The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-26
(By James J. Corbett, former Heavy
 weight Champion of the World.) (Written for the Evening Farmer.)

l champions in the several classes of
 professional pugilism Johnny Ktlbane,
 head of the featherweight division, is i the only one who seems to be willing
 to take a chance in the ring. Since
 defeating Abe Attell at Los Angeles l over year ago. Kflbane has appear l ed in-n -ncnre than, a dozen bouts True, l these ssfrffaizs have been limited to ten or twelve rounds, still there is no getting away from the fact that he has given the best boys of his weight chaylces over the abbreviated dis i i tte1nces. What other champion of re- cent years, barring his immediate pre-
 decessor, Attell has a record that. will
 compare with Kilbane's? Not one 1T
 memory serves me right.
 And for some mysterious reason this same KiIbane is about as popu- lar with the rank and file of newspa-
 per writers as a rainy day with a
 baseball magnate. Especially is this true right here in Gotham where the champion has shown his goods half @ dozen times or more within the past twelve months. The attitude of the critics is difficult to understand when it is considered that Johnny has out pointed his rivals in every instance. With one exception in the local starts he failed to knock his men out, but in every case tahlished supremacy beyond question.
 While other champions have been stalling Kiibane has been fighting and
 what's more, making good right along. Next Tuesday night he starts again; this time over the twenty round course and in the same ring he won the premier honors from Attel1. John ny Dundee, the New York feather will be his opponent on this occasion-and the local man Is acknowledged as his most formidable rival.
 From the little have seen of Kil-
 bane in action think he measures we'll up to the standard of the title holders in the division of the past.
 He has about everything a champion needs. He Is a clever boxer, hard hitter, and g. good ring general. l
 believe he outclasses the rest of the
 feathers and is fully equal to the task
 set for him next Tuesday.
 Why don't some enterprising match caker bring Freddy Welsh and Jack Britton together? These boys have been challenging each other for sever- al weeks in the papers, but haven't heard of a match being clinched- The English Champion says he is willing to meet Britton, and Jack claims nothing would suit him better than bout with Welsh. With the boxers in this humor it seems to me tt shouldn't be a hard job to arrange
 match.
 Britton and Welsh would draw big in this city. Both boys are skillful,
 bra1ny boxers and on the dope fairly well matched. Outside of a bout in which Willie Ritchie or Packey Mo Farland would figure as Welsh's op- ponent a more attractive contest could not be staged.
 Naturally the sports would prefer to see Welsh and Mcfarland clash. There has been a bitter rivalry be- tween these clever opponents of box fxoo f1,- her <1f- md al-l though they have met three times the question of supremacy has never been satisfactorily settled. Five years ago Packey was given the decision in al ten round bout at Milwaukee, but welsh's friends made a roar that the verdict was unjust. A few months later they went twenty-five rounds to a draw, according to Jim Jeffries who refereed the mill. Packey has never forgiven the big fellow for that de- cision which he claims was the, raw est deal he ever received. The twen- ty round meeting in London two years ago also ended in a draw. although the English papers stated at the time that Packey had made the better showing.
 It is generally conceded that Welsh Is McFarland's nearest rival in point of skill, and it is hoped an agree ment can be reached on the weight question. Welsh has announced pub hcly that Mcfarland can have a match at 135 at o'clock, but the stock-yards boxer wants the limit raised a couple of pounds Billy Square Garden club, is trying to ef- feet a compromise and if successful will stage the bout early next month.
 While promoters re-1ooking about for a suitable opponent fer Willie
 fnT r17nr1 hat 1oir to return to the ring, the. will do well to give Jack Britton's aims re- spectful consideration. If Britton can make 133 pounds ringside. as ne asserts, 1t seems to me he should be given the preference over Joe Riv- ing candidates for the Job.
 If Rivers and Cross are to be juds ed by their battles in this city it would seem that Brttton has a better right to a match with the cahnpion than either. When Jack boxed Leach he won easily, and did the trick in such a manner as to leave no doubt of his superiority. In two attempts Rivers failed to best the fighting dentist. Ad- hitting that he had a shade" as majority of the local papers agreed the margin was so small that 1t still a question which is the bet ter fighter.
 Brftton's record the past year $ a most impressive one. He has met with but one reverse, and that at the hands of the great McFaEIand. If Rivers is reckoned a worthy foe for on the strength of his bouts | wieh Cross, then Britton must cer- | tain1y be given a look-in for the title. | Provided, of course, he can make the weight, and he says he can. In his bouts around here he has not been forced to do 133, but as a rule has scaled only a pound or two over that 1 figure!