The Alaska citizen., 1912-04-29

man has Matt Wells.
 Ten years ago when dealing with the subject at considerably greater length than l am able to do just now. l ventured 10 say that "I have faith in the future" but must re- gretfully confess that the faith 1 then entertained has since under gone some very serious trials.
 At the present moment, however. l am feeling a shade more hopeful The old, long-est ablished apathy with which English boxers and the Eng. fish boxing public together were content to accept the victories of American boxers has been more than little irritating, but shall be extraordinarily astonished if they rest content with similar treat ment at the hands of French rivals.
 And yet, unless they bestir them selves almost immediately and be stir themselves very vigorously into the bargain. am seriously afraid that they will have to put up with considerably worse experiences from the new school of boxers which has arisen so suddenly on the other side of the English channel
 We have been content to regard American boxers, no matter whether these were born in Germany. Italy or Denmark, as our cousins. They speak the same tongue as ourselves, and style themselves Americans. So We have come to feel that they were sprung from the same stock as our selves. We cannot, however. fos- ter any such delusion where French men are concerned
 For various reasons We have all along flattered ourselves that French men would never be able to learn to box. { The reasons were absurd, as l hope to prove later on. but they were nevertheless existent. and so l feel satisfied that, once our some what sluggish minds awake to the fact that there are very strong probabil- ities Of France anneXing all the lead ing positions in the sport, We shall see such wave of determination sweeping over the land as cannot fail to manifest itself in a return to the old days, when our supremacy in the best and greatest of all our national sports was absolutely un- questioned inevitably.
 For that Frenchmen are destined to prove the most dangerous compet- itors for the worlds championships must, I think, be generally admitted
 To commence with, boxing is a sport for which they are physically fitted to a degree it astonishes me that no one should have suspected. Their superiority as swordsmen es- pecially with the foil and rapier, has long been admitted. And if you will only think the matter over, you will, I fancy, admit that the man who is physically adapted to develop into great swordsman possesses many of the qualities which go to the making of boxer. The rules of attack and retreat are very simi- lar. The footwOrk developed by the sport will be found highly useful in the practice of the other, while an accurate judgment of distance is of absolutely primary importance in both.
 The Frenchman, again is proverb- tally quick-witted; as a rule more so than the average Briton. Another very important quality for boxing success.
 Add to these the strenuous enthus- iasm with which young France has taken to the game and you will, am sure be compelled to admit that we are to retain our old superiority.
 AoNC "llllSll Icidlll, DeCduSt l for one am not willing to admit that We have lost it absolutely, but I am not convinced on recent form that l ought not rather to have written regain.
 Look at the long list of victories with which the French boxers have recently credited themselves. Almost every report one reads of boxing contests in Paris contains the news of a fresh triumph gained by a French boxer - frequently one who is practically an unknown over an English rival of even fair and sometimes almost first-class reputa- tion.
 Carpenter has beaten Sid Burns and cur champion Young Joseph in the welterweight division as a wind up to a really lengthy list of other successes. He recently earned decision over Harry Lewis, the fam ous American, and laid low Jim Sul- livan, the British middleweight, Thursday night
 The one quality with which I must confess 1 have been most sur prised is the manner in which these Frenchmen have stuck contests out. Take young Ledoux, for example, in his recent bout with Joe Bowker.