The Colorado statesman., 1912-03-23
WHY JIM FL.nna.
WAS MATCHED TO
BOX JACK JOHNSON

| Ii so many hight fans and critics
think Jim Flynn, Pueblos fireman, has
no chance In his coming battle with
Jack Johnson for the heavyweight
championship of the world, set for
July A next, why did Flynn and his
manager, Jack Curley, make the
match?
Not for any losing end they may
hope to get out of the contest. for the
conditions are so framed it is the big
gest kind of gamble whether there
will be losing end of sufficient size
to pay training expenses.
Any other answer might be hard to
those who have a well-grounded i'm
preston that Flynn will be a child in
the big blacks hands.
But it is easy for Flynn and his
manager to give good and sufficient
reasons for thus running their heads,
and especially Flynn's. into this sup
posedly deadly moose.
Flynn's faith in himself is abiding.
He infects others with this conf
dence. So 1t was with Curley, but
long before Curley and Flynn formed
their alliance Curley got some ideas
about Johnson and he is willing to
give them to the public now for the
purpose Of justifying his action and
Flynn's In the matter.
while l was In Europe l saw much
of Johnson and had to take notice
of the way he was living here" Cur
ley said. "He was much in evidence
in the boulevard cafes in Paris, and
every time l saw him l felt that If
some scrappy, game fellow would
show up he could take the title away
from him. AS a matter of fact, l
thought I knew of some middle
weights in America who could whip
him.
Mind you, this was long before I
had any idea of hooking up in any
way with Jim Flynn.
when l returned to this country
and saw Carl Morris l gave him a
grand outside chance of being the
lucky man against the big black.
They told me that Flynn had given
Al Kaufman an unmerciful beating in
Kansas City. such a beating that poor
AL was laid up for 72 hours and Flynn
was under police surveillance. Kauf-
/
was Flynn's fight over every inch of
the way
Before that contest there had been
much talk of matching Kaufman
against Johnson. he being considered
the ideal white hope Indeed. as
remember 1t. Jack was roasted severe
" for seeming to dodge AL when the
late Billy Delaney and Billy Brady Of
fered to find fat purse for the scrap
Nov. If Kaufman was so we'll en-
titled to match with Johnson, why is
not the man who so thoroughly whip-
ped Kaufman? This query goes di-
rect1y and pertinently to Brady, Mas
terson. Corbett and the other wise fell
grand chance with Johnson.
Then, too, please consider that
Johnson never would give Sam Lang
ford a chance. sidestepping him per-
sistently and religious1y. Did not
Flynn once beat Langford in Los An
geles in ten rounds, getting every
newspaper decision there after the
contest?
"And did not Flynn hand out an un-
merciful beating to Carl Morris; such
beating. in fact that the referee,
Charley White, nearly lost his license
for not stopping it, and the club was
severely censured. Had Morris as
much as shaded Flynn the country
would have acclaimed him the real
goods and would have demanded that
Johnson fight the Oklahoma man. AS
a matter of fact, that match would
have been made the following day
Now, then, here's the point: n
Kaufman, Langford and Morris were
At opponents for Johnson, why not the
man who beat them all?
Five years ago Johnson beat
Flynn. who weighed 155 pounds and
was really an inexperienced beginner.
Today Flynn weighs 1876 pounds,
knows how to plow in and at the
same time protect himself
Surely no one will say that John
son is any better today than he was
then. And besides this, five years ago
Johnson did not stop Flynn. He
pecked away at him until he gave him
a bad eye and had him bleeding so
that Mrs. Flynn jumped into the ring
In the eleventh round and stopped the
battle, the referee refusing to permit
the game and still willing Flynn to
continue. Coast critics have told me
all this.
Before Johnson beat Jeffries did
the people think he was so much
Marvin Hart went 25 rounds with him
and even if the decision was questions
able Hart was there and fighting hard
at the end. Johnson didn't stop Tom.
my Burns in Australia, Burns always
claiming it was a rotten decision that
stopped the battle. So much for John.
sons championship career.
"And Flynn claims that johnson Is
not ri Onnd pnu, oe H.