Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-09


me seems to indicate the doubt.
Jack Britton, the greatest light
weight in the world today" Morgan
writes in his usual modest style, Twill
box Richie for a side bet of $4,000
Here is real test for the champion
Britton will box at any weight
Richie wants. Joe Rivers is a real
| lightweight and Richie did not gain
anything by beating him at. 1S4
pounds ringside. Willie Ritchie is
lodging Britton. Jack will take on
Leach Cross, Rivers, Bud Anderson
or any boy from 1873 to 1873 ringside.
Britton is the class of the present
day lightweights and the sporting
public believes him to be the I'M
crowned king of the lightweight divi-
sion.
"Ritchie must now face the issue"
continues Daniel, land either say he
is afraid to meet Britton or give him
chance at the title. B. j. Tortorich,
of New Orleans, has made Richie an
offer of a $4,000 purse to meet Brit
ton, and have accepted for Brltton."
c.
Morgan has good boy in Britton,
but he hasn't the strength nor the
punch to beat Richie. For a time
Jack showed great GLASS;. but his al
most continual fighting wore him
down and in his recent bouts he
hasn't shown much. At one time,
Tom Messenger, who is good judge,
thought Britton was the Allah"
among the lightweights, but after
Jacks fight with Packey Mcfarland
and his contest with Young Brown,
Messenger changed his tune Britton,
for what he can. do, Is a sterling
lightweight, but he would not be able
to stand the pace in a twenty-round
battle with a real good boy on the
other end. For ten rounds, Jack, If
the going isn't too fast, makes
grand impression, and he is so clever
that he makes the "other fellow" look
cheap and slow and in the 2:40 class.
AS good as Leach Cross is, Jack beat
him eighty ways, but when he went
up against Mcfarland he lost his
cleverness, his nerve, and he never
did show anything. Even Morgan
admitted afterward that Jack lost
his heart" And that was a mild way
of putting it. However, If Daniel car.
persuade Richie to take Britton on
no one will begrudge Morgan his good
fortune, but Britton, quite likely, will
be in for a nifty licking"
O.
Whether it is luck or no, Leach
Cross falls into a soft spot every so
often. This fellow, who is just now
being coupled in the betting with
Champion Richie in the Publicity
Stables has had more ups and
downs and ups than any man in the
fighting game, now or in the past.
Leach has been beaten so often that
you couldn't recall his failures in a.
hurry, still he has always come back
anu nOW ne Is DeLIer OH puElllSt1-
cally than ever. Although beaten
and beaten, Cross has always re-
manned in the game because of his
ability to draw a crowd. Where the
patrons would come from the nights
that Leach would fight no one would
venture to say, but just as sure as
the sun, no matter who Cross was
billed to meet, 1t was always a GER
tainty that the clubhouse would be
packed. So, after this or that defeat,
when Cross would announce his re-
tirement from the ring, the promo
tiers, after allowing him to rest up
for while, would lug him back into
the arena and practically drive him
to make new start and fairly force
him to take the money. Then Leach
would generally make good again
and he would soon be back in the
game bigger than ever. Now he is
in it so strong that he is talking
plain words to the champion, and the