Evening star., 1915-03-22
BOXING GAME IS DAMAGED
BY DEMANDS OF RING STARS
Grab-All Policy of Some of the Champions
Sets Precedent That Has Done
Harm to the Sport.

he put up a remarkable performance.
Now comes Artie Root, a youngster
whom Matt Hinkle. the referee and
sportsman, has been grooming for some
time. Root has had a number Of bat
ties, and has won practically all of
them. He put up a remarkably fast
bout against Johnny Kirk, another
highly touted boy of Pittsburgh, and
now his manager. Mr.. Hinkle, wants to-
match him against any of the feather
weights outside the champion and the
real contender-Chaney.
Don't ever think that Jess Willard
is going to have a fine time of it when
he meets that colored man, Jack John
son. said Jim Buckley. manager of
Gunboat Smith, while discussing the
relative merits of the men the other
night here. "I have seen that black
man in a number Of fights and I know
his methods pretty we'll. All this talk
about Johnson being a wreck or near
wreck is bosh. Why, that fellow would
rather be champion than President of
SO. and he means it. You can gamble,
too. that Johnson will be in pretty
good shape for the fight. He is as
strong str g as any heavyweght ever saw saw
way forever, and some one will get
him If he continues fighting. He is a
smart one, too, and when the other
side thinks he is dissipating to excess
man always has a chance, and Willard
has a good chance. His build and
makeup would make him a wonderful
fighter, but remember that Gunboat
Smith defeated him fairly in California.
He may have improved a lot since
then, but he will need all Of it against
this man johnson. If he should win
1t will be a case of youth and strength
all over again."
The Australian climate must have
proven a great elixir for Fritz Holland,
the California middleweight. for he is
than year ago Fritz went to Australia
and after having few boxing matches
entered into the physical culture busf-
ness and did remarkably well. Holland
kept on boxing and put up better con-
tests each time, with the result that he
recently was matched with Dave Smith.
the former middleweight champion and
present heavyweight champion of that
country. The match took place at
Snowy Bakers stadium in Sydney and
was splendid contest, according to
reports which have just reached me,
and the verdict went to Smith by mar
row margin at the end of twenty
and his work is all the more remark
able when these things are considered.
The contest was SO good that a re-
match is talked of.
Gunboat Smith. the New York heavy
weight white hope. met a tartar in
Jack Dillon, the Hoosier middleweight,
before the Cream City A. c. of Milwau
kee. during the week. losing the. popu-
lar verdict by fair shade. Jack gave
away fully ten pounds in weight. seal
ing in himself at III, while the Gun
boat weighed 1873. The fight itself was
hard one and full of action. some
thing unusual between the heavy
weights. Dillon was another Tom
Sharkey for aggressiveness and stam-
ina. The Hoosier carried the fight to
punches slowed Smith up toward the
end of the battle. Gunboat was al
ways dangerous with his right over
hand wallop. but Jack was usually in
side of it when Smith started the hay
maker. Only once did the Gunboat
man put over the right swing to the
jaw. and it shook Jack up quite a bit,
but he merely danced away and came
heavyweight affair it was a big sue
cess, but Gunboat will have to show
more speed to beat the Hoosier cham
pion. Mike Gibbons. the St. Paul
Dillon. for he may have to fight the
Hoosier for the middleweight title
Dillon has been after all the middles
for the past three years. but somehow
boy as much as possible. Gibbons said
after the fight that he would make a
match with Dillon. but at nothing
above 15s pounds. Jack and his man
ager were ready with the cash forfeit
of $1,000. c. r. Kennedy Of Indianapolis
having offered to furnish any sized for
felt for such a match. Not only has
Dillon offered to put up a $1,000 for
felt. but he says he will guarantee an
other $1,000 out Of his end of the purse
should he be a pound or half a pound
overweight: It would be great match
without doubt.
There is moro talk Of Packey McFar-
land getting into the game again. but
the fans are not anxious to see the
Chicago pride mix up in match with
boy like Fred Gilmore. who has been
out of the ring for a year or two, and
who was never classed as match for
the stockyards lad. Mcfarland is a
past master at the boxing game. but
the fans want to see him against a
man of his own class. such as Mike
Gibbons, for instance. Then there will
be some real interest in the match.
Mike has offered to make 145 pounds
for Packey, which should suit him to