The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-22
FEW L|GHTWE|GH1S
POSSESS ABILITY
JOE RIVERS Is ONLY ONE FIT TO
MEET wOLGAsr IN CHAMPION
SHIP BOUT.
so SAYS
MCFARLAND AND WELLS OVER
WEIGHT, WELSH AN INVALID
AND H.. O. BROWN NOT
CONSISTENT.
SO NAUGHTON SAYS
BY ". NAUGHTON.

SAN FRANCISCO. April 2l.-Joe
Rivers. the Los Angeles novice. is to
get the irst crack at Ad Wolgast's
championship and all the other light
weights and near-lightweights are up
In arms about him.
"Ad wolgast picked an eas mark"
say the disguntled ones.
He should nave hooked up with
some fighter who stands better with
the public"
All right. But who. for instance
Is there AM one man among the
hghtweights who stands head and
shoulders above his fellows as the
logical opponent" Of Wolgast2
There are probably a dozen SOCIAL
ed 1913 Founders who think themselves
entitled to a match with Woigast.
OF these the tour tina loom up the
most prominently are Packey McFar-
land. Matt Wells. Freddie Welsh and
Knockout" Brown.
Mcfarland and Wells are tarred
with the same brush. Neither OF
them can make the weight at which
Wolgash won the title. and there Is
too much at stake for Ad to giant
them any concessions in h matter
Of poundage.
Welsh IL IN Invalid.
Freddie Welsh is an Invalid at pres
emit. He reports that he ID ft for
service again, but In view OF the man
ner in which he collapsed a couple
Of times while in training. the pro-
~,otAr~ A. MT roOord him an q 0iIf-
edged risk.
Knockout Brown. who began his
career auspiciously. has performed so
streakily during many months that
there il no public elamor for a VOL
gsst- Brown fight True his hackers
p advancing his claims. and. for
that matter seem willing enough to
wager heavily on his chances. but not
ever the sporting critics OF hts "
New York are evinctng any excite
ment over Wolgast's studied GOODNESS
toward Brown.
Here Is the case in q nutshell. The
lightweight situation 10 in such a
shape that whoever brings Wolgast
to the article-signing point Is h one
best entitled to fight the champion.
And Rivers Is the lad.
Rivers 10 Lucky.
AL IldI ktltSE8 IL A0NAys ~ '
age lightweight has to bear h heat
and burden Of an extremely long day;
the hooks and awallope OF naany q Bit
terry waged battle before he Ia in line
for a whirl at tho title. Here. how
ever. is a youngster who IL going to
signalixe his entry n h lightweight
class by striving for the highest honora.
There may be q measure Of truth In
the contention that Wolgast preferred
Rivers 70 some Of the others. Ad has
seen Rivers train and night a number
Of times. and 1t stands 70 reason the
champion, would .n04 have been 30
reddyv to sign the Los Angelica articles
II he considered the Mexican youth the
most dangerous Of the bunch.
But even II W0lgast set his cap at
Rivers. who can blame him? Wolgast
underwent q u ordeal a few
months ago and fully recognizes that
he must feel his way back into the
game very carefully.
This thing Of q champion being oper-
ated upon for appendicitis. II a new
one, and no one cAn tell what the
effect upon Wolgast's fshting speed
and strength win BE-. II 10 far Diff
ferent from RETURNING to the hurly-
buriy of nsticuffs after being laid OH
some time with = broken arm. In
that case tho injury u purely local.
whereas with 4 man who has been
under the knife. the whole system
u affected.