Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-29
McGOORTY, PAPKE AND KLAUS
TO BATTLE FOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Middleweight Division Has Simmered Down
to This Trio and They May
Get Together Soon.

which was brought into the !imeight by
Lou Houseman of Chicago some years
ago when he had Jack Root to the front.
Jack was a. bit too light for a heavy
weight possibility, so Lou established the
new class at 175 pounds and under and
he billed the first match for the title,
July 4, 1903, at Fort Erie, in Canada,
across from Buffalo. Gardner scored
knockout in the twelfth round and won
the title, afterward losing it to Bob Fitz
simmons. Jack O'Brien had crack at
it and Tommy Burns won it later and in
fact was never beaten for 1t. but since
his retirement the past year the title
would naturally go to Jim Flynn. the
Pueblo fireman. who beat all the men he
met around that weight the past year
and half. However Jim has taken on
weight and he may not be able to get
down to 10 now, which would leave the
title open for some of the lighter men to
battle for
The lightweight and featherweight
champions howl murder if they are asked
to give away pound or two. so why
should men weighing between 100 and 10
meet fighters over the 200 mark. When
Tommy Burns fought Jack johnson in
Australia he weighed only 165 pounds, ac-
cOrding to a statement given me by w. +.
Corbett, the sporting authority of that
country, who weighed him the morning
of the fight. AS Johnson scaled at 30
there was a difference of nearly fifty
pounds between the two men, with height
and reach also in favor of the colOred
man. SO is it any wonder Johnson won. If
there had been rule, such as the New
York commission has Suggested-tllat of
barring fights between men where one
has ten pounds the better of the other. in
classes below the 175-pound mark. and
limiting the difference above that weight
to a reasonable poundage, the chances
are Tommy Burns would never have lost
the title to the cOlored man. 1t was GER
tainly a one-sided match. according to
weights. and it is just such mistakes that
the boxing authorities in the various
countries are now trying to correct.
The experience of Charlie Ledoux. the
French bantamweight, in this country
was not what he had hoped and looked
The little fellow came over with a SPLEEN
did reputation, and, judging from his
showing in the few bouts he had in the
east, he has the making of great little
fighter. He needs some clever Yankee
boxer to impart some of the finer points
of the game to him, and then he will be
ready for worlds title match with any
one. He has the requisites that go to
make up champion, except the science,
but he says himself that he does not like
and body with his gloves and arms-he
likes to get out and fight. they did in
days gone by, and not get into she'll. as
most of them do nowadays. Kid Williams,
with all MS reputation, dld not nave much
the best of the six-round battle with Lee
douX in Philadelphia. 1t is too bad that
the French bantam could not remain
'longer in this country, for the fans liked
his style of lighting, there being plenty
of action to it. Before returning home
LedouX wrote me to say that he intended
coming back again. as he feels more con-
WINGED now than ever that he has a good
chance of beating Johnny Coulon for the
championship.
ha in he host Of
health the past few months. but a good
rest seems TO be putting him back i'm
form When right Johnny is a. real
champion and it will Jake "a mighty good