The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-14
Lose IN a Punch What Took
II Years to Get?'-- Welsh
"Thcyd Call Ne a Fool if | Stuck Out NV Jaw and Let
Richie Knock Me Ont" Says Champion. Musing
on His Defeat.


Freddie welsh sat painting on the rub
down bench in his dressing room NJ
Madison Square Garden. lie heard the
a. wis Of the mob outside as they hailed
willie Richie as n wonder come back
sn.cialist. The smile that the cham
MON had worn all during the spirited
encounter n few minutes before still
remained. Handlers were busy trying
to unknot the laces of his fighting shoes.
when Freddie got his second wind he
had plenty to say
"Ritchie went In there to knock me
out--he said he would and he didn't. did
he, The crowd didn't like my way OF
preventing him from knocking me out.
What did they want me to do. stick my
law out and let him win back with n
ru,ch ,h,t which took me eleven years
10 earn
1--WE made ms reputation not as a
slusger. hut as Abe Attel and Jem
prIscoll did. Did they condemn Jem
Driscoll when he bolbed before hard
hitting Leach Cross for ten rounds?
leach nearly broke his back trying to
hit Jem. who simply moved this way and
,ha, without attempting to hit back.
m. fans thought that fine and they
laughed their heads off at the ease with
which ne avoided Cross.
I'm not "A Wolgast. n Rivers or a
Nelson. People always have paid TO see
ne box. They say | haven't "A punch.
Isn't that strange when my record
shows that rye won % per cent. of my
bouts with k~nockouts? Now that ! am
champion why should | start at the
eleventh year or the eleventh hour TO
establish a knockout record? It's silly
on the face OF Il. besides being deuced
had business. I'm getting the best OF
me percentage in all my bouts.
Il haven't sneaked of with my title to
ONE out hut once or twice n year to box
- champions before me have done. I'm
boxing on an average Of once a week.
meeting any boy that the promoters
nave asked me to face. I'm ~ constant
raining have been since ] an" back
with the title. I've been stale ana |
will be- stale again. It's only natural.
81 nnd myself running up u blind
alley. And Il hard to calculate the
.esser Of two evils-whcthcr to come
into the ring hard as nails hut stale from
overwork or to lay IN and do nothing
before a fght and come in fat and SLOW
and In no condition to put w "A tiptop
championship battle. I'm only human.
even II am y champion. No titlehuldcr
before me ever went down the line with
cut putting up a poor night
"A man can't always show Chompion-
shin class. no matter how great he is
cans was bounded often for his poor
bat,les. yet they'll never stop singing
his praises. Nelson was the laughing
stock of san Francisco when Jimmy
hritt came back and almost Knocked him
out. Nelson foundered around the ring
like an old woman and then he claimed
re had foolishly eaten two steaks before
entering the ring.
ITS impossible to keep going al top
sneed in any game. A ten second man
couldn't go at that clip every day for
ten days. He'd be- a horSible failure
bout the tenth day. It's like trying ~
eat A auau every day for a month. II
simply can't be done
Nobody knows this. hui ten days ago
realized I vas in awful shape. ! was
10 stale I couldn't lift my hands. ! had
70 quit work. ] rested. When Went
back % camp | had only four days in
which 10 get ready for Ritchie. But |
can't afford TO wait. I've only a year
eft. according to my resolution. in which
TO retir. champion and to max every
dollar that is coming to me.
'The champions before me stalled me
tut OF a chance. Neleon only a little
while ago said he knew ! could have
won from him in twenty rounds. VOL
cast ducked me and Richie ran out on
me in Vancouver when | had an oppor-
unity. II I'm getting II easy now
deserve every penny OF it. | dug M
90. 200 in cash to meet Riches de-
mands in London. Most of that money
came gu. of my own pocket. ] d!dn ,
&c. r cent out OF the fght and II cost me
5000 besides. They tucked me. | tel
YOU, almost to the end. of my career, and
then | had TO stake every dollar ! had in
the world on my chances
Nov I'm the champion. - my
ii,le at the worst possible time-a
erea, war OF the nations was on and
times were hard. Anything | did, In
o financial way, had TO be done quickly
and as often as possible. I've got 10
hustle II I get stale Joins it it's only
ID Human fault,
I'm heartily sick and tired Of fight
ins. You don't know how | loathe II
all. They'll all tell you that over in