Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-02-07
WILLIE RICHIE HAS
FOUGHT FORTY
TWO FIGHTS
Champion Lightweight Annex
cd Title Through Curious
Succession of Substitute
Stunts; Has Lost Four Bat
ties.


While Ritchio. who .dlsposEoesed Al
Wolgast OF his crown Of lightweight
champion puEiliHt ~ nv world, was
born IN san Francisco on February
i3 1881
Ritchle Ia living negative % that
good. old-fnshioned warning ~ avoid
suhstitutes.' In the first place his
lighting name u a substitute lie was
born Gcary Stecfcn--not stcffcn. HIS
first appearance IN the prize ring was
In 1903 49, q substitute Tor "a boxer
named Willie Richardson In four
round quarrel AGAINST Muak Enoch.
kitchic won By q knockout In the
third round. incidentally his nght-
inc name WAS attached al that point,
a. he deemed u more prudent lest the
family punishment rod be- substituted
for the padded gloves OF his opponent
on his arrival az the Steefcn rest
dcncc
Ritchic's first Jump lnln the lime
light at pugiistie promincucc like
wise was as q substitute az "a
substitute for the man whom he de-
feated for the little. When WOlgast
was stricken with appendicitis just
before "a scheduled iaht with Freddy
Welsh, the RritisheF, year ago last
Thanksgiving. kitUhie on twenty
four hours notice was assigned the
job and gave Welsh "a terrific battle
Of twenty rounds az Los Angeles. los
ing u shade decision
Then, go complete the picture just
"A year after that date. Ritchio sunsti-
tutod his own name for that 81 VOL
CAST behind the magic word cham
pion.
but from infancy Richie was cast
Tor the substitute role Hc suhstitut-
ed Tor two older brothers as the
Youngest member 81 tho Stcefcn fam
hot rN.H 4. q UFfaH
supply Of substitute clothes during
boyhood and early boyhood days
Sometimes they did not 40 Wine anu
he was host IN their rpccsscs Just az
some pugilistiC critics thought Willie
was lost in his desire 20 hIl the shoes
cobbled for WOluast But this mbsti-
tutc hoy had o. habit OF accomplishing
what he went after. and be- grow 90
the clothes Just as later he grew 60
the shoes
The earliest recorded instance 90
substitution which bears the carmarks
Of authenticity is related by Richie
himself II occurred when he WIS I
years old. Mrs. Stecfcn. capable Ger
man houeckcepcr WIS making that
wonderful California mnrmaladC. Lit
tie Geary knew the good things of life,
especially when made rs mother ana
substituted himself as u receptacle for
one jar OI the preserved stun depos-
iting the empty can ON the pantry
shelf
~ school young stccfcu MAS not
pugnacipus. contrary to the usual BIZ
ography of great names. which occupy
a setting in pugilism PLACES Tie was
the Horace Fogcl oi many Il sChoolboy
fracas and even has tlter brother
pummclrd him tor digging 10 aspire
tu association With th# older boys
The substitution OF nghting spirit
Tor that 81 turck receiver general
came after ho had accepted position
as Office boy In hardware and ma
chinory concern. 30 self-respct ting
office boy can stand Uunts and glues
from his fellows without proving his
mettle and GeHry lived up Co tho or
thodoX opinion OF the genus oingC
boys Then he secured work iu an
automobile repair and machine shop.
later becoming dcmoustrHtor
Al this stage of his career our future
great Joined a boys athletic club
whore boxing WAS one of the features
n was tho custom for the members
10 change each others facial maps
for the mere love ot demonstrating
the art OF srlt-dcfsuso, although n
was more often self-dtfcnsc. Rltyhtc,
however. proved the class ot this
company ana earned "a reputation
among his fellows which eventually
brought him the chance against Monk
Enoch. previously referred tu.
That bout substituted e career ot
! usefulness in tho automobile world
! Tor "a career which brought more
prominent mention in newspaper COLI
umns us pure reading matter Since
then Hitchio has led fnrtS-t fights.
| losing only four uf them
With the title safely packed away
In moth balls, EItehir. bN direction
OF his manager the same Billy Nolan
who managed Bat Ncisop ih the hes
/ day OF the Danes success. substituted
tho hardshlps and uncertainties Of tho
ring Tor the glare and Jingle of the
i""ilights. said Jingle yielding $1,000
! per week