Evening star., 1915-12-19
SECOND-CLASS BOXERS HAGGLE
OVER GIVING AWAY OF WEIGHT
Fighters Of the Front Rank frequently Have
Met Opponents Weighing Five to
Ten Pounds More.
BY Ripley.

are the ones that will suffer in the end.
When boxer displays his wares and
Is honest with the fans they are the
first to recognize the fact and give him
encouragement. A boxer should realize
also that II the A. B. A. is not given all
the support possible it only means that
the game will suffer and the fighters
VIII be the ones to get the short end of
II. Topnotchers. who have been draw
ing princely sums for their work, might
also be compelled to get away from
the game and do some real work for a
living, and you know most OF them
myself included-are very poor work.
ers; and I might say that also goes
when they are in the ring. If were a
champion I would do all in my power
to help such an association along. for
1t seems to me that it is badly needed
In this country, and I trust that the
do"
Ted Lewis, the wonderfully clever
Jewish boxer from England, who has
been creating furores in the east by
his many victories. seems to have gone
stale just at a time when he was be-
ginning to reap the harvest Of his
splendid work. He was taken i'll, and
the indications are that he will have
to keep out of it for few weeks. He
was matched at Boston with Mike
Glover, but since being taken i'll Sol
dier Bartf1eld was substituted. Efforts
are being made to bring Lewis out
west against some of the good welter-
the chances are the western fans will
have an opportunity to look him over.
What should prove to be one of the
classiest lightweight contests of the
year has been arranged for December
81, at the Milwaukee Auditorium. The
principals in this event will be Joe
Mandot. the southern lightweight
waukee star. They are booked to go
ten rounds before the Cream City Ath-
letic Club. Both of these boys are ex-
tremely clever and fast on their feet.
Mandot has reputation for possess
ing very fast left hand and also a
good jolt with 1t. In all his fights he
has used his left with great effect and
also his right cross. with which he has
won numerous contests. Mitchell fights
along similar lines: except that at
stead of sending it straight to the
point. Like Mandot. he possesses a
very good right hand, but he does not
always 1r~ try . to use the cross With it as
more of a short right upper cut. These
boys have been talking match for the
last year, but nothing was ever ac-
complished until a few weeks ngo
when Manager Tommy Walsh offered
to match Mandot against the Milwau
kee pride in ten-round contest The
weight will be easy for each one-133
pounds at 3 o'clock. There will be
to 1t. as the winner will in all proba-
bility be matched with Johnny Dundee,
the lightning-like jumping jack of
the east.
Ohio possesses one of the classiest
lightweights in the country, but very
little is heard of the young man these
days. The star in question is Johnny
Griffiths of Akron. Ohio. There are
few 135-pounders in the states who
have anything on the Ohio boy, Freddy
Welsh included. but for some reason
Johnny has never been favored with Il
real chance at the lightweight crown.
He has fought most of the stars in the
division, but has not had tho boosting
that most of the topnotchers get. Grif-
fiths has been getting bit heavier of
late and finds it hard to get below 135
pounds, but as the champion, Freddy
weight, it suits the Ohio boy nicely. A
match between Ted Lewis and Grifffths
over the twenty-round route. or with
Willie Ritchie around the 13S-pound
mark, would be treat.
1t is evidently the intention of Mike
Gibbons to retire from the roped
arena within the next year and en-
into the place occupied by himself as
one of the star middleweights. The
promoters at st. Paul were willing to
substitute Tommy for Mike against
Young Ahearn, and Manager Dan Nc
Ketrick was willing to accept the
change. but Mike no doubt considered
Tommy was not quite ripe for the test
and refused to o. K. it. Mike has in
timated that he will engage in three or
four more good matches and then re-
tire. He will take the management
of Brother Tommy and match him
against the stars of the land. In the
meantime Mike is teaching Tommy all
he knows about the game and coaching
him in new angles, which he figures
will be of benefit to him when he starts
out as title contender.