Atlanta Georgian., 1912-07-04
z TITLE BOUTS
TODAY ARE NOT
CAUSING PANIC
Bv Left Hook.


events. One will be for
the heavyweight championship of
the world The scene of strife will
be Las Vegas. n M, and the prin-
cipals will be Jack Johnson and
Jim Flynn The other affair will
take place at Vernon, outside of
= Los Angeles 1t will be for the
lightweight championship and will
be between Ad Wolgast and Joe
Rivers.
Candidly, neither of these events
is attracting the attention that
usually attaches to worlds cham
pionship disputes, and one does not
have to look for the reason In
neither instance is the contest re-
garded as a tilt between a pair of
evenly matched men.
The suspicion that Jack Johnson
may have slowed up during a
couple OF years of inactivity and
high living is the one peg on which
the admirers OF Jim Flynn hang
their hopes The thought that an
operation for appendicitis may have
robbed Wolgast of his snap aud
speed is the one thing that makes
Rivers chances of success appear
the least bit rosy.
Appendicitis Kills All Dope.
It is easy enough to verify this
view of things. If Woigast had not
been taken down with appendicitis
and forced to lay off several months
Rivers chances in a matcE with
the champion would be considered
so small that the idea of the men
signing would have been generally
ridiculed. Probably the old light
weights would have risen on their
hind legs and Joined in the one
concerted round of protests. for Riv-
ers was knocked out by Feather
weight Johnny Kilbane not so very
long ago Moreover, this meeting
with Wolgast will signalize Rivers
entry into the lightweight division
and to have a green lightweight
striving for the worlds champion
ship the first time out does not
seem by any means to be in ac-
cordance with the eternal fitness of
things
But Wolgast was under the knife
and the suspicion existed that
Wolgast as q champion had passed
~ ha HI 70 Iao
test 1t was necessary for some one
to be sent against Wolgast-it
mattered little who-and Rivers
was the handiest
The men who consider them
selves best fitted to a crack at
Wolgast--to wit Packey McFar-
land. Freddie Welsh and maybe
Knockout Brown-would have OBJ
jected strongly to this Wolgast-
Rivers affair If there had been no
appendicitis. but as matters stand,
all Ads most formidable rivals are
viewing things complacently
They regard the match as test
case. If, Wolgast shows he is the
Wolgast of old he will be more
harried and challenged in the next
few months than he has been dur
ing all the years he has held the
title,
Fan Claims Jack Is SO.
A few weeks ago, in discussing
the Flynn n-Johnson outlook. took
occasion to refer to the fact tina
there was not q great deal of diff
ference In the mems ages, the rec
ord books showing that Johnson
was 81. while Flynn has passed his
thirty second birthday The pub
lication OF the article brought me a
note Of protest from one who Is
certainly In a position to acquire
inside information on such mat
ters
Said the note: For your own
guidance. 7 want to tell you that
the record book does not state
facts Johnson is fully S6 years
Old while Flynn is only 80"
If this Is so, F'lynns chances are
somewhat better than | figured
But whether Johnson be 34 or 36,
the question in nutshell Is. How
much has Johnson aged during the
past two years?
If the negro is still In the heyday
OF his lighting force-if he is as
good as when he boxed Jeffries lit
seems to me II is not possible for
FLYNN to have improved enough to
relieve the colored man OF the
championship. But if Indulgence
and excesses have left their mark
on Johnson to an appreciable ex-
tent he IS likely to encounter a full
sized mountain of trouble.
Flynn in Grand Shape.
Flynn, all reports to the CON
trary, is trained to the proper
notch and is brimming over with
pluck and confidence II he goes
down he will go down ighting. as
he did before.
AS to calling the winner. 7 think
any one would be foolhardy to at
tempt it. Everything depends on
the changes that have taken place
in Johnson-if any have taken
place-during his lay-off