The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-28
CORBETT SAYS SMITH AND
 WILLARD SHOULD NOT SIDESTEP
French Boxers Are Cleaning Up Eng
 fish In Many Recent Bouts
fByl James J. Cot:best, Former EEeav
 weight Champion of the yEorID

I sl | fBy James J. Co1best, Former EHeavy-
 weight Champion of the yVorIp
 New York, February, 2sIseach Cross, the local scrapper who went west several months ago and Broke Ehfty-fifty on the trip, is back in town l and already signed for couple of l battles. with prospects for several others. Cross's first engagement calls 1 for ten rounds with Phil Bloom, a lyoungster who has been doing some splendid work recently. That bout is scheduled for next Thursday or Fri day at the Empire A C.. The follow- ing week Leach will give Young Joe Shugrue a whirl. Last Fall these boys
 met and the local wiseacres gave Shu | grue the verdict
 1 Leach complains that he couldn't | find anything more to do in the far west, which accUunts for his return Ihone-also that the lighters on the Icoast are afraid of him. He came back with the record of a defeat by
 Joe Rivers and 2 knock7ott victory over Bud Anderson. Leach asserts Ithat the latter achievement scared i Rivers into calling off their return battle.
 Cross is not sfinding it herd to get faction around heres There are Q number of fairly good light weights in Gotham who are not only not afraid but anxious to get in the ring with lthe Ghetto representative Johnny Dundee, for one, is always willing to lniix it with anybody near his poun- ldage, and will likely box Cross if the To his credit it must be recorded Ithat Dundee plays noSfaYorites. They | all look alike to him and he can be depended on to put up g gcod exhibd- i ton any time he crawls through the Fring ropes. However, in. this connec- fnve 6aav- <SfF Fv a f7v pseudo Scotchman to cut out his l jumping jack tactics if he meets
 Crosss The latter carries 2 deadly l waI1op and is liable to crack Johnny 8 healthy one on the jaw going up l or coming down
 But if Dundee can avoid Cross'
 right swdng bor ten rounds it. is pret- ty near cinch he will earn the pop ular verdict
 persuade Willie Rftchie to box him while on the coast. Of course, Leach, Ritehie couldn't consider such a pro position while on the sick list Cross knew eH about that when he cfralIeng- ed the champion. and also probably Ireckoned on the fact that Ritchie would not entertain match with anyone in California before going
 through with the delayed bout with Tommy Murphy.
 T g. Ritchie while his hands are tied Still Cross could be depended on to make matters interesting for Willie as long I as he remained on his feet. His bout ;. with the champion at x Madison SQuare Garden was a hunmer, al- 1 though Ieachie was lucky to escape a knockout in the third round. The re-
 liable old gong saved him that time. I sHarfern ToTnnly'' Murphy Is also back with the home folks. but is to
 return togCalifornia early next month 1 to get in shape for the April match with Ritchie. Tommy asserts he will
 quit the ring if beaten by the cham pion.
 I which means that Murphy Is dne
 to retire from the game along about I April IT.
 l We hear very little about that Gum I boat Smith-Jess Willard match that
 Jim Coffrotl1 has arranged for his open air club next Fourth of July. Too board. Looks the best white heavy weight match that can be framed up.
 Coffroth writes that the bout is Ion" provided Tom Jones. WfIlard's s
 $7,500 guarantee he offered Jim Buckley who represents Smith. Cof- froth will gladly gamble on any mill, but Is averse to digging into his Jeans for that sum for any of the white hopes. At least not for one of lighters alone. Out California way the white heayy-weights are not taken as seriously as elsewhere and Coffroth
 has 9 pretty good line on their draw ing powers.
 i The Gunboat is at present engaged in the pleasant task of eIevating the vaudeville and burlesque stages. am told, though, that the theatrical man back of the proposition would l gladly allow Smith to call off the agreeme If the Gunboat feels the T same way about it he will find a, prof itable engagement awaiting him in 'l New York-where Battling Levinsky z holds forth. The latter gladiator has i many Followers in the big town and sI a match between him and Smith would mean big money for both. AAnd T while in bout over distance of Fl ground the Gunner would be installed El a hot favorite there is a ton of wise 1 money here to back LevinSkY to win | the popular verdict in ten round I match with the walloping ex-saflor.
 Sam Langford back to box Carl Norris reads a headline in a local paper If Sans manager has brought him back on the strength of a match Ii with the Oklahoman am afraid he is going to be sadly disappointed. |i Surely no New York matchmaker Ij would have the nerve to offer Sam and Carl after the latter's miserable
 showing with Willard. Some out of ,. town promoter might take a chance, II figuring the negro's prestige would bring the dollars to the box office. But I doubt it.
 There is talk of matching Langford with Jack Blackburn, the colored fighter who was recently released from a Pennsylvania penetentiary. A bout of that description would be a corker if first shown that Jack has retained or recovered his form It seems to me however, that it is up to the promoters interested to first