The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-12-19
Slim Possibility That Champion
Lightweight Will outgrow His
Weight for Many Years.

There are many fight fans who ar,
under the impression that Willie
Richie, worlds champion, is not q
legitimate lightweight.
Commenting on the coming Richie
Murphy bout an authority stated thai
"even should Willie Richie still be in
possession of the championship after he
meets Tommy Murphy at San Francisco
it is pretty safe to say that he will not
be the lightweight title defender a
great while. Richie is growing bigger
every day and finds it harder with each
fight to reduce to the lightweight limit
even two or three hours before "A bout.
That be undoubtedly will graduate int
the welterweight class is foregone
conclusion.
Many laughed at the story that
the champion weighed in the neighbor.
hood of 100 pounds before he began
training for his bout with Leach Cross
but such was the case and Richie was
every day in order to get down to l35
pounds one hour before the bout. A.
it was he was just half a pound under
the limit. When he took the cham
pionship from Wolgast on foul Richie
had to reduce to 33 pounds and when
he started training he scaled around
las pounds, so that he was weak from
taking off so much weight when he
fought Wolgast.
Murphy Is Confident.
"Taking the weight question into
consideration Murphy feels confident
that when he meets kitche in Jim Con
roth s arena in San Francisco the
lightweight crown will change hands.
The articles OF agreement cali for Muir.
ply and Richie to weigh 1873 pounds
ringslde, and that : just what is going
TO make Murphy's chances of beating
the champion unusually bright. II
Richie makes 1873 pounds ringside,
which he certainly must do or lose a
big forfeit, he is going to weaken him
self considerably, and he will have a
hard road TO travel IN 20.round bout
with the Flatbush boy, because Murphy
fights like demon over the California
route.
murphy has long wanted to meet
champion, but never could get a
match with the head of lightweight
class. Now that his one desire has been
gratified he intends to fight the battle
OF his life and should he return without
the lightweight championship no one
will be more disappointed than Muir
ply. He has an excellent chance OF
beating Richie at 33 pounds ringside,
as the champion will no doubt be weak
ened considerably, while Murphy will
he as strong as a bull, as he will have
to take off very little weight
This Murphy booster is to be CON.
mended for the optimistic view he takes
of Murphy chances, but to one CONVEX.
SAINT with the actual facts concerning
Ritehie's weight his statements are a
little too far fetched to be accurate.
That Richie is lightweight and a
natural one there can be no denying.
Making Weight Easy
Making weight is the least of his
troubles. 1t may be that he will fight
in the welterweight class before his
ring days are numbered, but just a.
the present time and evidently for sev.
eral years to come Richie will never
get beyond striking distance of the
lightweight limit.
Richie will be twenty.threc years old
next February. As far as bone struc.
ture is concerned, he has attained his
full growth. In later years he may take
OH some solid tissue which he could
not train Off, but there is no likelihood
of that happening right away.
just now Richie never weighs more
than 1877 pounds out OF training. When
he arrived here for the Cross bout he
had only two pounds to train of to
make the stipulated weight of l35
pounds. Ten days before the bout he
was SO close to that notch that he re.
quired only haircut and shave to
make it.
His chief concern was to keep from
getting below weight. So easy was it
for him to make it that he cut out all
road work. The only time he used his
legs outside of the gym was on the golf
links. Harry Foley, Richie + trainer.
and a man who knows the champion S
physical condition and weight making
ability better than does even Willie
himself, declares that Richie can make
1873 pounds aud hold it indefinitely, by
cutting out one OF his three meals a
day.
--.s@ -s--
THE OARSMEN