El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-04-15
UNSATISFACTORY
OELVE IN THE PAST
Old Time Fighters Good,
But They Are Dead
Now.
nv W w Naughton).


the bores of the sporting belt is the
man who lives too much in the past
It is a fine thing, of course, to possess
a fund of "reminiscences, to be able TO
throw light On matters in dispute ana
bark back with authority through the
calendar OF long ago, but the man VINO
is continually describing the men ana
happenings of the good old days to
the dispara cement of the luminous
days of now, is a pest pure and simple
I heard one a few evenings ago who
had worked himself into a maudlin
state while deploring the decadence OF
the, lightweight branch Of the pugf-
istic army.
What would Jack McAuliffe have
done to your Ad. Wolgasts and your
Knockout Browns?" he asked, glazing
the while as though he dared any one
to furnish a reply.
Without waiting very long, he went
on: What would Joe Cans have done
to them, eh?"
The writer's answer to each ques-
ton was II dent know" but the man
who put them evidently believed that
the youngsters of today would not
have furnished common amusement for
the former stars of the lightweight
division whose names he mentioned.
Let the Past Stay Dead.
have had the occasion to remark
time and time again, that bridging the
years OF pugilism is unsatisfactory
business It begets heated discussions
which can never be settled There are
so many angles to the fighting game
that the fellow who formulated the
saying. You can't dope fighters, was
entitled to rank as a wise fish. This
orig 7ol Nv y WARNING SJPh
were inclined to figure out possible
ring results in much the same way that
professional handicappers figure horses.
To those who are given to propounding
questions like those mentioned above
a good piece Of advice would be-never
argue over anything that cant be de-
cided by a bet.
There are so many ways of looking
at a thing that fairly versatile fellow
can find a line of argument that will
supporter seem to support-any view
be may hold. That Jack MeAuliffe at
his very best-with all his reputed
knowledge and experience to draw upon
and all his fighting machinery in work
ing order, would outlook and probably
defeat either Knockout Brown or Ad-
Wolgast, if they had hourished in Nc
Abilities time, is entirely probable, but
it is rot certain by any means.
The best of ring men have always
encountered some one~whO has proven
a stumbling block. McAuliffe in his
time had a heart scalding experience
with Jimmy Carney at Revere Beach,
Mass, and there is no way on earth of
deciding whether either Wolgast or
Brown might not have given McAuliffe
as much trouble-Or more-than Car
ney did.
Joe Cans went through many of his
opponents like sunlight through a
chinl, yet occasionally he happened
across an awkwardly clever opponent
who held him fairly even OF such was
George McFadden-Elbows McFadden
they used to call him.
Elbows and the 'fOld Master boxed
as great a number of times, nearly, as
Tommy Ryan and Jack Beauscholte,
and the score ran so evenly that if they
had been gifted with perpetual youth
they would have been fighting yet
Will any one say offhand that Me-
Fadden was a better fighter than VOL
CAST or Brown? Hardly
Breed Vexation of Spirit.
And so 1 say such arguments simply
breed vexatiOn of spirit. Instead of
trying TO yank oldtime heroes back
from wraithland and institute in
vidious comparison, it is far more sat
isfactory to confine your discussions to
the boxers you have with you.
OF a certainty, the lightweight ranks
are so we'll peopled now that there is
plenty to talk about and plenty TO look
at. The conditions are such that there
is no telling which pair will be fight
ing for the championship q few months
from now. and when situation of that
kind exists there is opportunity for dis
cussion of an interesting character.
Knockout Brown is one of the young
men who aches to fill Wolgast's shoes.
but even among the novices Brown viii
find that he has a hard row to hoe. For
that matter, If western sentiment
counts for anything, Brown will have
little to fear from any quarter If he
the two Californians-Hogan
and frankie Burns-from his path.
But, as / said, this is western senti-
ment, and 1t may be merely on a par
with the local pride New York feels in
the case Of Knockout Brown.
over the heads of the eastern AMI
western novices loom Mcfarland and
Moran, who have certainly to be reck-
oned with before final judgment in re-
spect to the lightweight championship
is passed.
Whichever way it is. looked at there
is a prospect of merry war in the light
II t. h.