New Britain herald., 1914-04-18

Mike Gibbons, Jimmy Murray, or any other middleweight, to get match with the lone punch champion be- fore next fall, if then. But if the act 1ops, Mccoy will be back on the job shortly. And, according to Man
 ager Dougherty, Chip will get first chance. .s.t,#E
 Personally think it absurd to hail Mccoy as champion. Where did he earn the honors, and how? George Chip was never champion. His boosters advanced the claim for him on the strength of the victories over Frank Klaus, and as the latter had defeated Billy Papke, to whom the title automatically reverted on Ketchels death, on that limo of reck- oning there is nothing else to do but to hand over the lAurels to Mccoy.
 But if anyone will take the trouble to look the matter up he will find that Cyclone Johnny Thompson, Bob Moha and Frank Mantell had all beaten Klaus to MT. Papke. Why wasn't Thompson, who was the first to earn decision from Papke after Ketchers death, recognized as champion? Ana
 if not Thompson why not Moha. or
 Mantell? Why wait until Klaus |
 new champion?
 And how about Eddie McGoorty and Mike Gibbons? Likewise Jimmy Clabby and the latest California
 "phenom," Jimmy Murray? These boys have just as much right to the title, it seems to me, as Mccoy and if Al meets anyone of them he
 may find the claim more valid one than his own. However, 1t is not
 with possibilities that we must deal, but with the cold dope. And there is no argument that will make the
 Brooklynite a champion in my eyes,
 or in those of any intelligent fight fan.
 Mccoy may prove his. cham pionship rights some day, although I doubt 1t very much, but until he does so he
 will have no more claim to the honors
 than any of those I have mentioned.
 Michigan Stubs Toe.
 No matter how foxy manager hap pulls a "bloomer" Jack McGuigan,
 who runs things for Leo Houck, took his fighter away out to California only
 to have him stopped by Billy Mur- ray, the young Sacramento novice. 1t
 was Leos first try at a long match, and McGuigan eagerly accepted the bout with Murray, then unknown out side of California. 1t would be a safe way to try Houck over the derby distance. Everyone knows what hap pened.
 Jimmy Dime made the same mis- take with George Chip, only in the | latter instance the element of luck probably entered into the result. A ! few weeks before Chip met his Wa 1 terloo, Mccoy and Young Jo4 Chip boxed ten rounds at tho same club, l and young Chip won the popular de- 1 cision. Jack Dougherty asked for a ] return match, which was granted. However, just about this time George Chip, who had been on the shelf with ] 8 broken hand, was looking for a bout l to try out his injured mAulie before 1 tackling any of the classy men in { the division. So it was arranged that George would sub for little brother.
 Both the club and Mccoy and his man ager were more than willing. It l meant a good house for the promoters, 1 and it offered Mccoy a chance to get more for his end if loser than he could get for winning over an oppo- | nent of less renown. Also there was l that long chance of putting one across and leaping into fame with one swipe. I And that's just what happened. Mc- Coy. considered a third rater, landed the lucky punch and down went Chip. This is one of the many reasons why boxing has a firm grip on the afrec- , t1ons of the sport loving public. There 1 is always an element of uncertainty about a boxing match, no matter how one-sided it may. look on the dope. A clever boxer may be matched with a l fighter of little skill but tremendous punch; the match may look all in the
 clever ones favor. Still there is al- l ways the chance of the sluxRer get
 ting a haymaker across and spilling
 the dope.
 Tho "soft things'' are not always
 as soft as they seem to be. If any
 one doubts this statement let him in-
 terview Messrs. McGuigan and Dime | on the subject.
 l JAS. J. CoRBETT.