Evening star., 1912-06-03
NEW YORK FIGHT PROMOTERS
MAY KILL THE BOXING GAME
Break the Law in Giving Decisions and
Legislature May Take Hand
in the Sport.
BY T. S. ANDREWS.

BY 7. S. ANDREWS.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. June 3.-It is over
ten years since the repeal of the famous
Horton law in New York state. which
permitted the holding of twenty-five
round bouts. and it will be more than ten
years before another law permitting box
ing matches is passed i'm the Empire
state if the promoters and managers in
the big city succeed in killing the game.
which they are apparently doing, judging
from the ridiculous tangles they are get
ting into. The grab-all methods of some
of the promoters when the law first went
into effect last fall came near killing it
right off the reel but the boxing commits
sion had the good sense to interfere in
time and save the sport. Then came
numerous squabbles. which were rdicu-
lous in the extreme. and 1t has required
some good hard work on the part of those
who are really anxious to keep the game
on a sound and legitimate basis to right
the errors of the trouble makers. The
last break came when one club instructed
the referee to render a decision, which
was in violation of the law. 1t made no
difference whether one of the commission
ers had suggested that decision might
he given or not; IL was against the law
and unless the entire commission favored
such procedure Ii was most unwise to
attempt to force il. Personally, / would
favor the giving of decisions in ten-round
bouts, although in contests of six rounds
IL is hard matter at times to give
verdict, as the boxers are usually pretty
well matched and unable to gain much
headway in that time, unless the match
should be between not we'll matched men.
Ii gives more satisfaction to the spec
tators and helps the men who like to bet
On 10 h0IlfS
not the slightest attention should be
given to the betting end of the game, for
that is what usually kills all kinds of
sport. As long as the law prohibits the
giving of decisions the promoters and
mana gers alike should be the ones to up
hold the law in every particular. but there
is always some one who likes to overstep
the bounds and get the edge" on the
other fellow. And as rule such actions
usually result disastrously to the game
The commission has done a great deal of
good for the game in New York state and
If left alones will do even more good
Other states are getting ready now to fol-
low the lead of New York and pass such
law as the Frawley code. Illinois and
Wisconsin being among those now wait
ing for the convening of their legisla-
tures.
Sam Langford. the Boston tar baby, did
not sail from sydney, Australia, May n,
as he had expected for reports came this
fought his former stable mate-Porky
Flynn-at Melbourne. and had Won in
fourteen rounds. Both Langford and
Flynn had been under the management
of Joe Woodman, the clever Boston boy,
but about two months ago there was a
break in the camp relations, the one with
the Irish cognomen deciding that he could
get along better by himself. Porky had
trained with sam a long while and knew
every move of the tar baby, and he be-
came convinced that he could beat the
man who wanted to fight Jack Johnson
for the worlds title. After the Lang
ford-McNea fight in sydney, FLYNN came
out with challenge TO Langford, and ii
was taken UP by the Boston black. They
were matched in Melbourne by Hugh d.
Mcintosh. and from reports of the battle
the colored man gave Porky a severe
beating-in fact. so severe that the ref
cree stopped IL in the fourteenth TO save
Flynn from complete knockout Should
Johnson defeat Jim Flynn at Las Vegas
July g. II is hard to see how he can avoid
a match with sam Langford, for the Bos-
ton baby has surely proved himself a
wonderful fighter and entitled to con-
test with lii Arthur for the cham
pionship As TO Flynn CHASING with
Langford-why. no one here ever dreamed
that he had a look-in, and events proved
that he did not. 1t is very likely that
I4angford will sail for the states immedi-
ately, as he has practically been matched
with Joe Jeannette at Los Angeles in
July. and he will need some time to train
after landing on the American shore.
1t is a difficult matter TO make some
boxers understand that they are ever too
old To get into the game. Pedlar Palmer
the British featherweight. who was a
star back in the 90s. until Terry Nc
Govern put stop to his championship
career. was out of the game for several
years because of a mix-up with the pow
ers higher up in England, but upon his
release the Pedlar took TO the ring agar
and did fairly we'll for time. He met
reverSes, too. but never would admit tha
he was all in as star. and. strange Il
say, he was always able to get matche.
at the big clubs in London. The Pedlai
met a tartar a few weeks ago at tht
y. S. G, in Private Walton. but thai
has not feazed him. and now he is after
match with the champion, but IL viii
be a case of nothing doing
The Pedlar will have to take his littl.
stand and join such other grand old has
beens as Billy Plimmer, Jem Carney anC
others. There are few fighters who know
when to stop, and il is impossible I,
make most of them understand that the,
are not near-champions, even after man,
defeats.
Just imagine a fighter twenty-five year
ago starting off for the scene of battle, L
his training quarters, with half doZei
men to work with. a chauffeur, thre
automobiles, special cook, valet anC
a funny man 10 keep him in good humor
Can you beat 1t? Imagine Paddy Ryai
and John l.. Sullivan starting off in suci
a manner back in the early Sos. wheI
they fought their memorable battle fo
the worlds championship! Why. the!