Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-04
Cross, Murphy and Shugrue to
Display Their Wares In
Other Parts.
RITCHIE-MURPHY Go NEXT
corbett Says Champs Show
ing Against WoIgast Augurs
No Good for Tommy.
BY JAMES J. CoRBETT
tFOrmer heavyweight Champion of che
WORLDLY

hOFlusJ
The metropolitan districts trio of
star lightweights, Leach Cross,
Tommy Murphy and Young Joe
Shugrue have done gone and left as
fiat. Cross is headed for Los
Angeles, where he goes to do battle
with Freddy Welsh, the English
champion; Shugrue Is expected to
sail for Australia some time during
the coming week, and Tommy Muir
ply is already encamped near San
Francisco in training for the match
with Willie Richie, the worlds
lightweight titleholder.
Gotham sports VIII have to get
along the best they can for the next
month or two without these stars ID
entertain them. But for that mat
ter the New York sporting fraternity
Is getting pretty well used to that
sort of thing, for the bulk of enter
tainment promoters have been dea
Ing them all winter has not partieu-
larly smacked of class
However, it Is an i'll wind that
blows no good, and Californian and
Australian sports, especia ly the lat
ter, are to be congratulated on the
visits of this trlumvlrate of fistic
stars.
New Workers have little hope that
than drag down the losers ends in
t1lelr palt.es-with Shugrue It is a
different matter. This kid is coming
along fast and will in all probability
become a warm favorite with the
Antipodean sports. On the dope there
is hardly native lightweight who
can make trouble for the clever Jer-
sey City youngster.
Richie Murphy Bout Next.
The next big lightweight contest
is to be held in Jim Coffroth's San
Francisco arena on April II, one
week from next Friday, when Willie
Richie and Tommy Murphy are
booked for twenty rounds This is
the match that was to have been de-
cided last December; then postponed
until February, and again to April
H. The weather man and a high
fever belonging to Richie were re-
sponsible for the first postponement,
and the champion alone was blamed
for the second hold-up, although it
was through no fault of his, other
than an unfortunate accident which
subjected him to so much severe and
unjust criticism at the time.
v lilies showing against Ad VOL
CAST indicates that he will be at his
hest form when he steps in the ring
with Murphy, and which augurs good
for the New Yorker. The latter has
been a great little man in his day,
Cor years ranking close to the lead
erS of the division, though always a
Few points shy OF championship
class. 1t is the opinion of Eastern
experts that Tommy is tackling the
hardest job of his entire career In
boxing Richie, who looks the class
Of American lightWeights since
va ass day. and those who like to risk
few dollars on sporting events of
N n
Murphy is no longer spring chicken
las years are reckoned in athletics.
"a
Thinks Cross Has Met Turning Point.
As for Leach Cross, it is my opin-
ion that his ten-round strenuous ses-
sion with Willie Richie last fall was
the turning point in his career. Ger
tainly he outfought himself In that
engagement. and his showing since
that time has been very much of
second class nature. In fact, the
only bout Leachie has put to his
credit since the great battle with the
champion was the one with Bud An
derson, and that young man has not
been able to lick a postage stamp
since his operation for appendicitis,
Joe Rivers outboXed and outfought
Cross in their twenty-round match,
and since coming back home Leach
has twice been outpointed. Even
Phil Bloom. a local youngster of no
great skill, was entitled to a verdict
over the fighting dentist. And
Young Shugrue also beat him several
weeks ago according to the majority
of Gotham critics.
Cross boxes Freddy Welsh in Los
Angeles on April 2S. Judging from
what Fred did to Rivers only re-
Gently, Cross's chances to defeat tie
clever Englshman are anything but
rosy Tt looks to me as If Leach is
naturally in for a scientific trimming
at Welsh's hands. 1t is not exactly
clear Just what else he can hore to
abe to do anything worth while
against a skilled boxer, and Welsh is
certa ny all of that. With the
rough-and-ready sluggers, Leach al
ways has chance, as he packs a
9Inch that will turn the desired TT ok
iimnst any time it lands But he will
nnd Welsh very adept at lodging
right swings
Bout with Ritchie II Welsh Wins.
If Welsh is victorious in the Cross
match. and al the dope points in
that direction, he likely Will be chosen
as Willie Ritchie's opponent for the
Fourth of July. With Wolgast laid
ND again, there will be no one to dis
pute Welsh's claim for bait Tor
the worlds title-unless, of course,
Tommy Murphy should pull the un-
expected and upset the Champion
Welsh has wisely decided that the
quickest and surest road to match
for the highest honors is to beat his
rival aspirants firsts, and he started
the fireworks by giving Joe Rivers the
most artistic licking that young man
ever had handed to him.
And ii should make a great contest
-Ritchie versus We sh-and one that
vii lust about establish a new record
for rece pts in the lightweight line, if
the boys fight it out in san Franc $50
on the big national holiday Rtchie
has so far demonstrated his ability 70
trim his rival American lightwelgnts,
and a victory over the English title
holder wou d give hun greater dis
tincton than that he'd by any Amer
lean lightweight since George Law fne
vent 10 Eng and and defeated DIX
Tnrge for the worlds title. And If
WeIsh should win, he will find that
American sports are good losers is
80
Carpentier shows improvement.
Georges Carpenters great battle
against .oeS.t...inn the nIteen7 "a es1..s
bout -v1tff Joe Jeaih9ette indl-ae es
+ns. the Frenchman is nalSi1g RAPID
Strides towards the championsh p
goal. That is, If everything was on,
fbc "up and up" and there is no;
,,idence "a support any other theory.
In my mind. Carpenters improve
,nont in form Is little short of re-
,narkabIe. when it is recalled that
sii I1as,l, I(Iaus and Billy Papke,