El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-09-23
FIGHTERS Often Do
NOT TELL TRUTH
ABOUT WEIGHT
WOlgast Claims to Be the
Only One Who Does
Not Lie
BY w. w. Naushton.

only boxer in the world who
does not lie about his weight"
remarked lightw eight champion Ad
-WOlgast recently. No one who heard
knew whether WOlgast was justified
in paying this tribute to his own
truthfulness or not he has proved
conclusively that he is a genuine light
weight The dead line IN the class
named is 133 pounds and the plummet
always rests In the 1913 pound notch
when AID weighs in TO do battle.
The lever does not move, and those
present are given to guessing whether
YVOlgast weighs 1929 pounds or sew
eral pounds less. He says occasion
ally that he weighs less. but he doesn't
readjust the machine to show how
much less.
has established a reputation for verac-
iry regarding his sVOirdupOis is In MS
claim that ne always weighs within
the lightweight limit
Fighters OFTEN FIb.
That there are fighters who lib no
tOriOusly about their weight is an un-
deniable fact They guard the secret
of their pOundage as uenderly as Wo-
man hides her age anC people who
know little OF the ring and its pecu-
Harities wonder why this particular
point should involve so much mislead-
ing information
The best answer, probably, is that
the boxers are afraid OF one another.
A rinEman who can make a certain
notch without distressing himself, al
ways wants a formidable rival TO
weigh exactly the same. While the
negotiations for match are in the
early stages, the rival VIII try to make
it appear that 1T is easy enough for
him to meet the other mans weight
terms. BY talking that way he hopes
TO avert suspicious to the end that the
weight question may be sidetracked-
He knows that if he says he cannot
conform to the terms required Of him
the man he is seeking a fight with
viii be more adamant than ever in in
sisting upon his faVorite weight
Il can do il easily, but wont allow
him TO dictate, is a way a boxer
sometimes evades a showdown on the
weight question he knows In his
heart he cannot do it, and the other
fellow is equally well posted as TO the
facts of the case.
The harder it is for a dangerous op-
pOnent TO make weight, the more In
sistent viii the other man be. And
there was never a champion Yet who
wouldn't hang out like a veritable
ShylOck demanding his pound of flesh
If he felt fit would enhance his chances
of retaining his laurels- He could do
it in the full knowledge that removing
the last pound renders the other man
weak BY his demands he virtually
admits that he feels his only chance
OF winning rests in forcing his adj
versary to enter the rims IN a weak
ened condition.
And who is to blame a champion for
holding fast to what he has gained by
dint of hard fought battles2 II any
one says you shouldn't be so paruCu-
lar about a pound or two cham
BiOn-if he is lightweight for in
stance-may say Il am not particu-
lar. I simply want to meet the men
of my own class The lightweight
division ranges from 125 pounds to 1873
and I for years boxed 1913 pound men
nar 0rn
any one 10 come in over 1873 7 am go
ing out of my class
Battling Nelson-aIbeit he is not
seriously regarded as a championship
posi- bility at presents still a stick
Ter for weight limits. The Batuer is
still keeping himself within the light
weight boundaries. He believes that
the crown win be his again and he Is
going to be as strict as ever in making
his chauengers conform to the rules
laid down in the matter Of weight
I'D like to visit Australia, but I'm
afraid" said Nelson at the big wrest-
ling match.
81 believe I'd come back a heavy
weight Look what the climate out
there did for Johnnie Thompson
Whether 10 was the Australian eli
mate or not, Thompson certainly came
back to this country much bigger than
when he went away. A year or two ago
before Nelson was ated-there
was talk of bringing the two Danes,
Nelson and Thompson, together for the
lightweight championship. Now John
ME is matched to box Bob Moha at
New Orleans and the contest is being
advertised as the first elimination bout
in a worlds middleweight champion
ship tourney.
The contest takes place today and
the articles permit of 25 rounds Of
milling if that number should be re-
quired. Thompson likes this distance
and consequently likes New Orleans,
the city named being the only place
whore % round goes are sanctioned.
Thompson, who Is sanguine about
his future as middleweight as ne
was when he had hopes OF becoming
the lightweight champion. expects TO
have Frank Klaus and Billy Papke for
opponents before he has finished his
campaign in Louisiana.