Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-26
FEW BETS Being
MADE ON FIGHTS
Pugilists No Longer Wager
Big Sums on Their Own
Battles.
ARE SATISFIED WITH
PURSES CLUBS OFFER
Old Timers Took Pride on
Amounts They Were Able to
Bet on Themselves.
BY T. s. ANDREWS.
Special Dispatch 10 The Star.


MILWAUKEE. Wis. October c5-Side
bets for big fights seem to be almost a
thing OF the past. The other day, while
talking fight. an old sporting authority
was lamenting the fact that the old
fashioned contests for side bets were
dying out. and he regretted the same.
claiming that the side bet had much TO
do with putting the men more on their
mettle. For great many years no box
ing bout OF any Importance was coasid-
cred genuine unless each of the boys put
up side bet either his own money or
that of an enthusiastic admirer The
system originated la the old days OF bare
knuckIc fighting. when gate money was
unknown, and when a fighter had no
earthly chance of becoming a champion
unless he could find a ;Ilthy patron TO .
put up money for him. In those days
there was great deal more betting on
the resuls of boxing bouts than there is
at the present time, and many of the
sporting Corinthians (as they We're call
ed IN those days. made and lost vast
fortunes by means of vagers on fighters.
When glove fighting superseded the
Enuckle game the practice of side bets
was continued. and il has obtained 10 "A
less extent down to the present year OF
grace.
OF late. side lets have not been SO
much to the fore. mainly owing to the
big gates at most OF the chief centers OF
boxing, but occasionally we have n bat
tie between two boys OF quite moderate
ability. battling for "a side wager out OF
all proportion to their worth; Quite
recently Johnny Hughes and Eiil Bey-
non. the present holder Of the bantam
weight champ onship of England. fought
twenty rounds at private house before
about fifty wealthy sports. The side
as..l, he .Nosr,
put up by supporters Of the boys.
The winner got share of the money he
won for his patron and the boys divided
a sum collected for them from the few
privileged spectators. OF course. all or
the advertised side-bet contests are not
genuine affairs, but those that take place
at the London National Sporting Club are.
Every contender for title must put up a
side bet of $JO0-$1.o0O In the case Of
heavyweights-and holders OF champion.
ship belts must put up similar amount,
The Wells-Carpentier battle will be for q
side bet In addition to the purse. The
Scotch bantam champion, Alex Laferty.
has issued a defiance to all boys at 110
pounds, at which he declares himSeG
willing to box any one at the weight for
a purse and q side wager. the winner TO
take all. This notion Of winner take all
is not q good one. and moreover - very
rarely acted upon. Packey Mcfarland
wanted to box Freddy Welsh In 1910 on
this basis. but the club declined the pro-,
posal They do not care how the purse
Is split. 1t can be 30 per cent to the WIN
ner and 10 per cent to the loser. II the
boys agree, but the club management In
sists upon q losers end.
There was supposed to be a side wager
.s-tween Johnson and Jeffries, but nothing
u as ever heard of IL afterward. John L..
sullivan and James ]. Corbett fought at
.:sw Orleans for the really last big side
. y. l. the amount involved being S20Ooo.
~.l6 it was real. too. Bat Nelson and Joe
Cans fought for a good-sized side bet. but
few lightweight battles since then have
been for a side wager There is always
plenty of talk about the side bets, etc.
but seldom is any real coin put up. espe-
cially by the fighters.
One of the real clashes between light
weights will be when Charlie White and
Leach Cross come together. Both are
Hebrews and both seek the lightweight
crown; therefore they are the most bit
ter rivals and most anxious 10 settle the
,'auestion between themselves. Cross and
White would be one grand attraction
around Chicago, for there are many fans
i who would pay considerable to see them
in action.
Packey Mcfarland. too. wants to get
busy again around the Windy city, but
there Is some doubt about the stockyards
boy getting down TO the liShtWeiSnt
limit as established by various comnis-
sions--135 pounds. Rumors have been out
that Packey will enter the welterweight
ranks and take on Mike Gibbons. but
he has not yet verified the same. There
is no doubt that il Packey should decide
to become a weller he would be credited
with the title without hesitation BY all
writer's. for there are none 1T 1i5 ringside
who have any license to beat him. not
even Mike Gibbons. but there Is consider
able question about Mike being able to
make 14J rIngside.
Why Is il that champions should he per-
mitted 10 dictate to boxers whom they
meet what 1.-The weight shall be? Take
, most champions, and they insist upon
clubs furnishing them opponents who will
be subject To the dictates of the stars
They are not satisfied to have the aspir-
ants come I'm at the same weight AS them
selves, nor at the recognized weight for
the class represented. but they ask tho
boys meeting them To make certain
weight and then the champion comes in
at catchweights. Take. for instance. the
match between Johnny kilbane and
Knockout Mars at Cincinnati. October 80
Mars is a youngster just budding, but he
must do the To- ringside for Johnny.
while the latter comes in at catchwelghts
tween them for kilbane never weighed
much over liz or ia, but he could come in
at 1870 if he desired. Ii would be coilsid-
cred a better sporting proposition IL the
aspirants were given the handicap In