Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-12-25
CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
Great Interest Shown i'm New Years
Battle Between Palzer and
McCarty.
MANY WHITE HOPES
CONTEND FOR TITLE
James J. COrbett, Former Champion
Writes Insere sting Article Con-
corning DecOrah's Contender
for Championship.

iOI
The chief topic in sporting circles
these fine winter days is the coming
match between Al Palzer of DEBORAH,
Iowa, and Luther McCarty of Spring
| field, Mo-, for the white heavy
weight" championship, and belt en-
blematic of that title to be contribut-
ed by Promoter Tom McCarey. And,
incidentally, more substantial re-
ward in the shape of purse of $12,-
500 real money. In fact, if the bout
were to decide the championship of
the world there could be hardly grea-
ter interest displayed throughout the
country. : McCarty's impressive de-
feat of Jim Flynn opened the eyes of
the talent" to the reality that con-
ditions are on the improve" in the
heavyweight group and that we may
be on the eve of that anxiously
awaited transfer of the flower of
fistic supremacy" from the blacks to
the whites.
While there is little doubt that
Palzer and McCarty rank among the
best of the white heavyweights, and
that the winner of their contest will
have as good a claim to the cham
pionship as any other fighter of eth
er color, since the dethronement Of
Jack Johnson, it is no sure thing that
continuation of the series of elm
ination bouts might not develop a
more formidable proposition. Leav-
| ing out of all calculation those emf
nent dusky warriors, Langford and
Jeanette, there are three or four
file exceptions to the championship
claims of Palzer and McCarty.
For instance, there is Jess Willard,
the big Texan, who came to New
York unknown and unheralded one
day last summer and surprised local
sports by shading McCarty in a ten
round bout. In fact, Willard put a
large size puncture in Luther's rep
utation, and in view of the easy man
ner in which McCarty has since bowl
ed over Jim Barry, AL Kaufman and
Jim Flynn the Texans splendid show
ing on that one bout alone entities
him to respectful consideration as an
aspirant for the highest honors
among the heavies.
"Gunboat" Smith is another who
has designs on the championship.
This young man has improved stead
lily since his first appearance in the
east and established quite reputa-
ton as a knocker-out.
He has fought whenever opportun-
ity offered and disposed of the ma
jority of his opponents in jig style.
True, he disappointed his many
friends in the match with Jack Sulli-
van at Buffalo recently by failing to
stop the veteran, but that should not
be scored against the "Gunboat," ac-
cording to unprejudiced eyewitness
ses of the encounter, for the reason
that Sullivan made a fight impossi-
BILE by his methods of stalling and
clinching. Smith was willing and
trying, but Twin" was there with
but one object and that was to re-
main the ten rounds, and succeeded
because his knowledge of ring craft
was too great for the comparatively
inexperienced Gunboat.
4 Smiths greatest handicap in the
competition for heavyweight honors
is his size. Altho' scaling in the
neighborhood of $50 pounds, he
stacks up like middleweight along
side the McCartys, Palzers and Will
lards. Still as Fitz used to say, 1.-The
bigger they are, the harder they fall
and Gunboat packs a mighty right
hand wallop
Eombardier Wells, too, is still in
the hunt and contemplates a visit to
this side in the near future with the
hope that he will be given a chance
to wipe out the stigma of defeat at
the hands of AL Palzer. Altho' beat
en- by the American Bombardier made
a very favorable impression on fight
fans here and the consensus of opin-
ion is that he foolishly tossed off his
chances for success through anxiety
/ to score quick knockout. Wells is
the only really clever boxer among
the hopes and made AL look like a
dub in the early part of the contest.
He tied Palzer in knots and ought to
4 have romped winner. But Wells
made the fatal mistake of throwing
science to the winds and mixing 1t
with a much heavier and stronger
man, and suffered the consequences.
/ Palzer, whose recuperative powers
are simply wonderful, was thus given
the only chance on earth he had to
win. AL was a very lucky young
man that night. He was not in the
best of condition.; he had supervised
his own training and made bad job
Of it. Had Wells not lost his head
over the prospects of knocking the
big fellow out there might have been
different story to tell of the result.
At any rate the Bombardier showed
the spectators so much in the way OF
skill and hard hitting that there ex-
lists no doubt of his ability, and If the
pair are rematched the English cham
pion will not lack for supporters.
Then there is our old friend, Carl
Morris, the original white hope,
whose defeat by Luther McCarty
brought the latter young man into
prominence as a contender for the
championship. Carl took to the
brush" after Luther gave him that
licking and only emerged from re-
tirement a month or two ago. or late
he has been playing the small time"
circuit, and has been very busy box
err. Furthermore, he has won all his
recent starts, and with knock-outs at