Evening star., 1915-01-10
BOXERS WORKING IN CLASSES
THEY ARE NOT ENTITLED TO
Champions Compel Aspirants to Make the
Recognized Weight, But Are Not Par
ticular About It Themselves
BY T. S. ANDREWS.
sneesal Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence of The Star.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, January g
There are many fighters about the
country who have been boxing In class
es to which they have no right, ana II
is about time that the boxing authorl-
ties found some wy of making these
fellows box where they belong There
is no reason on earth why boxer
claiming, or holding a championship
should demand of another boxer that
he scale at the weight limit whlie ne
(the champion) comes in at catch
weights. The order would sound bet
ter if reversed. Here We have cham
pions in the bantam, feather, light
weight and even at times in the mid
dleweight class, asking their oppo-
nents to make certain weight, Whiie
they ignore the limit. 1t IS uniair 70
the boxer who is trying to get aneao
and also to the patrons OF tEs game
who pay to support It
boxer who is not champion al
ways is supposed to have the worst
of the bargain when he goes against
the champion and by trying 10 handl-
cap him Still more does not help the
game. Just because some unreason-
able managers got away VITA sueh
unfair tactics in the past is no rea-
son why they should be continued one
thing in favor of the oldtime fighter
is that he never whlmpered over d
few pounds in weight. If boxer mas
he has outgrown his class let MIN
advance into the next one and not try
to get handicaps out of those mucn
lighter than himself. Promoters hnd
1T almost impossible at times to deai
with some of the champions or near
champions, because they want an the
best of the weight and in many cases
want to pick their opponents Then
they often wonder why they are roast
ed by press and public.
/ believe that if the American boxing
authorities were to adopt the Australian
or European scale of weights there would
be less OF this wrangling over weights,
Tor it is plain that there is more Zee
way to their weights than ours. iney
appear to be better balanced. The ny
weight of 112 pounds and under is not
even recognized here, and there are
many good boys around that mark
The bantam limit OF llS pounds gives
the boys in that division more leeWay
and at the same time does not force
the little fellows into the class, Tor
The fyweights are taken care OF. Ihe
featherweiSht at 126 pounds IS lar
enough away from the bantam to take
care of just such boys as Johnny XII
banc. George CLANCY, Richie Mitchell,
Benny Chavez and others-boyS VINO
cannot make the 122-pound limit. 1t
also gives more space to the light
weights at 135 pounds, there being a
difference of nine pounds between the
feathers and lightweight class. They
advance again 10 the Welters at 147. and
The middlcs at iSU, which is apparent
ly more suited to all conditions than
our own. Take the real good light
weights. weiters and niddleweights
and YOU viii md that they very soon
outgrow their divisions.
mother contender for the middle
weight crown has appeared on the
horizon. and Messrs. Clabby, Gibbons,
Il >, will l,r, lnnt
20 their iaurels The latest aspirant
is Young Ahearn, The former Brook
1yn dancing master, who is credited
by some OF the papers with d win over
Jack Dillon al Philadelphia, New y ear
afternoon Dillon also must be credit
ed with a place among the contenders,
provided ne can still make the weight,
which his manager Sam MurbarSer,
says he can, but " 1ich Jack does not
like TO do. Ahearn, who is managed by
Dan Mex ketrick OF New York, is real
champion at present. having won the
JniIdleWeIgnt crown OF Europe before
the war broke out. at 100 pounds, and
Manager Dan says he VIII post any
forfeit that he will make the American
limit of 1853 pounds. Ahearn has made
wonderful record the past year, and
must be classed with the best He Will
no doubt get into the present tour
ney of rniddles now being held in Mil
waukee, the first big event being be-
tween Jimmy Clabby. the recognized
=,
putes the title with the Hammond
wonder.
This match will be held by the Cream
City A. c. of Milwaukee, January 21,
and the indications are that il will be
as big an affair as the recent Welsh
White match. Eddie McGoorty, the
Wisconsin champion, expects to meet
the winner and then Ahsarn wants TO
tackle the winner Of the latter con-
test. Then it will be up to Mr.. Clabby
lot
defeat him to meet the Australian
champion for what might be termed
the worlds championship. At present
Mick King, the newcomer in Australia,
holds the title in kangarooland with
Jeff Smith, the New York contender
trying hard for the honor. Should
Smith return to the states this sea-
son he would be in line for a cham
yionship match with Clabby or any one
who might beat him, but the chances
are that JEFF will remain in Australia
for some time TO come, as he likes the
country
\ cableGram received by the writer
from Snowy Baker, the boxing pro-
moter of Australia, this week saws
there has been a big revival of the
fighting game and that now the crowds
are almost as large as before the war
started. For time after the war was
on the attendance at the stadiums in
sydney and Melbourne was cut in two
and that is the reason some of the best
boxers in America, who were there at
the time, returned home. However, all
this has changed now and the game
is back ON a paying basis. Mr.. Baker
is negotiating with some of the best
lightScights and middlewcights for a
tour of the antIpodes in the near
future.
An art'd in these columns sva