Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-20
WELSH AND DR|SCOLL
IN BIG GLOVE F|GH!
Something About the Crack
British Boxers Who Meet
in Wales Tonight.

NEW YORK, December 2O.-Two phe-
nomenal boxers, Freddie Welsh and Jem
Driscoll, who hold. respectively. the Eng
lish light and featherweght titles, meet
at Cardiff, Wales, in a twenty round
bout tonight for ST.. 800 purse. The
weight is 1872 pounds, ringside, and Welsh
is the favorite in the betting at 10 to 8.
Great Britain is on tiptoe awaiting the re-
suit of this match inasmuch as bitter
rivalry exists between the pugilists and
there seems to be no doubt that the fight
will be for blood.
Driscoll was born at Cardiff, Wales, in
1881, and is five feet five inches tall.
four pounds lighter and five years older
than Welsh, whose birthplace was Ponty-
pridd, Wales. Driscoll. who is believed TO
be the greatest featherweight in the
world at the English limit, 126 pounds,
has never lost fight either by a decision
or a knockout. He began his professional
ring career in 1901 and two years later he
boxed a siXround draw with the late
George Dixon in Wales. He trimmed
Johnny Summers, Harry Mansfield, Joe
Bowker, knocking the last named out in
seventeen rounds. and then came to this
country, where he outpointed with ridicu-
lous ease such men as Matty Baldwin,
Charley Griffin, Grover Hayes, Johnny
Mario, Tommy Langdon and Leach Cross.
Following these matches came the men,
orable ten round battle with Abe Attell
at the National \. in East 9th street.
in which Driscoll had a pretty fair mar
gin on scientific points.
Driscoll went home after that and whip
ped Seaman Hayes and others. He re-
turned last spring to meet Attell in a
orty-five-rOund battle on the coast, but
was suddenly taken i'll and had to sail
for Wales, but not before Pal Moore
Il 1,;,,, $,.;v, to- c;x
decision bout in Philadelphia.
Welsh also is well known in this coun-
try, as he really climbed the ladder here.
He began to attract some attention in
Philadelphia in 1896. when he showed
unusual cleverness in bouts with local
boys. He went back to England in 1907
and took the measure of Seaman Hayes,
Young Josephs and several others. Be-
fore the end of that year Welsh was back
in Quakertown, where he met. among a
batch of aspiring lightweights, Cyclone
Johnny Thompson.
1t was on February 81, 1908, that Welsh
tackled Packy Mcfarland for the first
time in a ten-round bout at Milwaukee.
The referee decided Mcfarland the win
ner on points, the only defeat ever re-
corded against the English champion.
July 4, the same year. they came together
in another scrap, one OF twenty-five
rounds. at Los Angeles. and this time
Welsh got draw. In November, 1908,
Welsh put it all over Abe Attell in
fifteen-round bout at Los Angeles and
was declared the winner, but the English
champion weighed at least twelve pounds
more than the American featherweight
title holder Welsh beat Young Erne on
points, knocked out Ray Bronson, drew
with Young Donohue and made monkeys
of. Johnny Frayne, Phil Brock, Jack
Goodman and other boys here. after which
he went home to Wales and beat Young
Jcsephs and Johnny Summers, the former
on foul and the latter on a twenty round
decision.
Welsh was forced to meet Mcfarland
again last May, when Packy went to Lon
don and issued a challenge. Welsh would
not agree to a match unless Mcfarland
reduced to 133 pounds. But the Chicago
boxer made the weight and also appeared
to have much the better of a twenty
round fight, which. however. the referee
called draw and raised a storm OF criti-
cism from a majority of the English box
ing critics, who declared that Welsh had
been fairly beaten. Welsh refused to fight
Mcfarland again, for which he was round
ly scored.