Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-09

gifted with SUFFICIENT skill as a boxer to
make him an attraction can without any
trouble IND work enough to enable him
to earn a competency within a few years.
rms inducement alone is enough to en-
courage a youth to walk in the straight
ana narrow path of sobriety and clean
living. In the old days a boxer would LOT
De onered the opportunity to fight oftener
than once every two or three months,
ana. as temptations that beset q popular
pug1llsts path are numerous and most
4hur1ng, 1t was an easy matter to fall
from grace, which marks a speedy begin
ming OF the end for all athletes. Now
adays the dissipated boxer Is the excep-
ton and not the rule.
so while the new school may teach the
science OF high finance in connection with
the art of boxing and our leading repre-
sentatives of the manly art become past
masters at counting the house, 1t must
be admitted the task has not been in vain
when 1t produces an era of healthy, clean
living, and clean-minded athletes, who
honor their calling and through their
methods of conducting themselves have
earned the respect Of all true lovers of
sport. In this one respect pugilism has
made wonderful strides forward.
Switch In Public Attitude.
Not so many years ago prize fighting
was frowned upon by all but a few in
terested in it's promotion but am happy
to say that today boxing contests and
boxers are viewed in an entirely different
light. Fighters Of the London rules days
were looked upon by the more kindly
disposed as little better than hired thugs
extended to a professional boxer was that
which he could compel by physical DEM
onstration Of his muscular prowess.
True. boxing of today as a profession is
not In the most flourishing condition. The
sport is and probably always will be a
target for the misguided and false re-
form that permits among other things
the wrongful usage of public money with
out protest, but strenuously objects to
the licensing of innocent and Instructive
amusements Notwithstanding the bar
riers and hurdles in its path, boxing-and
by that / mean professional pugilism-
which creates and keeps alive interest in
and encourages the healthy study of the
art of seIf-detense. will never die Our
hands and arms were given us for Of
Tense and defense, and the man who be-
comes proficient in the art Of boxing and
uses his knowledge and skill as means
of. The origin of boxing IS as old as
man himself.
AS to the skill Of the leading pugilists
of today as compared with those of the
closing years Of the last century, It must
be said that in certain GLASSES the old
timers, if may so classify such men as
Bob Fitzsimmons. Jim Jeffries. kid"
Mccoy, Tommy Ryan, Peter Jackson and
can be said to have excelled in many
points Of the game. Let us cast a glance
at the list Of leading heavyweight boxers
Of 1911. One can count them on his
Sam Langford and AL Kaufman dhal-
lengers.
Johnson's Record Not Great.
johnson is generally regarded rs a
clever boxer and hard hitter. but. to be
frank. there IS nothing in his record to
prove it. He defeated Tommy Burns, an
accidental holder Of the championship
and a much smaller man than he, and
later had the good fortune to fight JEFF
fries when the latter was in no condi-
ton to put up an argument. Without
wishing to detract from the champions
skill, am setting forth the facts without
prejudice.
Next on the list is Sam Langford, q
light heavyweight. whose claim as
championship aspirant are based on VIC
tories over third-rate fighters. He never
has met a f1rst-class man among the big
fellows, as the records show. and it is
quite impossible for that reason to get
a good line on his real ability.
Al Kaufman never has shown the marks
Of world beater, although be 1t under
stood his record looks as promising on
paper as either Of the others. It Is more
than probable that had kaufman been
the lucky man to have boxed Jeffries at
Reno he would have won long before the
fifteenth round, as he is an acknowledged
hard hitter, although VIGOROUSLY slow on
his feet.
So there we have the fun quota-Jobn-
son, lucky champion, experts to the
contrary; Kaufman and Langford un-
known quantities SO far as class Is con-
cerned. for the simple reason that neither
has boxed high-class heavyweight