Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-20
BY T. S. ANDREWS.

MILWAUKEE,, Wis, September 10
Many high-class fighters have come
from the far western country, among
them numerous champions, and accord
ing to Billy Nolan, the former well
known manager of Willie Richie and
Battling Nelson, there is another light
weight on the coast who promises to
develop into the championship class.
The boy referred to is Ralph Grunan,
who halls from Portland, Ore, and
who is being developed by Harry Foley
of San Francisco, late manager of Will
lie Richie. Nolan, who stopped off
here few days ago to get line on
the boxing situation Gas he intends to
enter the field again), was going over
the list when he happened to mention
the name of Grunan.
'If ever boy looked good to me-"
said Billy, cit is this young Grunan,
whom Harry Foley has taken hold of.
He is one of the best looking boys I
have seen in many a day. He is not
only wonderfully clover, but he can hit
and seems to have a good head. You
clever. but that is the limit of their
ability. This boy can make 1873 pounds
easily, and seems to be at home in
the ring under all conditions. Why,
only a short time ago he was boxing
collars at halter factory, but the kid
evidently had greater ambitions and
took to the boxing game. He had a
fght with a fellow named Swanson In
Portland just before l came east, and
what he did to that man Swanson was
shame. He has been quite foot
ball player in his time, and, in fact, an
all-round athlete, but, luckily for him,
he has not taken to the kind of work
that would make him muscle-bound, so
that he is now in excellent shape to
follow the boxing game for all he is
worth. 1 may be mistaken as to the
boys stamina, but he certainly has the
cleverness and hitting ability, and it
will not surprise me in the least to
hear of the youngster going after the
lightweight championship within the
next year"
No doubt the Portland boy must have
exceptional ability or he would not
get such a send-off from a veteran like
Nolan, for there are few managers
in the country who can size up fight
er quicker or better than can the same
Billy Nolan. Billy also had a peep
at Johnny Tillman, the Minneapolis
lightweight. when he fought Leach
Cross at Hudson, Wis, recently. In
the opinion of Nolan, Tillman has a
lot to learn about the game yet, al
though he admitted that Johnny did
sprain his hand badly in the fourth
round and that no doubt it prevented
him from showing at his best. lie
thinks that Til1man was showed along
too fast and that he may yet make
good among the lightewights, but he
will have to start at the bottom again
and work up.
With Kid Williams defeating all the
bantams and near bantams in the east,
the list is beginning to dwindle and 1t
will not be long before the Baltimore
champion will be obliged to take on
heavier men, the same as Johnny I'll
bane among the featherweights. KID
Williams has made grand record for
himself and his latest victory is over
Louisiana, the Philadelphia boy who
was considered quite lad. 1t is al
most the same in the 122-pound divi-
sion, for Kilbane says he cannot find
any legitimate opponents. However,
there are a few lads coming along who
will probably be able to give Johnny
a run before long, among them George
CLANCY. the Baltimore feather; Richie
Mitchell of Milwaukee and Young Her.
man of Pekin, ILL.,, who is now in the
east. Mitchell and Patsy Mcmahon.
the Indianapolis feat1erweight, are
matched to meet at Columbus, Ohio,
September % in q twelye-round bout,
the Hoosier having taken the place of
Cal Delaney, when the Cleveland boy,
for some reason or Other, passed up the
match. Mcmahon is a clever lad and a
hard hitter, but he will have his work
cut out for him IN meeting Mltcnell,
as the latter has proven he is a ring
general of no mean ability. Should the
brewery boy defeat Mcmahon he will
come near to a match with Kilbane.
The reported defeat of Harry Stone,
the New York lightweight and welter-
weight, by Phil Bloom, lightweight of
the same place, is rather surprising, in
view of the fact that Stone had claimed
the welterweight title and wanted to
fight Richie for the American cham
pionship The New York papers diff
fered on the report, some giving Stone
good draw and others not hestating
to give Bloom the decision. 1t will be
a setback for the boy who made such a
fine showing in Australia, and will
compel him to start over again for the
championship rung of the ladder. 1t
speaks well for Bloom also, for it take:
a mighty clever lad to defeat a clever
one like Stone.
Canada has not figured to any great
extent in the boxing world in the past
few years; in fact, not since the days
of Harry Gilmore and George Full
james, but there is a little lightweight
across the border at the present time
who has all the confidence in the world
that he will make his mark in the box
ing game. This young man is Johnny
O'Leary, who Is champion lightweight
Of Canada and who has been making a