The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-12-14
BOXING WORLD IS
IN A BAD TANGLE
No Definite Champions Can
Be Selected in Any
Class
(Ry n. ". Nauphton.l

(6S w. w. gnu
San Francisco. Dec. l4.-Who are
the worlds champions in the various
classes?
Just think 1t over.
Before you have your thoughts in
championship situation from north to
south and from east to vest. Is in an
extremely demoralized condition.
Begin with the heaviest. Is Jack
johnson the duly recognized king of
the big fellows?
Jack says he has retired and that
he does not care a rap who h cham.
ptonship falls to, or whether it 10
secured by usurpation or conquest.
Jack surely should be allowed to
know his w business and II he a
declared himself out OF commission,
is not the heavyweight class without
a head?
Sam Langford says he has the best
right to succeed Johnson. Joe jean
nettc declares he chased Langford
out of the country and has a better
claim on Johnson's abandoned laurels
than any of them. Sam McVea. away
In far off Australia will also want to
he heard from. while Jim Flynn, al
belt he is not enamoured Of fighting
colored men. is also putting forth a
small voiced claim to the title.
Well. it will take some time to
straighten out matters and meanwhile
the heavy division remains unruled by
any n man.
Matters are in an equally chaotic
state In the middleweight class and
the confusion dates back to the time
Inflated Ketchel was murdered. Ket-
chefs right to be boss of the 15S-
pound men there was none to dispute.
but after his taking off there was a
plague of claimants.
Billy Papke seemed to be the best
man entitled to the distinction. But
Papke named impossible conditions.
Wanted middleweights to box as
heavyweights. and this weakened him
With the public. On top of that Papke
performed so very wretchedly on vari-
GUS occasions. that he not only dis
gusted the fight fans. but disguised
himself. Very recently he declared
himself out Of the game. So that
with Kctchel and Papke retired. the
middleweight class might be likened
to a ship which is intemporary COM
mand of the second mate. We don't
even know who the second mate is.
Lightweights In Middle.
Look at the muddle the light
weights are in. On the V of a con.
test of international Importance. Ad
Wolgast Is seized with appendicitis
and has to submit to the knife. What
ever the future holds out to Wolgast
is wrapped in doubt. He certainly
will not enter the ring again before
eight or ten months have passed. 1t
is now supposed. for that matter, that
the last has been seen Of Wolgast. the
ringman. If he should be patched up
for fighting purposes, he Is not likely
to be as formidable as he was in the
past.
While Ads fate as a ringman hangs
IN the balance it may be interesting
to listen to the arguments of the near
lightweights who think themselves
champions shoes.
among the American contestants will
be the weight question. Some Of the
best Of the so-called lightweights.
notably Packey Mcfarland and Matt
Wells. cannot, do "13s ringside."
Some Of the Others. Freddie Welsh
and Knockout" Brown. for instance.
insist on ringside weight, and the re-
suit may mean a deadlock, so far as
high class matches are concerned. And
through 1t all the public will feel that
It Is listening to a discussion from
which the real champion has through
misfortune been eliminated.
In the featherweight division. things
are not much better. Attell is sup
posed to be the champion of this class.
is not as young as he used to be,
wants to make a cleanup. He is
holding out for a bigger sum OF
money than the promoters feel able
to give. and is permitting the Rivers,
the Conleys, the Kilbanes and a few
others to engage in elimination bouts
that, after all. seem to mean nothing
and lead to nowhere.
Assuredly a bona fide worlds cham
DiOn. secure in his title and raa DIV "a
defend 1t. is a are bird, just at pres
emit,