Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-22
DAYS OF NEGRO BOXERS
 SWIFTLY PASSING.
coorsd Pugilists Losing Their Grip in
 the Ring.

The day of the negro boxer is swiftly passing, and unless a new crop Is de veloped in the next few years high grade negro pugiliSt will be as rare as a good white heavyweight is today. Where once there were George Dixon in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions; Joe Cans, perhaps the mas ter lightweight of all time, and Joe Walcott, the giant killer" in the well terweight classes. there is not q single negro boxer of today below the heavy weight class who even approaches the ability of any of those men.
 Among inc big men. of course, Jack Johnson is still the champion, with Jeannette ranked next in order. Then
 struggling back in the ruck come the
 white hopes of the hopeless" It is case of the blacks first and the whites nowhere, just at the present.
 But even in the heavyweight ranks
 the end is in sight. Johnson is grow
 ing old, beyond his fighting prime, 1t is
 thought, and his refusal to fight any of
 the black lighters is taken as tacit
 admission on his part that he is be-
 ginning to feel advancing years. Sam Langford is still formidable, but of late
 he has slowed up, while Joe Jeannette
 is just about through. Joe's recent
 bout with John Lester Johnson, third
 or fourth rater. told its own story.
 Then sam McNea. recently returned from Australia. is to be reclloned with,
 but since LangEord won four out of his
 last half dozen tilts with McNea, in-
 cluding a knockout in Is rounds, one
 may draw his own conclusions.
 Johnson, LangfUrd, Jeanette and
 ALCVea have fought no fewer than B
 times among themselves. -Jeannette
 and Langford hold the record in this
 mutual benefit society. They have
 come together no fewer than 10 times, according to the record books. Once
 Jeanette won in eight rounds, twice he
 earned a draw and three times sam
 won the decision. The other affairs were of the no-decision- variety, in
 which I4apgford had some slight ad-
 vantage for the most part. There was seldom any material adVantaSe-just close enoug hto excite interest and re- suit ill another match. Jeannettc. indeed was the work horse of the lot. for, according to the record books he fought Jack Johnson
 no fewer than seven times. Once Joe won on a foul, once he earned a draw, while the other contests were to no decision. Jeannette made it so un- comfortable for the Galveston negro in all the matches that Jack would never meet him, once the champion ship was DOn. Jeannette fought Me Yea four times, once to no decision.
 once he lost in 20 rounds, but he re- venged that defeat by knocking Nc Yea out in 49 rounds in Paris and then boxed him q 39 round draw. Next to Jeannette, Langford has fought AIcVea oftener than any of the
 black men. The two Sams have
 crossed gloves no fewer than seven
 times. Twice McEea held the Tar Baby to draw in 20 round battles.
 Once he won. but three times he lost the decision. and once he was knocked out. in 13 rounds.
 Jack Johnson thrice demonstrated
 Early in his career Jack defeated his fellow Texan in 20 round decision bat ties. and Cnce he turned him over, also
 in, D rounds. Once, and only once did Johnson have the temerity to mingIe with Sam Langford. Jack won that contest. after 15 rounds that he will never forget. He has always refused to meet the Boston negro since. but then he would never agree to fight Joe Jeannette to a finish.
 And now there is a new member of 1 the black league Battling Jim John son, the lumbering heavyweight from Sar Juan Hill. on the West Side of this city, is bidding for patronage. He has met Johnson, Jeannette, Langford and McE ca. His bout with AIcVea still fingers in the minds of those who saw it. He has a wonderful physique. That lets him out,
 Of course the number of bouts be- tween negroes, in fact, the recurrent 1 bouts, they might be called, are due in no small IT easure to the feeling against so- called mixed bouts throughout the country. They must fight among them selves or quit the ring