The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-19
(By JamessJ. Corbett. F'omer Heavy
 weight Champion of the World.)
Especial to The Farmer.

weight Champion Johnny .Kilba1e's first attempt to upset the popular theory that a good big man can al- ways beat a good little man was more or less successful, according to the various viewp oints and preiudiceS of the spectators. While the feather champion was given 8 draw with his heavier opponent several accounts of the battle intimated that the deci- sion was hardly fair to Mandot- Then there are. others possibly influenced by friendship or local pride, who boldly assert that it was Ki1hane's fight all the way. However, the. question arises whether Johnny has accomplished what he set out to do-to determine if he has a chance with the best of the 133 pound class. It was for that reason Kilbane did not select 8 soft thing for his task. of breaking in as a ltghtfeatherweig for in Mandotss present form. the featherw eight champion was unquesti ionably meet ing one of the best boys in that di- vision. Joe has been boxing in bet ter form the last year than at any time in his career. He has learned apparently to make the most Of the
 gifts nature has endowed him with, and has discarded his former habit 1 of mixing it with huslxier and harder hitting opponents. Mandot is a fast and scientific boxer and thus equip ped ought tos hold hiss,own over any
 route from ten to twenty rounds with the best in the division.
 Whether KiIbane> is satisfied with the showing he made against Mandot will no doubt be evident in his future matchmaking. For it is a we'll known | fact that Johnny has for some time entertained the intention of retiring from the ranks of the feathers as the | task of making weight required has f hnra Q g1 md i laborious if not an impossible one Therefore his future movements in the matchmaking line will be watch i ed closely by his rivals among the feathers as well as the fans through ou the country.
 Should KiIbane go ahead with his plans for invading the lightweight class and ever realizes his ambition 1 of becoming champion of the division he will have accomplished something none of his predecessors was success
 fu1 at although many of them have attempted the feat at. different times l in the fast few decades The only l instance J can recall of feather weigh channpion defeating deciatvely l the recognized lightweight title holder was when Terry 1cGovern stopped Frank. Ernes at Madison Square Cor den in 1900. But in that battle Erne
 while naturally rather light for a 1 champion of that division, was com pel1ed to make something like 12s pounds ringside and was so weak from the effort. that he was in no shape to stand off the rlshes Of saTer- rible Terry Several tiIaes during his l career McGovern took 1ncursions into
 the lightweight camp and notable ] among his achievements was the de- feat of Joe Cans in two rounds at l Chicago R few months after his suc- cess over Erne. But as a great deal | T1a " fall that fight the great little scrapper was robbed of the glory arising from l such a. feat Whether there was any thing crooked about the mill or not
 haven't any ca, butt do know l it stands on record that McGovern knocked Cans out in less than two l rounds.
 Abe Attell was another feather weight title holder who frequent1y went out Of his class to get matches and to his credit it must be said he generally made good. Abe and Bat I Nelson fought fifteen round draw I in San Francisco only a few months before Bat beat Cans for the light I weight title. So if no further evil I dence was displayed in his brilliant 5 record it could be Judged from this battle alone that Atten was a great
 little scrapper and might. had he
 aspired to it, have won the highest
 honors in the, lightweight class.
 Klbane,s abdication as feather l weight champion. if it should come l about, may change the man of the l smaller pugilistic df8isi ons With 1 Johnny out of the way it is likely Kid | Williams would hasten his decision l to abandon the bantam class in favor. of the division higher up and an nounce his candidacy for KiIbane's
 crown. As is the predfcament Of Kil- l bane among the feathers so it is with l Williams in the bantam division 122 I pounds ringside would suit the az l gFessive Baltimore Dane much better | than 116, the recognized bantam uun- 1 it. However, Kilbane's retirement l from the featherweight class will re- suit in many other claimants for the l honors besides Williams. It will be | a similar scramble for the honors to that which has featured tho middle l weight division since the death of Stanley Ketchel, and might result in I several years of wrangling gefore a satisfactory solution could be arrived at. Williams, of course, would draw l the weight line closely at 122 pounds, l while George Chaney and the other I leaders in the division would tick out i for a more liberal interpretation of l the weight limit. Chaney and Will i Hams have met in the past; when both l were in the bantam class, and in fact | were for long time in the same
 stable. In the last year Chaney has
 taken on considerable poundage and has also acquired at the same time
 one of the heaIthiest waI1ops known
 among the feathers. A meeting be-
 tween Chaney and and the sturdy
 Williams at or near the 122 pound mark would be a scrap worth going miles to see.
 H KiIbane's decision to remain in the
 featherweight ranks or to shy his cas-
 tor into the. lightweight ring will be
 awaited with a great deal of interest
 A Tight Fam asks me to publish
 in this column my rating of the
 leading 1ightweights of the country.