The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-17
CORBETT's BOXING REVIEW
Former Champion Says Battling Lev= insly Is Master at Stallina
 in the Ring

had forfeited his bond of $5o,ooo in the gowernment case against him. This looks as if the champion has no intention of ever coming back here. Just how this will affect the plans of the syndicate" recently organized to promote a match for the cham pionship between Johnson and Will lard am not in position to say. But the chances are this country has not even been considered as a battle ground. It is doubtful if 1t could be staged here.
 Willard is well thought of in New York where he has put up one or two hattles that pleased the sports. But Jess is not so well liked in other communities In Ca1ifoFuia he Is re- garded agSa false alarm, while he Is practically unknown outside Of this l country. How the so-ca1led syndicate can expect to make money out of the proposed matchsis a problem beyond ! me. Jack Curiey, the Chicago pro moter, is one of the parties interested | so 1t is said, and cannot figure Cur l ley taking a long chance on WiIlard's s winning with the hope of getting his I money back after Jess has annexed the title. Not in these hard times anyhow.
 1t Is one thing to talk about W11- 1 lard boxing Johnson for the title and s4something else again" to find a bat ] tie ground where people would trav- l ell to see it. Willard has some little 1 treputation, but it would be necessary to have him win several decisive bat l ties over some of his rivals before the public would take him seriously as a
 candidate for the title. A victory l over Gunboat Smith would help some, ] but it isn't going to be an easy job to l in the ring if he should consent to the match And in the event of Lang l ford coming back next week and putt ting the Gunboat out of the running l the '+tar baby'' will have to be con ] sidered before Wi1lard's packers plan i to send him after bigger game
 I If Al Reich a local boy, had an l ounce of genuine fighting spirit he 1 would have an excellent chance of be- 1 the not very distant future. But I Reich, blessed with a magnificent 3phy- l sique, a skill that none of his rivals I can boast of, and packing a punch I which is quite as effective as anything I Gunboat Smith displays, evidently q lacks the courage to ever become 9 l great fighter. At least that Is the I way he impresses experts who have
 watched him closely in his numerous battles in local rings
 I Last week Al boxed Tom Kennedy, sI and if ever a boxer should have been
 
 credit Reich is the one. Several times l he had Kennedy on the verge of a
 knockout and failed to come 1I through. And Kennedy is no longer
 reckoned on as even remote pos T sioility for the championship stakes.
 Even Bombardier Wells made Tom quit.
 t I have known several cases where boxers looked like champions in l practice bouts and failed 1niserabIy in L1- 1S-(tT 1 trahan, who was my sparrfng partner Il years ago, was one of these unfor- I tunates. Steve stacked up like-a
 world beater in training. and was the rankest sort of counterfeit in actual
 battle. Reich's case is somewha. lf different. however. He can box, and can hit, and when things are going his l way looks awful good. But a tap on the nose seems to take all the am bftion out of him. In the bout last week he was getting along finely un- til Kennedy, already in a bad way managed to jab him couple of times l in the face. Then AIS fighting spir- it evaporated, leaving him content
 to take things on the defensive. Ken nedy was so weak, however, towards
 the finish that Reich managed te s. screw up enough courage to go after his man again, but it was too late
 then.
 It is a great pity Reich hasn't the
 aggressiveness a fighter needs to
 make good. He has everything else
 note that Jimmy Clabby ane
 George Chip are managed for twen-
 ty round bout in California the latter
 part of this month This bou1
 should help clear up the tangled mid dIe-weight championship argument
 Chip has been going great guns re.
 gently as his double victory over BiI. : ly Murray testifies. Clabby also has been winning his battles with regu.
 1arity, and on the dope loks quite good enough to stand off the sturdy Ld New Castle scrapper long enough te
 earn the verdict on points.
 Jim Conroth will stage the bout and am told, has Mike Gibbons wore that he will meet the winner Thil means that it is only a question of 2 very short time before a -bona-fide champion of the midd1e-weight clas. l is established, one who will have the ) fullest confidence of the public M candidate for the honors Is the St
 Paul wizard consider Mike Gib l bons the class of the 158 pound dt } vision and believe that the result O. , his battle with the winner of the CIab H by-Chipp bout will prove I am right