The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-09-06
jiM CORBETT SAYS RITCHIE
 WILL FIND WELSH TOUGH
tBy James J. Corbett, Former Heavy

CBy James J. Corbett, Former Heavy
 weight Champion of the World.)
 Cwritten For The Evening Farmer.)
 Unless some unlocked for hitch arises the Willie Ritchie-Freddy Welsh worlds championship light weight battle will take place at Van couver, B. G. two weeks from to-day -or September 20 to be exact.
 Originally scheduled for Labor Day afternoon an accident to the British champion brought about a postpone Tnent of several weeks, and gave Ritchie a grand opportusity to shake down" the promoters for little more small change-$1,0OO in good hard coin Willie was to have received s15.000 and percentage of the re- ceipts from the moving pictures had the match gone through as framed on Labor Day; as the postponement was due to no fault of his Ritchie was prompt to call attention to the fact that he was on the ground prepared to carry out his agreemest, and should therefore be reimbursed for valuable time lost The promoters were com pelled to grant Willie's demand pr call the whole show off. Since Ritchie has been fixed everything looks rosy for the match taking place unless Welsh should decide to ba1k over Eone unimportant detail
 Ritchie's hold-up of the Vancou- yer promoters suggests that he was an apt pupil of the celebrated Billy Nolan during the short time that en- terprising young man held the mana Eerial reins for the champion. It was a stroke of hnanciering that would have reflected credit upon Nolan him self.
 Those who follow the game closely are not inclined to agree with many nat 7iTle Tfa national match will prove a soft snap for the American. Considering that Welsh has been boxing a long time and that during his career only two important bouts have been decided against him-one in a ten round go with the great Mcfarland and again when he lost the British title to Matt Welt is a bit out of order to pre- dict an easy time for Ritchie on Sep tember 20.
 Two years ago when Welsh lost the English championship to Wells he was not at his best by a. great deal He proved that beyond all argument when he beat Wells in a return match last Winter, being one of the very few de- feated cham pi0ns in the history of the ring eo pull a. successful comeback. And Wells is a great boxer himself, as he proved to the satisfaction of New Workers in bouts with Abe Attell, Leach Cross and others. The only boxer who succeeded in taking Wells measure here in New York was Pack ey Mcfarland, and that young man would be a good bet to repeat the trick with anyone at, or anywhere near, the lightweight limit, not excepting Champion Ritchie and Welsh.
 My opinion is tAe bout will go the limit of fifteen rounds and that it Triu be d very close thing for the de- cfsion. Welsh is undoubtedly a clev- CT boxer and possibly a shade or two faster than Ritchie, but the latter is no. slouch with the gloves and will have the advantage of youth and su- perior hitting power Freddy will gol awful fast for fifteen rounds and 1t will be a big feather in Ritchie's cap if he succeeds in cornering the elu- give Englishman and administering the knockout walIop. No other box CT has as yet been able to do it to the Britton and Freddy has fought the hest of them for the last half dozen wears or more Still like everyone else he will "get his" some time or other, and September 20 may be the day appointed for his pugilistic extinc- ton
 If Welsh is in good trim don't believe Ritchie or any other fighter can get him in fifteen rounds. But if he has gone back physically, as many contend. well, that's another story. At his best Welsh is about as close to the real championship standard as it is possible to come.
 On the other hand there is no 5o11Ft that Rftchie has improved a great deal in the last two years. When he boxed Welsh as substitute for Ad WoIgast a year ago last Thanks giving Willie was mere novice in comparison with the finished work man he is to-day. That he was able 4o go the twenty round limit with welsh proved then and there he was made of the right sort of stuff, and while Freddy has never been cele- brated for his hitting powers any youngster who can stay twenty rounds with him must have a share of that andehnable something of which cham pions are made.
 The defeat of Ad Wo1gast for the title and the more recent conquest or ns a fighter of the first class and the most worthy holder of the American lightweight title since Joe Cans. How ever he is meeting another champion In Welsh and a boxer who has held The s@PeerIess'' Mcfarland to two draws over the twenty round course which should not be forgotten when irving to dope out the winner of the coming engagement
 Ritchie has every advantage except that of boxing skilI-and at that he ts mt so very far behind his English -fval-and I therefore look for Ref cree Griffin to give him the verdict if if is possi ble to determine the win -1ar m roirts But I certainly do not look for the one-sided contest a num- her of writers have predicted I am stringing along with the fellow with