTlcs u 10 TO faVoritc, and
many OF the Frisco sports predict that
I this price Will be hammered down 10 =
Z To before the men enter lnc ring.
The 100000 said 10 have been sent to
/ Johnson by Baron Wilkins represents Il
/ pool made up by q number OF negroes
/ who intend backing the black champion
L. beat the white man.
At ths Time Jeifries retired from the
/ ring. had u match between him and John
son been arranged. there would have been
no reason why JcfITcS should not have
been top heavy raVoritc. HIS record
would have Justified the betting public in
making him pronounced short cndcr.
But row that the conditions are reversed
and Johnson is the champion. coupled
with the further fact that he has been
JcfIrics's retirement. 1t seems 10 me that
making Jelfries TO l faVoritc over the
negro is not warranted from any stand
poin;.
Too Much Odds.
While it is reasonably sure that Jeff
rie9 Viii win. II is not safe 10 bet .
To. on the proposition, Fight fans
don take much stock in this thing Of
making one man an odds on taVorite over
another in a prize fight The short endcrs
have lost so many times that many seem
To think the betting should he about even
in all prize ring contests where the men
are pretty evenly matched as seems 10
be in this case. Fans are glad
10 note that the sentiment faNoring Tex
Rickard for referee is becoming more pro-
nounccd every day. The argument put
forth obviously by those with an AK OF
some sort 10 srl Ind. that Rickard, owing
TO lack of experience is not qualified for
the position. is having little weight with
lhe night fans throughout the country.
Richard may lack experience but his we'll
known honesty VIII more than Offset de-
hclencicS in this respect.
The fact that the lighters themselves
want Richard should be sufficient guar
antee 10 the public as IL IS viewed that
the battle VIII he waged strictly on its
merits.
II may be assumed that neither the
principals nor tho public desire the fight
20 be decided upon lechnicallty and for
mat reason any lcvcl-headcd. honest man
Is qualified for the position Rickard pos
sesses both these qualities.
JEFF in Condition.
That Jeffries VIII be right when he
! Steps into the ring July is now fore
gone conclusion. From the best sources
OF information he is trained TO the hour.
II has been long and tiresome grind for
the big fellow. but the result fully com
pcnSdleS MIN Tor MS effort
As To Jobnson'S condition there exists
much doubt. II is true that the negro has
been showing good form in his workouts
before the crowd which daily visits his
camp But these consist chiefly in box
ing bouts with his sparring partners and
a little gym work on the side lasting not
more than an hour. What johnson does
during the rest Of the twcRty-four hours
is not known. He has never been known
as a willing worker. On the contrary he
is consummatc loafcr. lie has gone into
the ring many times in no more condition
TO fight than a Dutch brewer
Admitting for the sake of argument
tnat johnson believes he can win ard
that he intends TO fight with that pur-
pose IN view. hls conduct before and since
and between himself at the Seal Rock
house gives the impression thai he was
mol bothering himself great deal about
the result of the coming battle.