Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-25
TWODROP TITLES f..
AMONG FIGHTERS
Nelson and Jeff Lose Crowns
to WoIgast and Johnson
During Year.
There ARE MANY
BANTAMS IN FIELD
Corbett Suggests Tourney to
Decide Superiority of the
Little Fellows.
By James J. Corbett.


BEAUMONT. Tex. December o4-By
the time this article appears In print the
majority of the readers of The Stars
sporting pages in all probability will be
hooked up for a few rounds with the
Christmas turkey. That reminds me that
this is a good time to wish all my friends
and readers a merry Christmas. and Offer
my thanks for the support given my
literary efforts in the past. trust that
my weekly letters will continue to satisfy
the sporting public and that before. this
time next year the pugilistic situation
will have have been changed and that a
white man will be on the heavyweight
throne.
The year just drawing to a close has
been an eventful one in the world OF
pugilism. Within a few months time two
Of the greatest champions ever known in
their respective classes were forced to
take back seats and give up their Jobs to
younger men. First to fall by the way
side was the durable Dane. Battling Mel
son. who lost his title to AID Wolgast after
some forty rounds OF hard milling at
Colma last February. and after that fol-
lowed the fight OF the century" between
'Jehries and johnson at Reno on indie
pendence day. For the first time in the
history OF professional pug1lism In this
country We have a negro heavyweight
champion.
Title Belongs to No One.
Another title was vacated when Stanley
Ketchell was assasslnated- The unfor-
tunate ending OF poor Ketchell has left
the middleweight class without a leader.
and it will be a matter OF several months
before this important matter can be set
tied to the satisfaction of the followers OF
pugilism.
The welterweight division is about in
the same boat. For the life of me / can
not say who holds the title in this class.
and as to the quality of the welters now
before the public the least said the better.
There are several lightweights who could
clean up the entire bunch In a weeks time
IL given the opportunity. If Abe.Attell was
turned loose among the gang posing an
claimants to the welterweight champion
ship the little terror would have a few
more scalps to add to his collection.
There has been no change in AttelIs
no one seems to be able to give him q
good argument. Or IL they get by with It
once Abe generally attends to their cases
properly the next time out. That's q
speciality Of the featherweight champion.
and Attell is great when 1t comes to saw
ing an opponent for future use.
Everybody a Champion.
The bantams, though, are the limit. There
must be a dozen youngsters In this country
alone who claim the title OF worlds cham
pion bantamweight. They are the best little
chalmers in the world. And some OF these
boys are good little scrappers. Johnnie
Coulon, Frankie Conley, Jimmy Walsh.
frankie Burns and Dannie Webster are
There are others. but I cannot recall ths
names-they are altogether too numer-
Gus. The surest way out Of the bantam
mixup would be to hire some large build
ing on the order Of Madison Square Gar
den and hold a tournament. In a weeks
time 1T might be possible to tell who's
who among the little fellows.
Digger Stanley. the English bantam
Jem Bowker. soon will be over here To
meet the best of our boys, and there will
be glad welcome awaiting the little
foreigner. or course there will be much
argument and hot air over the question
of weight. because I never vet have seen
one Of the little fellows who would NOE
haggle all day over few ounces I'u
pass up the bantams to any one who
wants em-I can't keep tab on that
bunch.
Burns on Retired List
A dispatch from Seattle states that
Tommy Burns was injured severely In Q
railroad collision last week. As the for
mer champion has not fully recovered
from the injury to his right knee. and his
latest accident has crippled him badly, it
would appear that his chances for re-
turning to the ring are mighty slim. That
sore knee, the souvenir of a Ia crosse
game. still is in bad shape, and Tommys
announcement that he has retired from
the game probably goes.
great many people who make "a spe-
cialty- OF trying to run everybody else's
business and to regulate everything in
the sporting line. keep harping on tho
brutality of professional boxing. 1 wish
some Of these birds could be taken on q
jaunt into CANDIDA somewhere when the
professional la crosse season is In full
sway, and let them have look at the
game as played by the athletes over the
border. After watching a game between
two fast teams it's a hundred to one
that boxing would be voted a pink tea
affair alongside of la crosse.
While in the city of Ottawa, Ont, Q
few years ago / attended a match be-
tween the Nationals of that city and the
Shamrocks OF Montreal. which was the
game of the championship SERIES
I was asked to start the game Il believe
that's the right term. and appreciat:ns
the honor, agreed to do So My part oe
the job was easy. but that Is neither here
there feo When tans gang Of husky
those gut strung sticks 1 was out Of the
way In hurry.
Fighting Ii Tame Sport.
And say. talk about blood being spilled
1t a boxing contest. I never saw 70
much claret drawn IS on that afternoon
n Ottawa. Every few minutes q player
would be carried OF the field. and after
being patched up q bit would come bach
'or more. There was no mercifuliy short
count Of ten seconds for the crippled ath.
etes. They had to come back and take
heir medicine IL able to stand up
A professional boxer does not belong In
hat company He would prove too slow
Ind the sport Is altogether too rough for
,ome Of our hothouse boys Ask Tommy
Burns about Il. He has been out of conn
x,la