The Washington herald., 1913-11-30
.COFFROTH HAS
BRILLIANT CARD
San Francisco Fight Promoter
Offers Four Battles This
Winter.
FIRST BOUT Is DOUBTFUL
Question Whether Clabby or Logan
Can Make Middle Weight
Limit.

edAi EdHNlS(Os NOV. 4J--MdnN an i'm
posing program has been knocked galley
west by circumstances over which no.
body in particular had control, but IL
Promoter Coffroth's luck holds good he
Will place before his patrons this winter
feast Of fistic tit-bits such as has never
been equaled, let alone excelled.
Just fancy! Four worlds champion
ships in four consecutive months. If Won
disbelieve IL. cast your eye over the
schedule: November. Jimmy Clabby and
Frank Logan, middle-weights: December
Willie Ritchie and Tommy Murphy, light
| weights; January. Arthur Pelkey and
Gunboat Smith. heavy-weights: Febru-
airy, Johnny KiIbane and Abe AttelI
feather-weights. OF the first of these
affairs-the Clabby-LOgan bout-there
doubtless will be a question as to whether
the men are properly qualified to box for
the l5S-pound title No matter what ar
guments may be advanced, however. II
will be difficult to show that any other
pair Of middle-weights have a better
right.
Eddie McGoorty claimed the champior-
ship and Clabby gained a decision over
McGoorty. Frank Klaus claimed it and
| Klaus was knocked out by George Chin
On these showings the issue les between
Clabby and Chip.
No Title Holder.
The middle-weight championship has
been all heads and points, anyway. since
ketchel held 1t. Most Of the boys have
evinced a fondness for the short bout
| circuit and have shown little desire To
/ bring the question of class superiority TO
a head.
Clabby probably has done more twenty
| round boxing than all the others put to-
gether. and for this reason. if for no
other is looked upon as a worthy aspirant
for the honOrs. In addition Jimmy has
struck winning gait. and il he defeats
stout-hearted Logan signaIly. the public
will be quite ready to respect Jimmy's
championship claims.
AS to what will hinge upon the Ritchie-
Murphy match there is no chance Of ar
gument. Ritchie is the title holder by
virtue of his victory over Ad WoIgast.
and while he had the somewhat UNIQUE
distinction Of gaining a championship
! through a blow that landed on himself
instead of on the other fellow, he has
every right to sign himself champion and
assume champions prerogativeS
Good Matchmaker.
In business matters Ritchie can be de-
pended upon to protect his own interests.
In his matchmaking he has been accused
of playing a safe game. Billy Nolan.
with whom he quarreled. said with a
suspicion of spleen: The three men on
| Ritchie's list are Joe Rivers, Freddie
| Welsh, and Leach Cross. He will give
no one a match until he gets through with
them"
The Cross and Rivers affairs took ir
| accordance with NOlan's forecast, anc
the Welsh bout fizzled out at Vancouver.
| Bad blood was engendered. and it is
| doubtful IL the Britisher and the native
son will ever sit down to talk business
again
Ritchie promised months ago that h,
would box Tommy Murphy in San Fran
| cisco this winter, and 1t looks as though
\ he Is going to keep his word. II he
reneges he will earn bad opinions him
| self. and he stands none too well with
the followers of pugilism right now. II he
gives Murphy the chance that il is gen
| orally admitted is coming to Tommy, he
| will end a great deal of adverse criti-
cisms that has been directed at him for
| quite a while.
| should Draw Well.
Ritchie-MarPhy match will creat,
as much furore in San Francisco as any
| OF the important bouts that preceded IL.
1t is recognized. OF course. that We have
\ no performers OF the Joe Cans stamr
nowadays. but the public Is satisfied as
4 long as il gets the best I'm the market.
Murphy and Ritchie are about the best
| the lightweight class boasts at present,
| and for this reason interest in their
/ meeting Will be as keen as though they
| were on a par. with crackerJacks of
other years.
| 1t is highly probable that Ritchie will
| be the fSyorite when betting begins, al
/ though this is not thoroughly certain.
Both boys ars at yheir best over a dis
lance and there is nothing to choose be-
tween them on the score of pluck or
! staying power.
Would Jump Rt Chance.
If one were to be guided by Ad VOL
CASTS comparison of Ritchie and Murphy
he would be inclined to favor Murphy in
the December bout. Ad had two fights
with each of these lads, and moved
heaven and earth in his attempts to
secure a third trial with Ritchie. Even
now WolSast would jump at a chance 10
/ box the San Franciscan.
with Murphy 1t is a horse Of another
color so far as woIgast is concerned.
Not so long ago when Ad was pestering
| Cofrroth to get Ritchie for him, Cofiroth
| remarked: And il l can't, how would
another whirl with Tommy Murphy suit
you?"
/ Not at all frankly blurted the Wild
cat. Murphy is too Internally tough"
They always said that a fighter
| opinion of a fighter wasn't worth the
breath 1t took to place it on record. but
| coming from wolgast, who was never
given to picking and choosing, Such a
| tribute to Tommy is worth ponderinS