The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-03-19
.EUNBOAT SMITH
 LOGICAL CHOICE
BoY WHO BEAT WELLS MUST BE CONSIDERED AS CHAMPION
 SHIP POSSIBILITY.

Gunboat Smith is now firmly es- lablished in the upper set of pugilis- lie circles by virtue of his victory over Bombardier Wells. It is only fair to Smith to place him on a par with Jess Willard and Luther McCarty. There Is little doubt that Smith can Duplicate the feat of McCarty, who btopped Al Palzer, if he is given the ehance, and winard's record is no fnore impressive than that of Smith.
 The weakness of McCarty's posi- hon was clearly shown by the char bcter of the reception he received at Madison Square Garden on Friday night The sporting public will not accept him as the champion as yet, knd n9Re times out of ten the public Is right in it's choice.
 Both Smith and Willard look to be better championship timber than Mo- Carty because they both have some thing about them that distinguishes them from the common herd. McCar- There is nothing about him that stands out sharply. He is not ter rific hitter, nor exceptionally clever. neither is his physique in any way remarkable.
 There was nothing commonplace about the champions of the past. Su1- 1ivan was the first to perfect the knockout blow, Corbett had an un- common amount of science, F1tzsim mons was physical freak with unique hitting ability, Jeffries had enormous bulk and Johnson an impregnable de- fence.
 In this matter of distinguishing of the trio, with his great height, and length of limb. It is this fact more than anything in his short ring rec ord that makes him appear to be the most promising of the three.
 Smiths pecunarity is his unique style of hitting, coupled with excep- tiona1 speed. Smith is the most ter rife hitter among white men in the ring to-day. His style seems to be a mixture of those of Bob Fitzsim- mons and Stanley Ketchel. The blow with which Smith stopped Jim Saw age and the Bombardter was an exact duplicate of the one that Ketchel used when he sent Johnson sprawling.
 It may not be long before this blow of Smiths takes rank with the fa- mous scorkscrsw punch of Kid Mccoy and the solar plexus wallop of Bob Fitzsimmons. In itself it is sufficient to make Smith a noteworthy figure in hstic affairs. To become known as the possessor of peculiar blow is of the greatest aid to a boxers success. In a surprisingly short time it's vir- tues are exaggerated beyond all pro- pOEL1On. 4n6 owner OI the 11ySC0T- fous shock-producer straightaway be- comes feared by his opponents, and when confidence is shaken the bat tie Is half lost and won.
 This one blow of Smiths is about his sole stock in trade and whether it will be sufficient to carry him to the top of the ladder is a question. But it is a marvelously efficient bat tie winner and goes far to make up for his lack of science. One of the pe- culiar features of Smiths blow is the difficulty his opponents find in avoid ing it.
 Smith starts the punch from his hip and arches 1t over with wonderful speed considering the distance the fist travels. Usually long range swings are the least feared and least used by scientific boxers because they are so easily avoided. But Smith has dis covered something new. Instead of aiming his fist for the chin he selects a point behind the ear.
 This spot being a most unusual tar get the unsuspecting victim pulls back far enough, as he thinks, to escape, but only to receive the blow on the law. If. instead of pulling back, an attempt to duck is made, Smiths fist lands on the base of the skull with even more deadly results. It is also almost impossible to block the punch, as it drops down from above and is apt to slip over the guard.