Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-08

| Palzer was a sick man the day he fought
McCarty and sh ould not have been a.
lowed to box. But confidence In MS ausi-
| fty to best McCarty under any condltlons
outweighed O'Rourke's better judgment
and the fight took place. The result IS
| ancient history. On that battle alone
Luther McCarty based his claim to recos-
milton -as the best of the whites.
PalZer had not recovered his health
! when he and O'Rourke sailed for France.
1t was as much in the hope that the
trip would restore PalZer s health as OIL
any chance to fight over there that
O'kourke was induced to make the trip.
Instead of improving. however, PalZer
grew steadily worse and was hustled back
to this country about two months ago.
After consulting several experts the ma
ture of his ailment was discovered ana
an operation followed that restored the
big fellow 10 perfect health The last
few weeks PalZer has been taking the
baths at Mount Clemens. Mich. and let
| tiers advise me that he has rounded into
| fine shape again.
on several lesser lights for limited bouts.
He hopes in that way to fight himself
back into the shape that made him the
popular choice for the premier position In
pugilism not so very long ago. He has
great confidence in his ability to make
good, and O'Rourke told me only the
other day that Pa1zer will be prepared
to meet all corners within the next month
or two.
Palzers come back will further COM
plicate the heavyweight situation. Since
his defeat by McCarty and temporary re-
tirement from the ring, Smith and VIII
lard have come to the front very fast
and were regarded as the only worthy
rivals of McCarty up to the time OF that
unfortunate boxers death Palzer's rec
ord previous to his meeting with NC
Carly was even more imposing than the
''Gunboat's," and the latter,s achieve
ments in the ring considered quite
good enough to place him at the mead OF
the white division
Jim Flynn. the veteran. Is another VINO
has thrown his kelly into the ring.
Flynn recently showed ne is stu on
earth by waioping the daylights out of
Jim Coffey. one OF our local youngsters
and thought to be Il conner jim now
wants to box .'Gunboat" Smith, or any
of the big fellows.
Little can be expected from FlSnh.
however. He showed his best long ago
He may be able to beat novices like COT
icy but ii is doubtful if he could go ten
rounds with hard hitters of the Palzer
and Smith type At his very best Flynn
was only a fair fighter He was OF the
rough and tumble school. and depended
solely upon his chances to land knock
out blow TO win his battles. Every time
he was matched with a man of class he
failed to make good. Against Sam Lang
ford he was the biggest kind of a joke.
II we are ever 10 produce man
good enough to send after Jack
Johnson-for Johnson is still the cham
the younger men. Flynn is too old
bird and he has been tried before and
found wanting. 1t is to the smiths,
Palzers and Willards We must look to
bring back fistic supremacy to the
white race.
Richie has been telling the reporters
out west that he is willing to allow
the champion to box Packey Mcfarland
at 135 ringside. This after Willie had
signed for twenty rounds with Joe
Rivers the Fourth of July.
OF course, Nolan has no intention OF
permitting his boy to meet the great
talk ever since Willie won the tltie
from Ad Wolgast. But now. that the
champion is tied up with the Rivers
engagement it is perfectly safe to pun
It is with Nolan's statement that
Richie is the only lightweight title
holder who ever offered challenger a
do. however Billy is away off on ring
history in the last decade or two AS
for the reporters who fell for ms ilne
of talk the excuse will have to be made
that thew are too youthful to know any
better.
George Lavigne won the championship
at 1913 pounds He went TO Emg giansni ~
of the world, the match to be at the
English scale. 1876 at o'clock in the
afternoon, / think 1t was Surge TeIussu
tn weigh in but rather than allow the
chance to fight go by, Lavigne consented
to meet Burge at any old figure. DICK
weighed around 40 when ne entered
the ring while Lavigne scaled at 13S
Frank Erne and Joe Cans were other
lightweight champions. and they were
great fighters. too, who never quinoIea
Cans weigh 1876 pounds several hours
before ring time. although Frank couid
easily make 100 himself at the time.
70 scale anywhere from 1876 to 140: But
those boys were real champions. Which
is not to say that Richie is not; !
~ viii nroye it to everybody's salts
faction when he meets Rivers But l
would hardly class him with . McFaf-
land. Packey is in a class ny nlmseh'
49,. demonstrated many times.