Omaha daily bee., 1910-06-19
WElLHT Is Tie BIC THING
Match Well Made is Half Won, Ac-
cOrding to Authorities.
SEVERAL GOOD EXAMPLES CITED
Gans Conceded weight 20 Nelson
ana Lost--List of Fighters and
Their weights and
Glasses.
SEVERAL GOOD EXAMPLES CITED

NEW YORK, June 1s.-Much Of the biclS-
ering between boxers has been due to the
question OF weight. "a match well made
is half won" is an axiom closely followed
by managers OF puglists, and as a result
they usually exert themselves TO secure an
advantage I'm the matter of weight. II
boxer can be brought into the ring at
weight which prevents him from fighting
at his best it amounts to a heavy handi-
cap so that it has been the aim Of many
managers 10 arrange match with view
Of weakening opponents.
The strongest exempliflcation OF these
tactics was in the bouts between Joe Cans
and Battling Nelson. Although Cans was
the lightweight champion he was so eager
for the financial returns assured by
fight with the Dane that he permitted Nell
son TO dictate i3S pounds, ringside, the men
10 wear trunks and shoes on the scales.
This brought Cans into the ring at 1Si
pounds. weight at which the Baltimore
negrog'was unable to show his best form,
and It is questionable II Cans Ill health at
the present time was not due directly to
the weakening effects Of his preparation
for both scraps with the Battler.
1t is comparatively easy for boxers and
their managers to haggle over the weight
question, for the reason that no authorize
tive rules on the subject exist and the
only guidance is precedent. But even prece-
dent Is. frequently ignored by titleholders,
who fix the weight at a figure favorable
to themselves. In several instances when
champions have outgrown class they
have set the weight notch close up to the
limit of the class above. Terry McGovern
did this In the featherweight division when
he fought Young Corbett at 126 pounds and
after the mill setting up the claim that he
had not lost his featherweight title, as the
weight was LIZ pounds, the accepted limit
in this country McGovern, by the way,
was a victim Of sharp practice when he
met the late George Dixon, from whom he
won the featherwelght championship Tom
ORourke, Dixon's manager, thinking that
McGovern would be very strong at LIZ
pounds, set the weight at lis pounds, ring
side. But McGovern happened to be strong
enough at that weight to best the little
colored fighter into state Of submission.
Fight for Few Pounds.
Freddie Welsh. the English lightweight
champion. after he had won that title at
1856 pounds. scaling six hours before ring
time, refused to meet Packey Mcfarland
unless the latter agreed to scale at 1873
POuHoDs <AOp f<AttClI ttiO pfSochl AluSilCdu
featherweight champion. was ready TO meet
Jem Drlscoll at LIS pounds ringside, in the
fight that was recently declared off, as
iDriscoll positively declined to make
match at 122 pounds. Johnny Coulon, who
says ,he is the American bantam cham
pion, contrary to precedent has fixed the
limit OF this class at lis pound, ringside,
thereby shutting out Jimmy Walsh and
other good boys who cannot get under 1l6
the recognized bantam limit on this side
OF the Atlantic. In view of the fact that
precedent Is the only factor in fixing the
weights the poundage at which the cham
pions In the various classes have defended
their titles will prove interesting to stu
dents OF pugilistic form. They are as fol-
lows;
Bantam class--Jimmy Barry at lO6 to lis
Forbes. l1s; Frankie Nell lie; Jimmy
Walsh, ZIG; Johnny Coulon, 116.
International Bouts = McGovern-P Palmer,
Stanley all at 116 Coulon's claim is with
out basis and precedent overwhelming In
Featherweight CLASSICAL Mccarthy lis;
George Dixon, 115, us and 122; McGovern
l22 to 1851 Attell, 1872 to 126. Majority Of
lightweight Class--Jack McAuliffe, 1873 to
1SS; Kid Lavigue, 1888 10 1856 at p. m, at
which weight he lost his title to Frank
1t TO Nelson at INA Nelson, 1914 to 1888,
ringpide. losing his title 10 Ad Wolgast
at the latter figure. Precedent favors 1888.
Welterweight Class-Tommy Ryan, 142
20 las; Mysterious Billy Smith, 145; Matty
Mathews, 142; RUDE Ferns, las; Joe Wal
colt, las; Dixie Kid, present champion, 142.
Precedent fayors lao. Honey Melody
claimed title, but Dixie Kid beat Walcott
on the, coast in 1906, prior to the latter's
defeatsby Melody.
Middleweight Class-Jack Dempsey, 1884,
Bob Fatzsimmons, 154 70 1888; Tommy Ryan,
1es; Stanley Ketchel, 15s. Precedent favors
1853. Sam Langford considered the best
man In this class and ready to fight
Ketchel for the title