The evening world., 1911-08-22
RGx~z
WNT
~
Smile "BuffaIoed' Sail.
or Burke Last Time They Met
III II Doesn't Prove a Goat
0etter" Again There is No
Telling What May Happen
in To.Night's Championship
Fight.

n n IDDLEwEIGHT champion Billy
IvI Papkc and Sailor Burke figh'
ava tonight. and this will be TIN
last championship encounter In New
York before the new boxing regula-
tons 60 into effect. They are TO weigh
In at l5s pounds at 8 o'clock.
Bob Clark. the only man who could
ever make Burke do his best" prom
ises that the Sailor will be champion
within six rounds. Bob seems to have
q hypnotic control over Burke. It's a
fact thar when the square-jawed. red
headed manager Is in Burke's corner
the Sailor always fights.
Six spariing partners have quit
Burke's camp" says Bob checr fully.
and they all looked as II they had been
through q threshing machine. Burke
knows the future that hangs on this
battle. and that II he wins he'll be able
to rake In a large pile OF the good
American dollars OF which he Is so
fond"
As for Burke. he is a peculiar fighter
sometimes battling like a worlds
champion. sometimes like a ratified ANA
teur. For q few months past he has
fought much better thar before. Now
he has been training hard for six weeks,
and as he says himself: I've got Il in
my nut that ! can lick Papke. and I'm
going 10 go through with It,"
nURKE and Papke fought In Augut {,
lSs. At the old National A. C.. o.
Twsnty-fourth street. II was q
fierce six-round encounter. Billy Papks
ut that time was known as Smiling
Billy" He was las no stu ~ q hand
some fellow OF the blond type. He was
tust coming to the front among the mia.
dleweiEhts and had uni United confiden .
incidentally ne owned both . reputa.
tton and Q deadly, clubbing wnIlop
Burke was a rising m'ddieweisht with
O. knockout punch second to nooo.
As soon as the fight started "Sm,linr
MY ran at Burke. smiling a. II with
the Greatest delight In his uhare of
the entertainment Right at that mo.
ment Burke's goat kicked I'D its heels
and skipped nimbly over tho ropes.
IN hard-slugging sailor forgot that he
mad lists to hit with. covered. doubled
over. crawfshed around the ring.
nopped 10 his knees. ooh nine-second
counts and Invariably rose again. That
wa the funny thing about II. Burke
was evidently ratified, fabbereavted.
bunaloed. scared half out Of his wits.
And stu he showed the sort OF game
ness that keeps a man from quittinR.
ever II II doesn't give him aggressive.
ness. Burke took q terrible beating. |
but he didn't have the nerve TO try
to give ons. Billy's smile-s broad
isush now-was too much for d. nerve.
sTHERE was ons exception TO this,
In the middle Of the nsht. Just al
Papke was rushing in under a
full head OF steam. failing away with
nsts and forearms. Burke stood III
straight for . second and dropped ono
beautiful right over on Papke's Jaw. II
was . crusher. Papke's hands dropped
and he reeled back on his heels. Again
Burke shot the right over. Papke stag
gered. then gr'nned and rushed In with
. wild swing. Burke might have knocked
him out then. but the smile bunsloed
him again. He bent over. covered. and
took his beating until the end Of the
night. Wv
But Burke to-day IL q different sort
OF a nghter-as a rule. A while ago he
fought "Bear-cat" Mcmahon of pitts.
burg. a terrific slugger who had come
up nearly to the top OF the middle weight
class In a couple OF months OF whirlw.nd
nghung, McMahon had a knockout wal
DIP II ever ~ man did. With the very
nrst punch delivered, landing Just about
over the heart. he dropped Burke for a
long nine-second count. II looked as ~
the sailor would never get up again. but
he did. For two or three rounds Bear
cat MCMAHON rushed and sent over
hooks and swings n uppercuts that
looked hard enough to knock Burke on
Tor a week-if they chanced to land.
Burke went down again. but lasted
through the fury OF the attack, using
all OF his splendid boxing skill, And al
ter that he fairly massacrod the Bear.
cat" on that night Burke showed him
self one OF the most dangerous middle
weights In the game. Since then he has
fought some good and some poor fights
But II he handles himself against Papxc
as he did against Mcmahon there's no
telling what may happen.
In point OF skill. Burke has an adj
vantage over Papke. As a clear.
headed. aggressive. self-assured fighter.
tho ODDS are In the champions favor.
SSCYcLoNE JOHNNY" takes his
pen In hand and pushes Il
over the paper with the fol-
lowing effect:
"Not at no time have / ever been 40
III treated b. the sporting papers as !
nave been since ] came to New York.
1t seems to me that you nave TO kin
your man here before you can get credit
for It, Not at no time have / pro-
fessed to make any showing In 80 short
q fight as ten rounds. My best show
Ing Is In the twenty round limit. Al
for Klaus. II ne will make I5s pounds
Ttngside for q twenty round go ! think
there will be no more Klaus after that.
Not at no time have / professed to be
. clever boxer. ] still claim the middle.
weight championship. In order to take
that title away from me | must be beat
nrst at lS pounds ringside in a twenty
round 60. ! remain yours truly,
JOHNNY THOMPSON"
0oeeboii. Polo Grounds. to- morrow,
~ Giants Va Chicago. Adm. 2oc 4 o6c. -