Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-01-31
.PALzER MOST POPULAR
First Iowa Bred Boxer to Gain Rec.
ignition Over Country.
NOT YET RIPE FOR JOHNSON.
Needs Another Match to Put Him
i'm Shape For the
Championship.

should be eXultant over the prOmin-
ence attained by AL. Palzer, the first
Iowa bred boxer to gain first page
recognition in the boxing game, says
Circus" Baldwin, the famous sport
ing writer. 1t is commendable that
they applaud the lad who wins three
battles-the first three in which he
has ever publicly engaged-and by
his extra clever winning over one of
the country's very best heavyweight
boxers brings the worlds champion
to terra firma, a hitherto very high
horse. Palzer is the most popular
boxer in New York, If not in the
United States, and no one has rec
ognized that sooner than has Cham
pion Jack Johnson. BY his easy de-
feat of AL. Kaufman, Palzer has out
shone Jim Flynn, who is presumed
to be matched with the colored cham
pion, and this suddenly acquired
prominence has started a rush of Of
fers in his direction that was never
before received by a youngster in the
glove sport.
Generally, young boxers are COM
PEELED to await the opportunity to
contend for the highest honors for
several years after they enter the
game. But Palzer found fame beck
oning him on from the first time he
dOnned nit, in public, and in less
than seven months as a professional
boxer he enjoys the distinction of
being asked by the worlds champion
heavyweight for a match. This first
Iowa bred heavyweight has thus far
satisfied boxing critics that he is the
goods, but it is to be hoped that an
eagerness to corral the shekels will
not develop overconfidence on the
part of his manager. Quite often
these gentry undo the possibilities of
young and promising entries by over
loading them while they are popular
and sacrifice them for the dollars
l do not believe that this will occur
with Palzer as long as he has the
good sense to remain under the
guidance of that good old scout and
thorough ring general, Tom o.
Rourke.
PalZer, like a trained race horse
needs another match or two to put
him on edge and in shape for the SUI
preme effort that will be asked Of
him in any sort of match with Jack
Johnson, especially in short dist
ance affair. I-e has not had sufficient
experience to make him really good
of distance, and being an aggressive
fighter deficiency in this element
would be more than likely to prove
disastrous in contest with the ex-
perienced colored artist, who is in
deed the greatest defensive artist the
game ever knew at any time. If
given a long distance match-to a
finish-in six months from now, Pal
ger looks to be the best title con-
tender now in sight, but to accede
to Johnson's request for a ten round
go in thirty or sixty days would be
asking too much of one of his limit
ed experience.
OF course. there are those who will
say that Paddy Ryan fought Joe Goss
eighty rounds and defeated him in
the first battle of his life, and Goss
was the American champion at that.
That is true, but the battle was un-
der London prize ring rules, in a
"a foot ring, when a slip down or a
knock down constituted a round il
the fallen man responded before the
call of ten" The fast work of the
Queensbury rules in the 20 foot ring
Of today means much more to the in
experienced boxer.
Corbett alone CT all the heavies
was better boxer than Johnson. He
was as well the aggressive artist as
the defensive. His scientific knowl-
edge of the game superseded that of
any boxer living or dead, but was so
excessively handicapped by egotism
and overconfidence that he fell a vic
tim to the persistent and untiring
boring in of the willy Fitzsimmons,
and like all beaten champions was
never able to get back to his stride.
1t would be decidedly injudicious to
match young Palzer at present in a
short contest with Johnson.
The champion is eager for New
York match to ante-date the Flynn
Palzer bout, but there is little likeli-
mood OF his getting it. But it is fine
to know that the Iowan has brought
the colored champion to a supplicat-
ing recognition of his worth.
The anxiety of Johnson to get on
in New York with Palzer bears out
former differences in this column that
Mr.. Johnsing needs some kale. An
he needs Ii mighty had an mighty