New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-07-05
Lightweight Champion to
Risk His Title in Lon
don on Tuesday.
WIN OR LOSE WILL
RECEIVE A FORTUNE
Bitter Personal Enmity Is Ex-
pected 10 Make Bout a
Lively Affair.

For the first time since George La.
vigno, the world famous Saginaw
Kid met and defeated Dick Burge. OF
Great Britain. then lightweight cham
pion Of the world. IN seventeen rounds
on june l. 1895. an American and ar
Englishman, champions OF their re.
spectlve countries, and one the cham
plon OF the world, are to battle for su.
premaey IN the lightweight division.
Next Tuesday, Ia London, Willie
Richie. of san Francisco, lightweight
champion OF the world by right of vic
tory over Ad Wolgast, will step into
the ring 20 denfend his title against
the Onslsughts Of Freddie Welsh
champion of Great Britain and one OF
the most formidable men in the WORLD
to-day.
Richie will collect a kings ransom
for risking the loss of his title TO the
shifty Briton. He will receive S25,00C
in hard cash, in addition 10 other con-
siderations.
Welsh, lighting for the title. and
willing TO win or lose all, is playing a
gambling game. He will divide with
the promoters. And it may be that his
share Of the gate receipts will exceed
that Of Richie.
Certain il Is that 10 bout of recent
years has aroused more interest than
this. Welsh, one Of the most popular
men who ever held the English title, is
highly rated. and many believe that he
will win handily.
Interest has been doubly reused by
the fact that there is an open breach
between Richie and the Briton. The
worst is the best that either can say
for the other. And since the disagree
ment az Vancouver last year matters
have become worse instead OF better.
This match, aside from the champion
ship aspect, Will be a grudge fight from
the start.
On every side the question is asked,
Can Richie defeat Welsh ," In the
opinion OF conservative judges Richie
should win. His greater strength and
hitting ability will no doubt tell the
tale in the closing stages OF the match,
and while there IS not any strong
probability, there is a possibility OF
his knocking Welsh out.
Richie is not the boxer that Welsh
is By any means, and Il would not be
a. all surprising Il the Briton out
pointed him b. a comfortable margin
in the early rounds.
There is little or no chance Of
Richie being knocked out, however,
for Welsh has never shown a hard
punch. It Will then resolve itself into
a match between a shifty, clever, light
hitting boxer and a fearlessly, aggres-
sive. hard hitting, clever fighter. The
chances favor the fighter.
Much store has been laid in the VIC
tory OF Welsh over Richie IN that
twenty-round bout at Vernon, Cal, on
November 30, 1911. There are those
who want TO argue the case, delving
deep into the details. Much can be
said or both SIDES, but as means OF
comparing the men might better be
disregarded entirely.
On that night neither man was him
self. Richie had been training
Packy Mcfarland for a match with
Tommy Murphy, and accepted the
match overnight. He made the trip
from San Francisco 10 Los Angeles and
was a tired fighter when he stepped in
10 the ring. He weighed 139 pounds.
Welsh had been training for match
with AID Wolgast, when the latter was
taken down with appendicitis. Wolgast
was then the worlds champion, and
the disappointment at not getting his
chance to win that title made Welsh
All. So IL happened that when Tom
McCarey suggested that he fight
Richie in order not 70 disappolnt the
crowd, Welsh went ahead with has
match. He weighed 1872 pounds, and