The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-06
NEEDED INTERNATIONAL CODE
 OF BOXING WEIGHT LIMITS


 When the war is over and the peo- pie have time to devote to more peaceful pursuits, it is to be hoped that one of the international questions that will be settled will be that of boxing weights and rules. An inter natioa1 code of rules and an ironclad agreement on weights, such as cannot be set aside at the pleasure of a, re- fierce or a, champion boxer, would be of vast assistance to the game.
 The weight question has long been discussed, but no satisfactory code has ever been generally adopted. At present the United States has one scale of weights. Great Britain an other, France another, and Australia another And all of these weight li- mutations are subject to the will of any man who has attained champion ship or ear-chanpionship honors.
 Wrangling over weights always precedes every important boxing match. If the authorities of all coun- tries could agree on a code of weights and insist upon their strict obser- vance, as much by champions as by the 1owliest duGos, it would mark a great Improvement in the game.
 When 8. boxer refuses to make the specified limit of weight governing his division, he should, if a champion,
 
 It is manifestly unfair to permit a champion hold onto his honors long after he has outgrown his class, when other good boys who can make the weight are thus deprived of a chance at the title.
 There is scarcely a champion so- called, today who will make the ring side weights which have generally been agreed upon. Kid Williams may be able to make 116 pounds ringside, but the fact remains that he has re- fused to do so. Yet he is still refer red to as the tbantamweight cham pion, when as a matter of fact the weight most to his liking is only a pound or two under the featherweight limit.
 Johnny KiEbane hasn't manifested any strong desire of late to make the featherweight limit, although he still chngs to the leadership of that divi- sion. All Johnny needs to be right is about four pounds more than the 122 pound limit.
 The American lightweight limit of 133 pounds has been sent into the discard by the champions, who claim the right to decide such little matters for themselves. Being a Britisher, Freddie Welsh can claim the right to fight at the British lightweight limit, 133 pounds. with some appearance of justice. But how about Willie Rit- srie, who still claims the lightweight champioship of America but who has adopted the British limit as being more in accord with his needs
 As a we1terweight champion, Mike Gibbons is fine niddelweight. The American welterweight limit, 142 pounds, doesn't appeal to the St Paul phantom at all, and he is at his best several pounds above the British wei l terweight limit of 147 pounds. | fT7n civ f0za I 7I<.x~r@ S-~I,I champions we have in our midst, not more than half Of them can make k158 pounds ringside. and some ot l them would find difficulty in getting down to 160 pounds, the British limit 1 for nidde1weights.
 l This matter of weights needs scien- tific study in order to arrive at a code that will work the greatest good te the greatest number. Too many di- visions detract from. the interest. o1 1 the game and reduce the value o1 l itschampion titles. Considering the latter in the light of the present and past history of the ring, the British weight limits seem more nearly just than those which have generally pre- vailed in America since the beginning 1 of the Queensberry era A study o1 ring history shows that a lightweight 1 limit of 135 pounds is better than 133 Two pounds isn't much, but it is | eOOS 1 hghtweights we have had. And the same is true of most of the other di- visions. British boxing authorities l have had much less trouble in en. forcing their weight provisions thar I those of America because in each di. vision the British weights range from two to five pounds higher than the l American.
 But whatever weights are finally agreed upon, the decision of the in ternational authorities should be fin l al When a boxer outgrows his l to make new limit to suit his con venfence, but should go into the mex 1 highest class.
 l For many years champions hay. considered it one of their preroga I lives to put up the bars against dan l gerous cha1engers by insisting upoI l a weight that would make the chal Ienger less dangerous. Whatever va l riation the ttt1e-ho1der insists on l whether up or down, is naturally al | in his favor.
 Many attempts have been made tt l agree upon g. standard of boxini 1 weights The sporting writers as | semb1ed at Reno for the Johnson Jeffries battle got together and agreet 1 upon a standard somewhat differen l from that then prevailing, but thei suggestions were without effect 1 American and English boxing author l ities have made several attempts t. get together on this question, bu l without any real results. The Amer1 cans were quite willing to have an in i ternationaI standard. provided it b+ based on the weights in vogue ol this side of the Atlantic. And tn 'fconservative'' Britishers were equal 1y willing to agree to the British stan dard as a. basis.
 One point, all American fans vii concede, as the British have the bes of us. In England the champion o each division becomes the holder o the Lonsdale belt, and he must defen | his honors within six months of re ceiving a challenge or give up hi
 belt. On this side a champion ma; refuse to fight anybody but third rate dubs, and still hang on to hi title for years. When he gets chal