New Britain herald., 1914-04-25
Gibbons is Ouf t0 CIinch
 His Niddleweighf LaureLs
According to Corbet He Is the Logical Champion of That Class and Ac cords That Honor to
  St. Paul "Phantom'

New York, April 25.-Mlke Glb- bons has again declared himself in the race for the middleweight title, aecording to reports from St. Paul. the 'phantom's" home town. Mike begins his campaign next Tuesday night at the Broadway Sporting Club --the same place, by the way, where nEeorge Chip met his Waterloo-with
 ohnny Howard, the Jersey middle or light heavy as his opponent.
 Gibbons is said to be worrying now because Al Mccoy refuses to acknow- ledge receipt of his communications requesting match at the earliest con venience of the Brooklyn man. Mike had Al in the ring with him several months ago and, though he did not put the k. 0. over, those who saw the mill agreed that it was only through kindness on his part that Mccoy stayed the limit.
 Gibbons must realize now that he has been altogether too shy in press ing his championship claims. I have centended right along that Gibbons on all form outclasses the rest of the aspiring bunch of middleweights, and Mike probably feels that way about 1t himself just about this time. Mc- Coy's Knockout of Chip was the con- vincer.
 ' This will not be the first time Gib- bons has "dec1ared'' himself in on the championship thing. Mike has several times intimated that he was going right after the title, but somehow or other he never got very far. Eddie McGoorty is the only man Mike has boxed in recent years who appeared to have anything like a chance with the St. Paul expert, and considering his remarkable fighting ability Mikes re- tring disposition where the question of the title is concerned has always been a mystery to ring followers, the majority of whom regard him as the class of the division.
 While Howard is considered a second rater, so was Al Mccoy, and it should be remembered that Johnny recently earned the popular verdict in ten round bout with Bob Moha. Howard is not especially clever; in fact, if he had been boxing a decade ago he would not be mentioned in the same breath with the middle weight stars of that day, but barring Gibbons, McAllister and McGoorty he  the middleweights in that respect.
 It is to be hoped that Gibbons will profit by his experience and assume a more aggressive attitude in the future AS a championship possibility he ap- pears to fill the bill and would un- euestionably prove titleholder the public would respect and have conf- dence in-which it certainly has not in the McCoys, Chips, Mohas and the rest. Mike is clever, two handed fighter and represents the highest standard of ring craft as it is under stood today.
 Those who are attempting to pick flaws in Willie Ritchie's claim to the lightweight title just because the champion did not stop Tommy Murphy are taking the wrong stand. If ever a boxer was completely outcIassed il was Murphy in the bout last week That he stayed the limit is a tribute to Tommy's gameness and powers o1 endurance. From reports of tht battle which have been sent me by eye witnesses, men who know tht game backwards, gather that Tommy gave one of the greatest exhibitions O, gameness ever seen in the ring.
 , Tommy Murphy has been in tn. game a long time and is no easy marl for any tweight-champion ol near-champion. He took a terrible facing from Ritchie and only his ex perience coupled with his never-say die spirit enabled him to assimilate tn, punishment for twenty rounds. A les experienced fighter would probabl. have succumbed long before the limit : But Tommy knows every angle of tn, game and when the gaff came to- steadily he would stall and rest, ant experienced fighters know what fev seconds respite, grabbed here an' there, means in a. long bout to mal on the receiving end.
 Murphy is entitled to praise for hi exhibition of gameness and endurance and Ritchie for his splendid victory Murphy was fit to fight his best tn other night. Whether he will ever b able to come back after the beatin he took is doubtful. He is abou thirty years of age, and that is get