Evening star., 1912-09-15

5[yzA %EAA Not that a cham
u pionship Is a bad
job TO hold If one is ambitious to get rich
quick. Few other professions. indeed, Of
fer the youth OF the country such hand
some returns on the amount of capital
invested But the boxer after climbing
To the top of his division should not al
low the notion to percolate his Uranium
that, like the hero in popular fiction, it
Is 10 be d case of happy ever after
The trouble is too much is invariably
asked of a fresh-laid champion Every
time a new title holder starts the sports
expect him to walk right up and slam
the other fellow on the point or in the
Stats and collect the dough. If his oppo-
nent happens TO tap Mr.. Champion on
the beezcr once or twice a verdict of
guilty is Immediately brought in by a
jury of knockers. And that's what hap
pened to Johnny.
II has been the popular impression for
some little time now that the feather
weight champion is somewhat of fight
err. We find on looking up the dope"
that John has snatched victory from such
sterling performers as Joe Rivers and the
renowned Abe Attell. Pretty good, eh?
Yet % believe half what has been print
ed about j. h. since he stepped ten
rounds with Johnny Dundee the other
evening we must naturally arrive at the
conclusion that he is the biggest lemon
on the pugiliatic tree.
Failing to tumble the Guinea for the
count Kilbane has incurred the displeas-
IRE of a majority of local critics. One
contends that John is a "bum'' cham
pion. another calls him great "staller''
bit a poor fighter. while others offer the
opinion that he was never very much
anyhow and never will amount to any
thing. To prove their case they drag out
ords of Young Corbett and Terry McGov-
ern. and ask the dear old pub" to kindly
compare the ancient parchmentS with the
printed achievements of the present title
holder. Thus they hope to establish Mr..
Kilbane's rating champion. which.
according to their method of figuring. Is
away below par.
Personally. l think Kilbane's exhibition
in the Dundee mill was nothing to be
ashamed of. 1t may be that he was not
trained to his very best, as it was his
first start in months. and a boxer, even
a champion. is likely to grow rusty
through idleness. Another thing; this
bane with the title at stake, would be
foolish TO take unnecessary chances. At
that. the champion excelled throughout
the bout and outclaSSed Dundee at every
stage of the game.
KiIbane measures well up to the mark
set by title holders of the past. He is
equally as clever as Abe Attell ever was.
or am no judge. In fact. think him
hetterboXer and a harder hitter when he
has occasion to put the punch over. Ask
Joe Rivers about that Johnny may not
have the murderous wallop that made
Terry McCoveSn famous, although in
every other way he outclasseS men of
Terry's type. He is skillful. brainy
boxer and a real champion of his class
| am greatly wrong in my estimate of
the lad. Like Packey Mcfarland, Kill
bane is satisfied to demonstrate superior
T.
ring accident. will probably defend the
title successfully for a longer time than
the majority of his predecessors.
in Gotham within the next few weeks IL
everything goes through as scheduled.
"Wednesday night next young Jack o en-,
a great local favorite. starts with young
Brown again opposed to him. Brown and
O'Brien met two months ago, and the
mill proved exceedingly interesting, mas
much as il was case OF fairly clever
slugger versus a skilled boxer. There Is
an element of uncertainty about such a
match that always appeals to crowd,
and this bout will draw a packed house.
The following evening. this time at the
Garden a. c.. Johnny Kilbane boxes
Eddie O'Keefe. a featherweight whose
admirers tout him as second Abe Attell.
AS TO that part of 1t / can't agree. !
saw CKeefe box Johnny Dundee last
spring and about the only thing In which
profile, However. the young man Is said
be wonderfully improved since he last
appeared i'm New York. For his own sake
] hope So as KiIbane Is likely to be q bit
sore as a result of the severe criticism
handed him by the local press and may
Try TO make OKeefe the goat.
have letter from a friend in London
stating that Jem Driscoll will sail for
this country next Saturday. Driscol has
been negotiating by cable with several
New York promoters. and Gibson OF the
Garden y. g.. is said TO be in the lead in
tho competition for the great little Eng
Ushman's services. Gibson plans. IL sue
ccssful. a series of bouts that will en-
gage the service of Knockout Brown
Young Jack o Brien and Johnny kilbane
few pounds. The featherweight limit
the other side of the pond is 1876
pounds. as compared TO 122 in the states.
Driscoll has been telling his friends at
home that he plans to take on the lead
ing American lightweights If the feathers
viii have none of his game. Wolgast or
Mcfarland he doesn't care which one
First come. first served, says Jem. Bold
talk. but then this little Britisher IS one
great boxer. He admits to thirty two
years, but claims to be as good as at any
time during his long career. We shall
soon see.
7 don't know whether Ad wolgast and
packey Mcfarland will ever get to-
Eether or not. but ! do know that the
champion has made 1t plain he does not
relish the prospect of getting in the ring
with the Chcagoan. After signing an
agreement TO box ten rounds at the Gar
den September - Wolgast deliberately
laid down on his bargain. No matter
what excuses Ads friends may offer. the
fact remains that he fiunked out of the
match.
Some one Informed Gov. Dix that the
exhibition IL held would be brutal
prize fight" and this being election year
Mr. Dix immediately got on the job and
ordered the sheriff to prevent the contest
If il violated the law.
oily jim Coffroth. thesfight promoter
OF San Francisco. plans white hope
tournament for the coast city, so dis
patches inform us. With AL Palzer. Lu-
ther McCarty, Jess Willard, Gunboat
Smith and Jim Stewart on the ground
and Jim FLYNN headed in this direction,
II would appear that Jeems viii not run
snort OF material Mebbe he proposes to
draw on the newly discovered tribe OF
"hopes" that Prof. viihjalmar Stefanson