Evening star., 1912-09-15
APPEARS THAT BOXING IS
BECOMING MORE POPULAR
Winners of Bouts Are Given Big Receptions
in Their Home Towns French
Federation Revising Rules.

i
| attempt any such move and Joseph would
raise some fuss The story is SO ridiculous
that the wonder is people give. 1t any
credence at ALL AS for the story that
1 Hugh Mcintosh has stated he would keep
Jack Johnson there as long as he pleased
should Jack go over to meet Langford,
there is not one iota of truth in it.
The fact is the writer had carried on
the negotiations for Johnsons proposed
/ trip abroad and had offered to deposit
| $4,000 cash with Alderman Al Tearney
| of Chicago that Johnson would get $Jo.Vo
| for two battles, one with Langford and
| one with McVea, the same to be held
within a period OF six months from Sep
| tember l, and the balance of the money
| to be paid over to Johnson in Australia
before the men met-that is, deposited
| in any bank there, to be paid over the
moment Jack had boxed his men. He
was also guaranteed every protection.
The money was here ready for Mr..
'rearney to take over, but / have Mr..
/ Tearney's telegram advising to drop the
matter, as Johnson had made up his
mind not to fight any more, at least he
would not go to Australia at the present
| time. The reports are gross injustice
to the promoter in Australia, and the
best proof that 1T is ridiculous Is the
| statements from Jimmy Clabby, Cyclone
/ Thompson and Ray Bronson, all Of whom
| We're there for many battles and who all
want to go back again. Jimmy Clabby
said he was never treated better in his
| life and Johnny said the Geme thing.
while Bronson is ready to go at a mo-
ment's notice. According to b. G. Covell
| or Sydney, Mr.. Barry was given every
consideration over there and treated as a
| gentleman.
The opposition of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle against boxing being included
in the Olympic sports has caused much
1eel1ng in England among sportsmen
against Sir Arthur, for they declare he
should be the last one to offer any
! opposition. The general opinion among
British sportsmen is that boxing should
/ have its proper place in the Olympic
games. A letter from Col Dyer on the
subject will prove of interest to Amer
| lean readers. II is as follows: 1T
may not be generally known on your
| side that Conan Doyle at one time was
a great athlete lin his medical student
days) and during the past ten years
has written many novels and stories
round the deeds of old-time fighters. 1t
comes, therefore, as a distinct shock
| to find this gentleman siding with those
who would oppose the inclusion of box
| ing in the forthcoming Olympic games
| at Berlin. His opposition is all the
more remarkable seeing that the sport
formed one of the principal spectacles
! at the ancient games in Greece. Sir
Arthur bases his opposition on the fear
| feeling between the competing coun
tries. though 1t did not do so at the 1908
games in London, when France, Sweden,
Denmark and Germany sent over rep
| resentatives. He seems to lose sight
! of the fact that the games were re-
vived for the express purpose of de-
veloping amateur sport and to provide
| for tests between the various coun-
tries in all branches of sport.
Boxing at the present time is more
| widely practiced as an international sport
than javelin and discus throwing. both
of which Doyle considers we ought to cul-
tivate a taste for. 1t is recognized
sport in France, Germany. Hungary. Aus
4 tria, Denmark, and among other European
countries which are taking it up may be
| mentioned Holland and Belgium 1t
might be that the bulk of the prizes
would go 10 England and America in the
| first set of contests, but it would not be
long before the younger recruits to the
game gathered knowledge and experience,
and then we should see an all-round dis
tribution of the gold medals, much as has
happened in the recent games at Stock
holm. The notion of friction arising
should not be a barrier to the inclusion Of
boxing, for it is certain that 1t would not
be so great as that which occurred DUR
ing the wrestling competitions at London
| and Stockholm; moreover, it is well to
remember that trouble arose more than
| once over the running events at the
games. yet no one has suggested that
they should be cut out. At the present
| time International amateur boxing compe-
4
the countries have no reliable guide as to
| the progress of the boxers among their
| citizens. Fortunately Doyle is not a
member of the British Olympic Associa-
ton. so his views will not carry official
weight
| Champions are surely hard propositions
| to handle where the boxing game is not
| legalized. for there are always plenty Of
cranks to try to stop the sport the mo-
/ ma fS od iy,
| connection with bout. The Wolgast-
Mcfarland affair in New York has stir
| red up some of the would-be reformers,
and they have appealed to Gov. Dix to
| stop what they term would be brutal
| prize fight" That's joke. The bout
would no doubt be one Of the cleverest
ever pulled off in the Empire state. But
| 1t is a cinch that the moment cham
! pion's name appears in connection with a
match the trouble begins. That was the
| case when the same two were matched
| in Milwaukee a year ago. However, the
| law protects the sport in New York and
| it is not likely that any trouble will
arise. but the managers have raised so
| much talk about prices for their services,
| etc, that the public and promoters have
become disguised with them. Billy Glib
| writes me that unless Wolgast sticks to
| his original terms there will be no match.
| as he will not give in to him.
| In Peoria. H.. the other night Cyclone
! Johnny Thompson, one of the claimants
to the middleweight crown. and Knock
out Brown of Chicago were down to box
| ten rounds. but after watching the men
/ for five rounds the sheriff got busy and
! stopped the bout claiming that there
was too much foulng on both sides and
| that the men forgot about boxing. 1t is
| just such matches that hurt the sport.
/ However. in this case the sheriff said he
did not intend to stop the sport just be-
/ cause two boxers were putting up a
poor fight, but that when they could
show him that they were on the level
and boxing instead of wrestling he would
permit them to continue.
Eddie McGoorty, the ear-middleweight