El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-20

sports will be a very much disappointed
bunch. Richie scored one OF the great
est hits made by q boxer IN New
York ring since the days OF the hor-
ton law His great battle with Leach
Cross is still the talk of the town ana
any bout arranged for hlm-lt Wor-
thy opponent is Selected-will mean the
biggest house both in numbers ana
dollars that has turned out to see
boxing match here in many years.
There are several boys who would
be popular matches for the champion
in a local sense. Freddy Welsh would
satisfy So would Jack Britton. Pacley
Mcfarland naturally would be the
greatest card for no boxer stands bet
ter with the New York public than the
stOckyardS'S champion, but If what
they are telling about Packey's weight
is true there is no more chance or ms
boxing Richie than there is of meet
ing between him and Johnny Coulon.
Welsh has a great rep here and
everywhere. He is the champion OF
England, and q great boxer. Britton IS
also well thought Of and deserved4y so.
Mcfarland, of course, is regarded as
the class of both the light and weller
weight divisions.
Young Shugrue, a Conner.
Still if 1 were a New York promoter
and Richie had agreed to box under
my management I would not select any
OF these boys for the first bout. Young
Joe Shugrue, the Jersey lightweight,
would be my trump card.
While he has been boxing in the
lightweight class hardly more than
year Shugrue has met and defeated a
number of the best boys. Probably he
would have accomplished more if he
had been given the chance. He met
Leach Cross several months ago and
clearly OutbOXed and OutfOught the
Ghetto champion in every round Of the
ten.
Young Shugrue is either a very mod
est yOungster or he is poorly man
aged With his unquestioned ability
he should have been established before
this as one of the very few real as
pirants for the championship. If any
legitimate lightweight-and by that I
mean a boy who can make 1873 pounds
without trOubIe-has earned the right
to box for the title it is this same
boy.
Shugrue is only a youngster COM
pared with Welsh, BrittOn, Cross, Muir
ply and the other title seekers. I doubt
if he is yet q But he is already rated
above Cross and Murphy in the esti-
nation of local experts, and his Selec-
ton as Ritchie's opponent on the cham
plon's return east would be very pop
ular.
I believe Shugrue will prove that he
IS a real championship contender If
given an opportunity. Considering his
years and experience he is the ukliest
looking lightweight prospect I have
seen in a long time
I am not trying to injure Freddy
WeIsh's chances for a match with
Richie. Apparently the only chance
for him is a bout over the 20 round
taken by Harry Pollok, Freddy's man
ager, since the Vancouver fiascO and
will hardly entertain a proposition TO
box the English champion in a no
decision affair of 10 rounds.
As for Freddy he should realize that
every year that passes makes him just
one year older He has spent about
the idleSt sort Of a u month in this
country so far as meeting boys of any
class IS concerned. His mana ger. has
done plenty of press agenting for
Frederick, but he has not framed up
the bouts that viii turn his fighter
fame into money. Ritchie's attitude
toward Welsh Is Of course one excuse,
but then why doesn't Pollok match him
with Jack BrittOn or some of the other
good ones in the meantime. Success
over boy such as Britton would mean
a popular demand for contest with
Richie that the American champion
could not afford to ignore
Packey Mcfarland is said to be dis
guSted by the criticism leVeled at him
in the recent bout with Jack BrittOn.
As near as I can figure it out the chief
cause for complaint the Milwaukee
patrons of the manly art and the crit
les have for abusing Mcfarland lies in
the latter's failure to knock Britton
out instead of contenting himself by
outpointing his fellow artist from Chi
cagO.
Milwaukeeans evidently would prefer
rough and tumble fight to an ex-
hibitiOn of clever boxing. That being
the case Pacl1ey win probably give the
brewery city a wide birth in the fu-
ture. for in spite of his great skill his
exhibitions are not calculated to please
those who delight in slugging matches.
Mct arIand has been cenSured for not
Weighing in as agreed upon. Il seems
to me the boxing commissioners or
their authorized agents are as much at
fault as Mcfarland. One can hardly
plane a fighter for taking advanta ge
OF an opponent in matter of weight
when he is allowed to get away with
II a match well made is half won"