Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-02
GIVE DEFEATED
CHAMPS A SHOW
SAYS JEFFR|ES
woIgast Eager for "chance" He
SteadfastIy Denied to Bat
Ting Nelson.
Rv Fl. M. Walker.

rs ANGELES, Feb. "A cham
pion-be he veteran with
II long ring record rolled up to
HE credit or a pink skinned youth
who has gained the title at the finish
of three or four well-made matches
&c q difficult proposition to handle and
more difficult to understand.
II was upon one of those rare occa-
.ons when Jim Jeffries drops his
gnard and talks fight with newspaper
men that he gave voice to the foliow-
ing: ,s =,
vavs he given a return date with the
man who has beaten him. The fact
that n boxer has held title for
number Of weeks or years. as the case
NAV be. is recommendation enough.
iii can be taken for granted that ne
was a high-class man or he wouldn't
have held the championship. And
thai he is finally defeated is no reason
whv he should be counted out. If he
wants n chance to redeem himself he
should get it, and the new champ
must be a bunk champ, indeed, II ne
refuses it.
Jeff is we'll fortified to make this
talk, considering that he boxed Fitz-
4 simmons, Corbett Sharkey and RUN
lin twice, but how many of the more
recent champions could stand the
light in this connection?
MO champion ever tried harder for
~ return match with his con-
oueror than did AL Wolgast after los
ing on a foul to Ritchte.
And Wolgast had every ground for
I his demand. He held the lightweight
4 Championship from February %, 1910,
4 TO November 2S, 1912. during which
4 time he met every dangerous con-
4 tender that the game could produce,
and in the end lost on technicality.
On the other hand, Nd had stead
fastly refused to give Battling Nelson
I a return date after he had conquered
4 the Dane in 40 terrible rounds at
Point Richmond, and Nelson, by rea-
81 son Of his long and most honorable
record was entitled to the chance to
i regain his title.
Il Wolgast's real reason for refusing
Il TO consider Nelson was that In the
Point Richmond arrangements he
(Ad) had been obliged to take the
Short end" in every detail and Nell
son had continually tainted and in
suited him. 1t was a poor excuse
from purely ringside view, but VOL
CAST made it stick and sent the Bat
Il tier to the trash heap.
xp ITCHIE held as his reason for
N avoiding Wolgast that AID, in
losing decisions to Harlem" Tommy
Murphy and young Joe AZevedo, had
INF 81 hi
from the championship line and was
no longer a card
Wolgast in defeating Richie, how
ever has again placed himself in line
for chance at the title,
The writer believes that Promoter
~. W. Coffroth would make no mis-
take were he to cancel the Ritchie-
Murphy bout and substitute Wolgast
&against the champion.
4 A Bic ATTELL lost the feather
weight championship to Johnnie
hHoane at Vernon on February %,
1872, without so much as being
knocked down.
This was boxing contest nure and
simple. Kilbane outiabbed Able and
earned the twenty-round decision.
But the Cleveland boy fled back East
and refused Attell return battle.
Notwithstanding the fact that there
wasn't another 1922 FOUNDER in the
country who could qualify as cham
pionship contender.
Recently Kilbane has had a change
Oh mind. and agreed to box Attell
again The remarkable feature of the
eituation is that neither Promoter
,NcCarey nor Coffroth appears anx-
.qus TO stage this bout. Certainly
,his fact does not speak well for Kill
Dane's powers as a drawing card. A
championship match going to seed for
lack Of interest on the part OF the
promoters is, indeed, novelty.