New Britain herald., 1914-07-03
/uly FOu1th and N01 q Scr1t
 In SiQht 10 Snr Our Blood
Ye Gods and Little Fishes What Is America Coming to
 When It Can't Stage Battle on Ths Big Day, 4.." Signs Jim Corbett

(written for the New Britain Herald.) New York, July 3.-Tomorrow is this country's one best bet in the holiday line-and as a rule a red letter day in American pugilism. But 1914 is the exception to that rule Here we are on the Fourth of July and nothing doing in the champion ship line-the first Fourth in many years that one or more big titular battles have not been on the cards I don't know whether the hard times in this country or the boom the sport has developed of late in England, France and Australia-and which has drawn heavily on our sup ply of first class fighting men-is re- sponsible for the decline in public interest in boxing. Something is wrong, that Is sure, and I suppose we will have to lay it to business depression Most everything out of the ordinary these days is blamed on business conditions, and when box ing, Americas most popular sport with one exception-doesnt flourish around July 4, there must be some pretty good excuse for that lament able state of affairs.
 While American fight fans are forced to read about the big fights these warm days English sports are getting ready for series of classy ring entertainments, which will be inaugurated with next Tuesdays in- ternational lightweight championship contest between Willie Ritchie, America's standard bearer and Freddy Welsh Croaf ifoi Tn nrov,;or ;,, the 1855 pound division.
 A week later London will have an- other attractive looking bout in the Gunboat Smith-Carpentier match. Carpenter is the acknowledged honor he annexed by defeating Eng lands pride CD, Bombardier Wells, not once but on two occasions. Smith is recognized almost everywhere as the best white heavyweight in the game-of course, there are one or two, including yours truly, who think that Gunboat would have an exceed ingly hard time proving his class over Jess Willard-and the one man in the game who can be considered the logical candidate for match with Jack Johnson for the championship of the world.
 Sandwiched in between these two important bouts are several other in ternational events in which American boxers will play leading party. Every thing considered Merry England is batting about 1000 in the pugilistic league at this writing.
 In connection with the Ritchie- Welsh match considerable apprehen- sion exists regarding the Americans S chances of defeating the Briton. Funny how quickly sentiment will shift in pugilism. When Ritchie first beat Wolgast and was taken on an extended theatrical tour by Billy seen him in the ring were almost to man agreed that the young Cal ifornian was a "fluke" champion and that the first good man he met would prove their contention. Later when Willie elected to return to the ring and agreed to box Joe Rivers, at that time regarded as the most likely can- didate for the title. and stopped the Mexican in eleven or twelve rounds, the critics began to hedge. Truly the boy who could beat Rivers so decisively must amount to something after all Then when Ritchie came down east and trimmed Leach Cross New York's best lightweight Cor touted as such), he was the biggest man in the game. His style ere ated such an impression on the ex-