Evening star., 1912-11-13
BOXING IS A BUSINESS, AND
A TOUGH, ANXIOUS BUSINESS
Champion Johnny Cou'on Says Grin Don't
Go With It as 1t Does Not Some
Way Seem to Fit.

while I'm getting it. I don't mean that
I'm backing away and covering up all
the time. No champion takes more
chances than I do. But no one but a
sucker will take something that he can
avoid. punch lodged is punch
earned"
CouIon looked nightly satisfied with
his aphoriSm
1--WE fought all my life," he went on. Il
don't know anything else-barring carry
ing packages. which I did for a surgical
instrument house in Chicago for four
years l couldn't make the money / am
making now in any other business. IL a
box We're to fall on me OF a roof and hit
me on the head, maybe ii would put me
out of the game for good. That's why
save my money. The end will Gomez to
me some day. just as II comes to all OF
us. and l want to be able to pay the
fancy prices for watching box fight
then that the fellows pay to see me sc
now. And that's why / am in earnest
when l fight, and can't find time to gig
gle any more. | want that money I'm go
ing after. and I want 1t badly. And
want to get as much of 1t as l can, and
plant 1t somewhere safe. Boxing isn't a
sport with me-or with any other boxer
If they will all tell the truth, as 1 am do
ing. It Is a business. hard dangerous,
unpleasant business. 1t takes strong
man in mind and heart to be a boxer. He
had best not try to be good fellow. too. .
To sustain his theory that boxing is a
business he compared the fighters of to-
day with those of few years back
Tell me what men In their class could
whip George McFadden and George Dixon
and Joe Cans and Jimmy Barry and Cas-
per Leon. and lot more that | could
name?" he demanded. But the game has
changed. In the old days the men fought
maybe two or three times year some
times only once year. Now a man must
be fit to fight two or three times a week
sometimes. l think we're better boxers
than they used to be. We go shorter dis
tances. and we 60 SO often that we learn
a fight is by fighting, anyhow. Riding in
trains doesn't get you in shape"
He was born in Toronto, Canada. His
father was a we'll known amateur athlete
n his day. For several years he held an
amateur double scuil championship medal
-vhen with the old Friendship Club. then
IT 2Sth street, on the East river. When
he boy was yearling the family moved
o Chicago, and there Johnny began to
ievelop hunch as to his fighting ability.
lie won various amateur fights while he
IN to New York with his father and was
refused admission to one club at which
he hoped to fight because OF his appar-
ent youth.
my aunt fixed that" said he. "She
took me down on ID avenue, and bought
me two-doliar pair of long pants"
He returned to Chicago. and there
George Siler, the old referee, saw him
fight and liked fds style. Siler was then
sixty-two years old.
Il guess my upper works had widened," :"
confessed Coulon, with his likable grin.
Il thought was a wonder. The critics
had praised me. you see. l always have
carried clippings Of good stories around
with me. Some time I'll tell the folks
that l guess III get out the scrapbook
and read what they've said about me.
I never keep the roasts. you know.
used to have my vest pockets full Of
newspaper clippings in those days"
So he went out with Siler TO the lat
ter's establishment, and the old man put
on the gloves with the boy.
y went In to rough him." said Cculon.
II thought I'd show him up. 6iier nodded
his head after q while.