Evening star., 1915-06-13
BY T. S. ANDREWS.

Gibbons, the St Paul phantom poSef
intends to retire from the game IN
about two years at the outside. but
his ambition is to win undisputed claim
to the middleweight championship be-
fore he does lay aside the padded mltts
Mike intends to fight either Jimmy
Clabby or the best man in the middle
weight division, besides himself. be-
fore the club run by Dominick Tor
torich at New Orleans some time DUR
ing the spring of 1916, probabl in Febru-
AIRY. which will be during the
Mardi Gras week. IN talk with
the ST. Paul boxer here the other
day Mike said. There are many oox-
ers, or fighters as the fans like to call
them, who never know when to quit
the ring They go along even a,.es yer
they must know themselves they are
has-beens, with the evident hope that
something may turn up to help tnehi
win back their laurels. but 1t is only
dream with them. Boxers. once thes
start to go backward, seldom get TO
the front again. Where one succeeds
one hundred fail. I do not pretend 10
be a great exception to the rule or ouI
of the ordinary run, but 1 DO thlnk L
know when 1 am going backward
when I get that knowledge into my
noodle it will be to the backgroun,a
for Michael. 1 figure now that VIII
have about two more good years IN
the ring. and will then De wililns ~
step aside and let some of the younger
men take the laurels I have not been
of the spendthrift kind, but have saved
my money, and when the day comes
that I have to lay the gloves asioe
self and family. 1 would like to get
a clear title to the middleweight cham
pionship, however, and for that reason
] have signed articles with MI Tor
ALL n a
the big championship tournament whlch
he intends to hold during February
or March of 1916.
It does not matter to me who they
twenty rounds and for the title.
named Jimmy Clabby, as at the time
of signing it looked as If Jimmy was
the best man in the country besides my
self. Since then big claims have been
made for jeff Smith. who recently was
disqualified in Australia; Jack Dillon,
Eddie McGoorty and Young Ahearn; i;
also Mick King and Les Darcy of Aus
tralia. However. it does not matter TO
me who my opponent may be as long
as 1t is for the title. l see by some
of the papers that Soldier Martheld,
whom 1 met in Brooklyn last week. had
the shade on me. Well, most of the pa
pers ] saw gave me the verdict, and
others a draw, but 1t was my own
fault that I did not defeat him in de-
cisive manner. In my match with Leo
Houck / sprained my side, which had
been previously hurt in training, but
did not realize that 1t was SO severe.
I did not want to put the club in the
hole the last moment. for Johnny Weis-
mantel (the promoter) is a fine fell
low, and decided to take a chance. I
soon found that the side bothered me
more than I had bargained for. but
could do nothing but go ahead and
take my medicine. Bartfe1d is
young man who is very rough and
efr h,1t loc in nd
to beat at that 1 was sorry, on ac-
count of the fans. that was compelled
to hold back at times. for ] have al
ways tried my best to give them every
thing have in the way of boxing. but
in this case 1 simply had to protect
myself and that no doubt enabled Bart
field to make much better showing
than he otherwise would have done.
intend to rest up a few weeks at my
home and II the side bothers me still I
will cancel all matches until the fall
season opens up"
Battling Nelson. the former light
weight champion. Is out again with a
challenge for Freddy Welsh for
crack at the title. Bat offers to make
a match with the title-holder at Denver.
but asks that the distance be made
forty-f1ve rounds, in which event he
will ask nothing as his share of the
contest, permitting Welsh to take the
entire purse of $4,000. The Colorado
present. so that 1t would be impossible
for Nelson any one else to stage a
bout of forty-fiye rounds. There Is no
denying the fact that Nelson sur
prised the boxing world when he en-
gagged in two matches at Havana last
spring, one of them going twenty-five
rounds, and against a boy heavier than
himself While have had the greatest
admiration for Battling Nelson. both
as man and fighter, l cannot see
where he has chance against a clever
man like Welsh. and. furthermore, the
fans throughout the country would
much rather, am sure, show their ap-
probation by giving Bat a testimonial
than to see him try to engage in an
other battle of double marathon.
There was time when he would have
gone through the battle like a cyclone
but that time has passed.
John j. McGann and Miah Murray,
directors of the Boston Athletic As
sociation, are interested in the move
ment to establish an organization for
the control of boxing in the United
states, the same as in Europe and
Australia Mr. McGann has Joined in
with Dominick Tortorich of New Or
leans. Charles Murray of Buffalo, the
Denver A. C.. Milwaukee and other
clubs. and wants meeting called some
time In July or August to formulate
plans. etc. to start the ball rolling
They all agree that such an organiza-
tion Is badly needed and the indica-
tions are that definite action will be
taken toward that end before next
fall. 1t is not intended TO create an
organization for the benefit of pro-
moters alone. but to protect the boxers
as well, and to place the game on
higher plane. When the meeting is
called a rough draft of rules, etc, to
govern the organization will be sub
mitted to those attending and what
ever changes are necessary can easily
be made.
Jack Dillon. the Indianapolis middle
better forget about challenging Jess
Willard for a championship battle for
the world title. II reports are cor
rect, Jack has been issuing a def to
Willard to fight him in a marathon
battle for side bet and purse Jack
is wonderful fighter in his own
class, but he had better remain there
and not attempt to do the Impossible
The old story about good big man
and good little man, etc still holds
good. Jack has shown that he can
whip many of the heavyweights and
middleweights: in fact. some of then
are not anxious to clash with him, but
r@hen IN comes to meeting a man of
Wizards size and weight il is diff
ferent matter Dillon whipped Gun
boat Smith IN ten-round contest in
Milwaukee-that is. he had the hest
of it on points-and judging from the
way things stood AT the end Of tho
bout Jack would have won in a longer
fight.
At that time Jack weighed III and
Smith Is4, but III and 40 for VIII
lard would be vastly different ,p.tp