Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-22
BY T. S. ANDREWS.

BY T. S. ANDREWS.
MILWAUKEE,, Wis, March 21.-1t
looks as though Joe Fox, the British
bantamweight, is. the real goods as
far as fighting ability goes. Fox was
brought over here by George Mcdonald,
the English sporting man, who an
nounced at the time that young Joe
would make his mark against the
American bantamweights. So far he
has fought about ten battles and. &C
cordtng to the newspapers, has won
every one of them. This is making
good with a vengeance. Mr.. Mcdonald
has been endeavoring to match Fox up.
with either Johnny Coulon, the Amer
lean champion. or Kid Williams, the
persistent challenger of Coulon, but
to date he has been unable to bring
about a match. During the past ten
days Coulon and Williams have agreed
tosight twenty rounds before Tom Nc
Carey's club at Los Angeles some time
in June, for the title, so that Mr.. Fox
will have to wait until after that time
before he gets chance. He is young,
being nineteen years old, and can af-
ford to wait a while. and in the mean
time he is gaining experience with
every fight and getting into the Amer
lean style. Manager Mcdonald au-
thorizes me to state he will deposit
$4,000 to go as a side bet to meet tne
test, the match to take place within a
reasonable time after the signing of
the articles John Kenny, the well
known English turfman, Ia the man
who is backing Mcdonald in this ven
ture Fox is not the recognized bantam
champion of England but he is consid-
cred as good as the champion and has
the cash to back up his claims with.
with the winner of the title-scrap at
Los Angeles, and it will not be sur
prising If Mr.. McCarey stages this
match also. In the interval Fox Wall
be matched with some of the best boys
In the east
It Is a good bet that the boxing fans
will not get over discussing the Richie
Wolgast contest in Milwaukee for some
time to come. The fact that an alleged
foul entered into the controversy the
same as in their championship match
two years ago has made the discussion
all the more interesting. and wherever
the boxing fans congregate, the game
of base ball is forgotten for the time
being, to go over the fight between the
two lightweights once more. Richie IN
his contest against Welgast did not
show himself to be the fashy boxer like
George Levine and Jack McAuline. but
he did show himself to be quite a ring
general, with the ability to punch and
also to take a punch. Wolgast's style
was much more spectacular than that OF
Ritchie and his left-hand punches to
the body carried a lot Of steam back
Of them, but / doubt whether the same
weight carried with these blows that
was evident when Wolgast fought Joe
Rivers a month or two ago. The cause
of this was an injury to the main nerve
in Wolgast's left hand several days pc
fore the fight. and which was very pain
full. 1t was only the gameness OF the little
Dutchman that carried him along at
the terrific pace he set, for there is no
doubt but that his hand hurt him severe
ly at times and he deserves all the
more credit for his showing. Rttchie's
work for the first two rounds was moth
ing to brag about and he looked any
thing but q champion, but from the
third round until the end of the battle
he displayed excellent judgment and
fought a splendid battle. He does not
swing with either hand, but hits from
most any angle, and at very snort
distance His back arm muscles are well
behind them. He hits much harder than
would appear to the spectator. as his
blows travel but a very short distance
but with all his weight back Of them.
Richie also demonstrated that he can
punish an opponent In the body as well
as the face and many times he sent In
some hard short-arm punches to VOL
CASTS body.
Whether Ritchie's blow to the body in
the seventh round was foul or not Is
question that is hard to answer, for the
referee did not see it and no one around
the ring (that is. of the newspaper mem
has been able to say positively that 1t
was a low blow. From what the writer
saw It appeared as though 1t was
straightr ight-arm blow to the solar plexus.
However, after the contest Wolgast was
examined by the clubs doctor and it was
evident that he had been hit in the groin.
Whether this was caused by the blow or
by his cup being Jared against the
groin Is question. Wolgast himself
in the groin. while Richie was just as
positive that it was straight blow de-
uvered in the pit of the stomach.
This recalls the contest between Freddie
Welsh and Packey Mcfarland in 1905
with q blow that appeared to hit him In
the stomach, but an examination by the
doctor afterward showed that he had
been hit in the groin. The late Malachy
Hogan was referee at that time, and gave
the decision to Mcfarland, principally on
the knockout scored by Packey in the
fourth round. 1t was practically the same
with Wolgast and Richie, and as long as
the referee decided that the blow was
fair and gave Richie the credit of a
the champion shade decision. Wolgast
spoiled his chance of winning the fight
on a foul in case it had been so decided
by the clubs doctor, when he arose and
resumed the contest without any ap-
parent protest. Had he asked the referee
for an examination at the time the mat
ter would, have been settled then and
there, but he did not, and as result the
dispute which followed was made pos
sible.