The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-17
Retirement Of Papke
and johnson Doesn't
Help Matters Any.
|LIGHTWEIGHTS DO 4
|NOTMAKE SHOWING.
Wells and Mcfarland Neither
Fight up to Form, While Abe
Attelf Avoids Men in His
Own Class-Youngsters
Fast Coming to Front
in Roped Arena.

| SSAitllS " T IOIlI
in Roped Arena.
Tho close of tho year 1911 linda
the boxing situation Slorlouslv COR
fused With Jack Johnson and Billy
fapke retired; with Sam Langford
| and several other American lighters
In Australia: with Ad Wolgast rccov- 4
ering from the effects of an operation;
with Abe Attell determinedly holding
aioof from the coming lads in hia
class. and with Packy Mcfarland and
Il FREDDIE Welsh set back in public opin-E
lon owing to disappointing ring work,
! thcre does not seem to be much tn
terest In the outlook for the pugilistio
pastime to gloat over
Welsh and Mcfarland are full OF
excuses for their failure to make
| good Packy for day or two a ter
his affair with Tommy Murphy said
he did not know what was wrong with
| MIN, but TINT he was satisfied he WINS
not himself. Emily Thirty came to tho
rescue to the extent of saying the
whole camp was puzzled at Packy's
nehaT!or In the days preceding the
| hSht. Paclsy. according to Emil, used
| 10 shut himself up In his room and
| mopo.
When taking the train for Chicago.
Packey. IN burst of confidence said
| 1t was the breach of promise case in
stttuted against him In Chicago that
unnerved him and left him unable to
treat Murphy the way Murphy should
! be treated.
Welsh Also HIS Excuse.
Freddy Welsh does not claim that
! the little god love" deferred him
from doing his best. He said, TO be-
Gin with, that he received a severe
shock when he heard tho news OF
. g q utt 1nr q - =.
i and disappointment kept him from
showing his best against Willie
Richie.
Later Freddie explained as follows:
| II any one Is dissatisfied with my
work In the Vernon arena, let him re-
member this much: I was for months
looking forward to and preparing for
the most important contest of my
! career-one that involved the chance
of winning tho championship. / was
! to go against Wolgast, the rugged.
rushing Fighter, by some called the
!; Michigan Wildcat, and by others the
| human cyclone All my training was
/ done with view Of fitting myself TO
| handle an opponent who was expect
| ed to come at me head down and
I! foaming at the mouth. as 1t were
! rOf necessity l had to think about
!, and practice defensive tactics Then
/ Wolgast fell sick and the whole pros
pect changed. With twelve hours no.
tice I was expected to prepare my
i self for an entirely different kind OF
| fight. L was to become tho human cy-
| clone In fact. and knock Ritchie out
| OF the ring. II didn't no excuse was
| expected of me. and think any re-
sonable person will admit that a good
deal can BIO said in defense of the
| failure"
Mcfarland and Welsh are hoping,
| of rat faf "a
but II can't be said right now that the
public will expect very much from
| them In tho future. The notion pre-
walls that they are not sturdy enough
to hold their own with wolgast and
other able bodied youngsters who arc
fast coming to the front. Packey and
Fred are fine boxers and game follows
and all that. but they go of edge far
too easily. On the scoro that the men
| who have been at the game as long
| as they have seldom improve in any
direction, 1t Is not likely that they will
! be seriously considered as champion
ship candidates In the future. When
| Wolgast gets we'll we must keep an
eye on Joe Mandot, Grover Hayes and
the other young "roughnecks" OF tho
| 133-pound division. For these are the
fellows most likely to mako things
interesting for the champion.
Abe Aftel is doing full share to-
| ward making the pugilStic outlook rs y
| dull as ditch water. He Is certainly a rs
strange character. Always a shrewd
matchmaker. he never hcsitates to III
hook up with men far bigger than
himself as his matches with Matt
Wells and Battling Nelson will at
| test. He argues. no doubt, that de-
feat by a bigger man never acts as 3
| setback.
Attell avoids promising youngsters
j oS n 10 in a q q "a
| lencc. Right now We have Johnny
1Silbane. the survivor OF series OF
! feathcrweight contests. In which jos
Rivers. Patsy Cline, Joe Carter and
| Frank Copiey were tho other contend
ers. Kilbane Is Attell's logical OPP
| ponent for the featherweisht cham
pionship. and Is not only ready, but
| eager. for the fray.
| Attell seemingly does not want to
become party to = genuine cham
! pionship battle.
AUTOMOBILE CLUB WILL, REPORT