The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-20
(By James J. Corbett. Former Heavy weight of the World 5 (SpeciaT to the Farmer

Special to the Farmer
 1 Promoters in New York and else where are trying to work up interest in a Packey-McFar1a Freddy Welsh
 match, so do not be surprised 1T you wake up some of these fine mornings and learn that the champion has agreed to box the stock yards expert lten no-decision rounds.
 I If the match is made New Y ork will probably get it. Mcfarland Is a. Tremendous card in Gotham and no matter who his opponent may be will be sure to draw big crowd. Against | Welsh even Madison Square Garden would be none too commod1ous. Mo | Farland, although apparently taking little interest in the sport these days, tlhas so I am informed been working Eassiduous1y and is prepared to step in l the ring on a weeks notice, Instead. I of weighing in the netghborhood of I15O, as the critics will have it, am told that Packey will find it a joke. to make 1855 at 2 o'clock, the weight condition suggested in the proposed l bout with the champion. l McFarland's early return to. the ring will be welcomed by sports l everywhere. An artist of his type was bound to be missed, and there are many who never realized just what a great little man with the gloves Packey is until hesvoluntari1y retired. i Welsh at his best wau1d give McF'ar-
 land a warm argument as he has | done sevraI times, but the Welsh of
 today will. find it a difficult job to | keep Packey, from showing up.
 The lightweight champion is ripe
 for a. Heking.s I trust that when Welsh
 is beaten it will be by a boy worthy
 of the title and not by some dub who has been picked as a mark, and who
 manages to put over lucky hay
 maker.
 4i v l Welsh by the way has been rather | a busy man since getting back on the z job. In the past month he has engag-
 ed in four bouts, and next Friday l night boxes Charley White another ten round bout in Milwaukee. After that Freddy has nothing to do until he meets Willie Ritchie at Madison
 Square Garden on March II.
 It will be time enough to speculate
 on the McF1arland--Welsh match when Freddy has disposed of these
 two huskies. If the champion can come through both these matches with flying co1ors it will begin to look as if we will have to cali out the re- serves in the person of MeF'arland But Freddie will have his work cut out to even hold his own against White and Ritchie, if his recent per formahces in the Garden are. any cri- terion.
 :, welsh outboxed Willie Beecher b5 no great margin although Beeche1
 was hog fat and at best is poor ex
 cuse for boxer. Joe Shugrue out 1 pointed the champion for the secone , | time two weeks ago and had de. cisions been allowed the refere< | would have no alternative than tc A pass the title along to the Jersey boy \ | It is also true that Shugrue shaded White in their ten round set at the
 Garden a month ago, but White ha: ] a better chance to defeat the cham T f11 ? you why.
 B Welsh when good was a naryelou r defensive boxer. he was here, there y and everywhere in the ring, and ai r slippery as an eel. Even Packey M y F'arland admitted the cleverest of tn g lightweight division, found Freddy 1 o tough proposition to hit. But in re e cent matches Welsh has been slow
 and when Willie Beecher can land or e him time and again then there is onfy y one thing to be said for the champion IS which is that he has gone back Q long way.
 e White carries a. wal1op, a puncl
 that if it lands on the right spot il y liable to put the recipient away fol V the count of ten. He has proved thi 'I in many encounters. Welsh is nc U longer hard to hit; he can't evade hi =. opponents punches as he could sew l- LeraI years ago. White has left hool e that is beauty and unless Freddy 1 e lucky he is in danger of being shaker
 up badly, if no more, by one of then in the coming Milwaukee bout. Whit = has the chance of a lifetime, and tna u he appreciates it was sdenpnstrated b, Ie his refusal to box Welsh when suffer Is ing from slight cold recently ;s Charley realizes that one punch ma As make him the cIlarnp pion and intend
 to be in the very best condition hea1tl 2 and hard work can put him when h again steps in the ring with the titl holder.
 If the match goes the limit loo for Welsh to gain the popular verdic as White is not so f1asny 3. boxer an \ appears to lack aggressiveness. A least that. seemed to be his greatee when boxing Shugrue at the GardeI - But anyone who has seen Welsh i - his last half dozen bouts will not b
 surprised if Charley connects with
 K O. before the ten rounds are LII s Freddy, as L. said above, can be hi
 and White can punch as hard as an
 lightweight in the game today.
 welsh, if successful against Whit
 will have what will probably prov
 the hardest test of his career whe
 he faces Ritchie on March H. Tn ?. latter is determined to force tn
 champion to give him return bot
 lover a twenty round distance to a de
 I cision, and to achieve this laudabl
 ambition he will have to prove to th
 satisfaction of the natchmakers ths ,o he is the Willie Ritchie of old. Wels has confidence enough in, his abili1 = to defeat his rival over a ten roun
 bout, but to outpoint Ritchie decisive lss ly in the coming match he will hay - to put on more speed than he hs E shown us in many a long day.
 Ad Wo1gast is to make his bow E New York, sports again next wee
 The ex-champion has been signed
 box ten rounds with Leach Cross, tF
 hard-hittng east sider. Cross hs
 been after a match with the formt @ bear cat of the lightweight divisio
 Leach is a business man from sta