The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-08-26
Additional Sports
is 1T PUGILISTIC
SUICIDE Fight?

4
New York, Aug. ga fight that
may end promising career. according
to many London fight critics. Is that
between Jack johnson and Bonbar-
der Wells. the English champion and
the holder Of Lord Lonsdale's heavy
weight belt.
In all quarters in England except
those directly interested in the imam
elal possibilities, this match has met
with resentment Wells is by far the
best boxer and the most promising
lighter that England has produced for
many years and those on the other
side who have watched his quickly
growing reputation and his achieve
ments have fondly believed that in
him they had found future worlds
champion, one possessed of qualities
to take back to England the long lost
honor.
1t is regarded as tantamount to
pugilistic suicide for him to meet
Johnson at this stage of his develop
ment, and the uninterested section of
the London press has no hesitancv in
slamming the compact. Wells has only
been out of the British army for a.
matter of eighteen months or so, and
all his lighting has been done during
the last year. He has come on a lot.
is clever boxer for a big man has a
good punch in either hand and is as
game as they make them. But he is
full Of nerves and suffers from stage
fright every time he enters the ring
There is no doubt that Johnson will
be able to hypnotic him when they
face each other, and Wells is expected
to make sorry showing. The match
was offered to Hugh Mcintosh more
than five weeks ago, but that astute
gentleman, forseeing the coming an
tagonism of the English public. passed
it up.
This match has been the greatest
| shock English pride has received in
many years. They are proud of Wells
and oil their hopes have been centered
in him; that he should have listened
to the guile of the golden guineas and
fallen into the arms of the waiting
Johnson is. in the eyes of his country
men, the greatest blunder he could
have possibly made. But artful
Arthur smiles sweetly and thinks of
the $4,000 that he is going to get for
his share.
The fight will take place the last
week in September at the stadium
| where the last Olympic games were
held. One of the features of the match
! Is that both Wells and johnson will
each give public training exhibition
as introduced in London by Mcintosh
and from this a respectable revenue
Is anticipated. although neither of the
| fighters will have any share in 1t
johnson took no chances with the pro-
motors. He kidded them into the be-
lief that in meeting Wells he was
going against more formidable an
| tagonist than either Burns or Jeffries
and unless the money was safely lodg-
ed he would not fight Wells and
Johnson met to sign the articles and
the separate agreements each has with
the syndicate Wells signed almost at
once, but not LIZ Arthur. He wanted
to see the color OF the money first, and
the syndicate's representative had to
do some hustling to post $4,000 that
day. He eventually got 1t and lodged
it with the purseholder, the Sports
man, and Johnson signed that evening.
Johnson will break his theatrical en-
| gagements during the last week of
| August and take up training quarters
at the Norfolk Arms, where Sam
Langford trained for his battles.
Wells, who is showing in a sketch in
the music halls, will go into training
about the same time at the hosiery
presided over by Tom Sullivan, the
former champion sculler, at Putney.
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