Evening journal., 1915-04-19
jess should HAVE
Consulted union
Willar d S ForgetlulneSS
Causes Foreigners TO
Make Queer Decision
HIS TITLE IS
NOT RECOGNIZED

It's not with a desire TO complicate
the foreign situation that We call at
tention to the high handed actions of
the International Boxing Union,
which has its headquarters in Paris,
and which assumes TO dictate to the
remainder of the boxing world. AL
though America is not represented in
this august body. the officials Of the
International Boxing Union lay down
the law TO Uncle Sans boxers the
same as If they were residents of
small French province.
II would not be 50 bad II the Of
ficials Of the union had at least re-
mote conception of the subject or box
ing, but they are so hOpelessly igno-
rants Of the rules and history of the
game that all their utterances and
proclamations are Of the opera bouffo
order.
The union has made many startling
and extraordinary decisions. hut the
latest ukase, in which the union ruth
lessly knocks the heavyweight crown
from the feverish brow of Monsieur
Jessay Weelard of Pottawattonie, is
by long odds the most remarkable
pronouncement in the history Of pugi-
lism. n seems that the Kansas cow
boy knocked out the holder of the
worlds heavyweight title without first
consulting the union. and he has
therefore been sentenced to meet Sam
Langford in a bout before his claim
to the title will receive the gracious
O. r. OF the union.
According to the unions attitude the
tall white man should have known
that the International Union several
years ago decreed that the champion
ship lay between Jack Johnson and
Sam Langford. and Johnson. there
fore. had no business fighting with
any one previous TO dispOsing OF the
stumpy Bostonian.
However. as Willard. overlooking
the rule laid down by the union. has
gone and put Johnson to sleep be-
fore Johnson and Langford had a
chance 10 settle the question Of SUI
prcmacy, willard. in order to comply
with the orders of the union. must
engage Langford in battle and sub
due him. Then and then only will
the union concede that willard is
the heavyweight, champion OF the
world.
The predicament in which willard
finds himself now should be a warn
ing 10 all other ambitious heavy
weights not TO make any matches
with the holder Of the title until the
/ international Boxing Union has had
ON opportunity to look the ground
over and decide as to whether the
, ffI. hot ho
Previous to learning of the unions
decision Willard had drawn the color
line. and as Langford is about two
shades blacker than Johnson Willard
cannot make an exception In the case
of the Bostonian.
This would be a serious situation
If II were not for the fact that Amer
ican boxers care no more for the
rulings Of the International Union
than they do for the proclamation of
Battling Keefe. Il is OF course a
howling farce to question the cham
pionship status of a man who has
beaten the holder of the title, but the
International Union is equal to the
occasion.
/ Quite naturally a man with ordi-
nary common sense knows that Will
> lard is the undisputed heavyweight
champion of the world and that the
| only way Langford or any other
negro can get the title is by whipping
the title holder. AS Willard has
drawn the color line there is small
chance of the heavyweight title being
held by a negro while willard is
I strong enough to defeDd the honors.
I Willard will hardly be accused Of
lack of courage in refusing to meet
any OF the aegrO heavyweights.
/ Other Peculiar Rulings.
The Willard ruling is not the only
remarkable performance ~ the In
tornational Boxing Uniop Billy
Papke in 1912 won from Carpenter.
the French middleweight champion.
and at once the excitable officials de-
clared Papke the middleweight cham
pion OF the world and gave a diamond
belt to the Illinois Thunderbolt em-
blematic OF tho championship. Pre-
I vious to the victory over Carpenter
Papke had lost decisions TO Dave
Smith. middleweight champion of
Australia. TO Cyclone Johnny Thomp-