Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-09
By T. s. ANDREWS.


Special Correspondence Of The Star.
MILWAUKEE,, Wis, March s, 1913
The "cover up habit which is getting
to be second nature with most boxers, Is
becoming a very disgusting one to the
spectators at boxing shows and meets
with almost as much disapproval as the
spit ball pitcher in base ball.
When YOU get two boxers who have the
cover up habit, then look for a rank
contest, for neither one seems willing to
start the fireworks, with the result that
they both stall through the six or eight
rounds and disgust every one present. Ii
is all right for a boxer to resort to the
cover when he Is in hard straits ano
needs a chance to recover himself, but
for fighter to deliberately start out In
a limited round bout to cover" before
hitting a blow, 1t is going too far; IN
fact it is not boxing, but stalling.
The crouch was brought into use by
James j. Jeffries and was worked out by
Tommy Ryan, who was then teaching
Jeffries the art. but jeff never let 1t In
terfere with his work; 1t only enabled
him to better evade the straight punches
of an expert like Jim Corbett and slug
ger like Bob FitZsimmons Then came
the cover up among some OF the New
York and Philadelphia boxers. although
Eddie Hanlon, the San francisco light
weight, had used 1t effectively before
Leach Cross and his crowd got the habit.
At a show held, in Milwaukee not long
ago a six-round bout was spoiled entire
~ by the two boxers being of the same
style-both of the cover up variety.
Both started with their faces covered
and for full two and one-half minutes
not a clean blow was struck. Neither
one would take a chance. Then one OF
them cut loose for thirty seconds and
fought The same performance continued
ened to throw them out of the ring. They
tried to mix in the sixth for about thir-
ty seconds. but that was all, as they both
got into the cover again and refused
to come out of it. 1t was rank ex-
hibition, and all because of the cover
up" used by the two men The crowd
howled it's disapproval and whenever a
boxer appeared again that nigh. with
any Semblance of a cover ne was
given an awful roasting. The cover
where boxer is in a tight hole, but
aside from that stage it should be ia
booed by the boxers for their own good,
and also by the promoters. If they want
to make the game popular and please
If the New York boxing commission
has full power to act in creating new
rules, etc. for boxing. why not pass
RUE I0dC VIII al iedSl CuIO Tie pidCtlSC
of covering up in contests of limited
rounds The commission might a. least
put a time limit on the cover up" Per-
haps it would then be necessary to have
an extra timer to keep tab on the COW
eres'' There should be some way of
putting stop to the continual cover
up during bout, for it does the game
no good.
The Badger state seems to have jumped
tn fho front all nf sudden in the mid.
dleweight line. Three husky Wisconsin
boys have broken into the linnelight-we
might say four-about the same time.
They are Eddie McGoorty. the Oshkosh
wonder: Gus Christie. the Milwaukee boy
whom Teddy Murphy developed: Jimmy
C1abby. another Milwaukee production.
and Bob Mona, who was a heavyweight
a short time ago, but reduced to the COM
mission weight. and won what ne claimed
IL the title at that weight Moha started
all the hurrah by giving Cyclone john
ny Thempson a defeat at IT'S pounds. but
1t developed afterward that Bob weighed
only 160 pounds. and he announced that
he could easily make 100. and II neces-
sary the middleweight of 1ts pounds
This has resulted In the matching OF
Bob with both McGoorty and Jack Dill
Ion. the two contests to be decided In
the near future. II Moha makes the
he will make all the middles take notice.
George Chip, the sensational fighter
whom Jimmie Dime dug UP at Newcastle,
Pa. stirred things up by knocking out
Tommy Gavigan, the Cleveland boy, who
was going along SO nicely and winning
some really good battles. 1t made Chips
stock take a sudden rise. and there are
people in the coal regions now who will
back the chunky youth to meet his old
riyaI-Buck Crouse-and also Franks Klaus,
another Pennsylvania product.
Chip is now considered among the rea.
contenders and is out with a chip" on
his shoulder. Jimmy Clabby, the globe
trotter. was not to be outdone, so Jimmy
took on Freddy Hicks. the Detroit mid
dleweight, in place of Ernie ZanderS,
who was taken i'll. and could not go on
with The bout at Hammond. Ind. Jimmy
put up one of his best battles and made
the Hicks aspirant look like an Aus
tralian aboriginal Clabby had all the
class and well known judges of boxing
did not hesitate to say that he is one of
the real 15S-pounders who can lay claim
to the crown left by the late Stanley
Retchel At 15S pounds ringside there
is no one whom Clabby has not a good
chance to beat. The greatest surprise Of
all. however, was brought Off at Fond du
Lac, Wis, few miles from Eddie Nc
Goorty's home town, when the latter and
Gus Christie of Milwaukee met for ten
round battle Christie had been trained
to the minute by foxy Teddy Murphy,
while McGoorty. thinking he had easy
picking. was fat and overweight. The re-
matches before this one-McGoorty found
Christie a hard proposition, no matter
how he took him, at boxing or mixing,
and he was glad when the final bell
rang. 1t was another case where top
notcher fought his hardest battle for a
meager purse and before a fair-sized
crowd. Gee, but what fight that would
have been for Madison Square Garden.
New York. 1t was good draw and 1t
has also taught McGoorty a lesson. He
will not be so careless in the future. 1t
also brought out another good middle
weight, and from now on Gus Christie Is
liable to make all of the 15S-pounders
take off their hats to him.. Like Jimmy
Clabby, he is real middleweight, seal
ing is ringside easily.
The suggestion in last weeks letter that
an elimination tournament between mid
dleweights of the second division be ar
ranged to determine upon a man to meet
the best of the first division 15S-pounders
has evidently met with favor in some
quarters. as / am in receipt of several
responses regarding the same. One comes
from Carl Marfisi of Omaha. who has
been mixed in the game somewhat. and
who believes ii is the only proper way
to bring about real champion. In a
letter Mr.. Marfisi says: "Your suggestion
about tourney between the near cham
pion middleweights is timely and should
be followed out by promoters, IL we are
to have a champion.
1T has been much mooted question
as to who is in reality the boss OF the
middleweight division since that wonder
full paragon. Stanley Ketchel. has passed
into the great beyond, and although per-
sonally ! am of the opinion that Wiscon-
sin is entitled to be recognized as the
state that should have the one best bet