Norwich bulletin., 1911-10-27
UNIFORM SCALE OF
 FIGHTING WEIGHTS URGED
Boxing Promoters shrouId Agree, Says
 T. s. Andrews


 When will the boxing promoters get together and establish uniform scale or weights for international cha1npion- snip Dattles2 The need of a uniform scale of weights is being made more apparent every day. To a certain ex- tent the British sporting public recog- Nizes the fact that the weight for a worlds champion is 133 pounds. eith- CT at ringside or at 3 o'clock, as may be determined upon-in fact, the bat fles of recent years have been at 133 rin"side. says T. :. Andrews.
 The controversy going on between Ad Wolgast, Matt Wells, Packey Me- 1'ariand and Freddy Welsh brings up this interesting question at this time. There Is no ooubt that Matt Wells, the English champion. is the logical opponent fer Wolsast, but what if ]reddy Welsh should come along and defeat the Michigan wildcat in their 21-rJund co.test at Los Angeles? It would kind of tangle matters up a bit, for it would make Welsh practically me worlds champion without having beaten the champion of his own coun- try. Wellss and Wolgast are trying to get togethe. the last of this month in a 10-round bout. but there is nothing sllre of 1t yet, and, besides, it will be a f.e-deC. sion affair, so nothing would result as to the settling of any title.
 Now. if Wells can make 133 as he V t Welsh meet first, and then the winner would have clear sailing for the cham pion. lt might be well to mention that when Wells defeated Welsh in Eng 11nd 1t was at 1S5 pounds, the English Weiei,t ThcE we would have to bring PaClsrv Mcfarland into the fold, but, Ike Wells. he finds it difficult to get to the 133pcund mark, even at three o'clock. He can make 135 nicely and that is the weight that Wells likes, so why not let these two have it out at 135 bounds and see which one would te entitled to the big plum?
 All this trouble dates back to June : sSG, when Kid i>avi2ne, the Saginaw Kid. went to England and defeated Dick Surge, at that time undisputed champion O: England. in r rounds al the Satonal Sporting club.
 The recognized lightweight limit in England then was 40 pounds, the same as in Australia today, but te suit Lavigne the weight for the Burge contest was agreed at 13S pounds Having wen the title, Lavigne. whc could easily make 133 pounds, dropped the championship limit to that weight r.nGside again and three years later lost the title to Frank Erne of Buffalo The latter fought Joe Cans for the honor and defeated him, but later ht met Cans again at Fort Erie and los to the colored boy in one round. Cans did not like the weight of 133 ringsidt at that time and jumped it up again; in facC. he once announced that h' would forfeit the lightweight title stnt become a welterweight. For time Jimmy Britt claimed the title and wa: recosnized as the champion, and ther Battling Nelson defeated Britt. Thi: brought about tht great contest be tween Nelson and Cans at Goldfeld when Cans won, and later the contes at Frisco. when Nelson defeated th' colored wonder Thus the weight ha: rema aimed at 133, but ringside weighing 's most unpopular with both promot CTS and critics of the game, and ther, appears to be q general demand tha ringside weighing be abolished. This il favcrcd by the followers both in Am erica and England. The Nationa Sporting club of London fixed the scale f English weights two year. ago, but failed to look far enougl ahead: at least, it must have over looked the fact that it might want tt figure in a worlds title match, other wise it could easily have made th' weight the same as the American, 13: pounds at o'clock. Now, unless Wells can make this weight, hi: chances for the worlds championship may be spoiled.