Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-17
SPORTS
FIGHTER JIMMY WILDE
LITTLE ENGLISHMAN PIECE
OF FIGHT MACHINERY
said Z" Hr Greatest Since the Days of
Terry McGovern-Only Weighs
Ninety-Eight.

NEW YORK. July 1G-It remained
Tor ENGLAND to produce the greatest
piece or lighting machinery since the
! paimy days OF Terry McGovern--'Ter-
,,oie Ierry when at the zenith OF
ms powers was considered the nearest
approach TO perpetual motion the ring
mas ever seen. England has produced
a prototype OF McGovern
Ills name is Jimmy Wilde. and his
lighting weight is ninety-eight pound.
Ninety eight Dounds but IL ia ninety
eight pounds OF lighting energy; every
ounce OF Jimmy Wilde is fighting
energy. 1t could be nothing else. or
| Wilde wouldn't be the greatest little
man the ring has ever nodded
Wilde is twenty-five years old and
Is hywetght champion OF England
There is no such recognized champion
! IN America. as our standard OF ring
classes begins at bantamweight. so
1t is safe to assume that Wilde Is the
/ hyweight champion OF the world II
there Is any to dispute this claim. no
can have action soon as Jimmy
! Wilde is informed or the fact
In his heydey. and until this mite
Jimmy Wilde came along, Jem Driscol,
and Pedlar Palmer were considered by
britons the greatest boxers in the
world. Didn't the wizard Jem come
here and show up Abe Attel. the then
worlds featherweight champion? And
did Leachie Cross, outweighing his op-
I
/ Driscoll In ten rounds? No!
/ And they say on the other side that
/ Wilde Is even more clever than Dris-
/ coll Aud Wilde weighs exactly nine
! ty-eight pounds in nghting trim
We Americans judge Wilde's
ability only b. comparative means
Several months ago. Johnny ("Young'f)
Rosner. scaling liz pounds. went across
the Big Drink and fought Wilde. Tho
| bout was scheduled to go twenty
sponge into the ring In token OF de-
| feat.
Rosner was the best OF American
nyweights. II we may call l12-poundcr
a hyweisht Wilde scaled 102 pounds
fog that bout. Yet the Briton made
n show OF his American opponent. and
could have knocked him out at any
inc after the second round.
One OF Wilde's ring idiosyncrasies
when opposing an inferior fighter Is
TO amuse himself and the spectators
by making his antagonist miss while
I,he ducks and glides around without
Offering to return a blow.
But Wilde does not lack a lighting
instinct. He is an aggressive battler.
~ never backs away under fire.
" hencvcr an exchange OF blows Is In
vited, Wilde always hurls his little
body right into the fray. and never
,ithdraws until he or the other fellow
goes down. Wilde has never gone
| Town yet.
Wilde is a physical freak. as 1t were
kie tips, the beam at around 100 pounds
Shd is constructed like Il kangaroo. He
has Il tremendous reach; in fact, 1t Is
. such n tremendous reach that no fighter
IF his own weight. or anywhere near
his weight can slip inside his guard
to reach him with a damaging punch.
Wilde merely stands off and pecks and
abs opponent with a tRntalzfng
: eft until his foe, in despair at his
inability to rctaliate, either leaves an
ofcning for Wilde's deadly right-hc
Jacks knock -out In that paw--or
quits in disgust.
Wilde is contemp plating a trip to this
country. He would have come over
~ooner had he been assured of matches.
lie was compelled to forego tho trip
because there were no American fight
ers OF his weight. Wilde has been
resting a good deal of late In the hope
OF adding weight TO his frail body.
When he reaches notch over los
pounds he will come to these shores
to do battle with our best bantam
weights And then, Johnny Ertle and
Kid Williams. beware!
1t is said OF Wilde by Americans
who have seen him in action that thu
Brton would experience little difficulty
! try's premier bantams. Some have
victory by knock out over elthe r
endure twenty rounds. They say
'ounds to polish off either of these
lnl