The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-07
By James J. Corbett, Former Heavy weight Champion of the Worldly
Especial to The Farmer.)

NNC4e1L &u61QQ1On or the WOrl0-O y
 Special to The F'armer)
 Which heavyweight shall we crowr
 white champion?'' This seems to be the one question hanging heavily or the minds of the fight fans these days While Luther McCarty lived the pub 1tc was disposed to recognize him as the best Of the lot, although in reality he was no more entitled to the honors than several of his rivals.
 This Is something new-a develop ment of the last year or two-this dis -tinction in titles. In the old days a Champion was champion of all colOrs and creeds. There was no such an animal as a white champion In my time in the ring talk was indI1ged in occasionally about drawing the color line, but as a rule the black fighters were given an equal show with their pale-faced brothers.
 But to get back to the question Of which of our promising crop of heavies 9S the best The only answer Is that s'Guuboat'' Smith has the best record of the lot. If boxing championships were decided like baseball pennants, and standing determined by the mum Der of battles won and lost. the Gun boat" would lead by 8 mile He has fought more frequently and won of %ener than any of the other leading candidates among the white heavies-
 Whether the '+Gunboat'' is good
 
 the head of the column is a question that only the future will solve Per sonaIly I do not think he will ever succeed in winning the heavyweight championship. Az an opponent for such men as Sam Tangford and Joe Jeannette he can hardly be considered seriously at this time, and there are at least two men and possibly three in the ranks of the whites, whom time may prove better equipped to defend Ar-- 4r, +I7a struggle for hstdc supremacy
 Big Jess Willard, the Kansas far mer, looks the best prospect just now despite the fact that he recently lost a decision to the tGunboat-" As near as I can figure from reading the ac- counts of that battle written by the newspaper men present, and from let ters received from several well known San Francisco sporting men, the ref cree erred in awarding the decision to 8mith- Several writers contend that Willard should have been given no worse than a draw. Even Bill Naugh- ton. usually conservative, joined the ranks of the proteSters and expressed dissatisfaction over his signature
 IL is the opinion of many hstic au- thoritfes that Smith will be beaten de- cisfveIy if the pair are matched again In the recent contest it was lack or experfence alone that deprived the g1- ant of victory At times he had smith in a bad way, but did not know how to 70 about the job of finishing his man. In stating these facts am not attempting to take credit away from the .'7unboat." He certainly made great battle against big odds. and that he not only succeeded in staying the distance but in earning the referee approval proves that he Is made of the right stuff.
 But the s4Gunboat's' greatest handi- can is in his size, or rather lack of it Prize ring history will show that the old saying, "a good big man can lick a good little man." is a true one, ana Willard in good hands will probably Essake his splendid natural talents and advantages count in the long run
 Willard has every physical advan- fage over his rivals He is six feet, five inches tall, weight in condition about 23O pounds, has an enormous reach, and unlike big men is anything but clumsy in his movements. Jess needs a teacher. one who can instruct him how to utilize his great strength, reach, and height to the best possible Rdvzntage7and a manager who will keep him busy fighting
 i. Willard should be brought East at once and matched with all the hopes who will take a chance with him ini six and ten round bouts. and in that way the big fellow would acquire the knowledge and experience that only actual contests can teach him.
 Willard is a great prospect and one of the best that has appeared in many years ssGunboat'' Smith might beat him in a return battle if it were to be fought in the immediate future (de- Epite the Western critics) but in six months from now if he has been prop eriy handled he should prove a hard man for any fighter to defeat
 If 'Gunboat'' claims the white hope Championship, and his record warrants his doing SO he will likely find Will lard the most dangerous of his rivals. Unless Tommy Burns has worked wonders with Arthur PeIky since talk Ing charge of the Chicopee man there Is little to hope for in that quarter PeIky has been boxing professionally Tor several years and until his recent trip to Calgary and sudden jump into prorninence, has not been considered a nEhter of the first class-or anywhere near it
 Peiky made his Nev York debut in E7orn CFRourke's white hope tourna- ment in 1911. If memory serves me right Al Pa1zer won the finals though he and Pelky did not clash in the tourney Later Pellzy was seen here with Jess Willard, and although what might be termed veteran compared with the verdant Willard he failed to whow anything that impressed the pports in his favor. The experts were unanimous in awarding Jess the con test
 understand an. offer has already heen made to Pelky to box "Gunboat'' Smith before one of the San Francisco clubs It Is not likely, however, that Pellry. who is handled by the astute Fomrny Burns, will consent to match with the sturdy Smith until he has nroated financially from the notoriety ' Scoufred in the Calgary tragedy