Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-06
TO SETTLE FIGHT MUDDLES
Year Of 1915 Will Likely See the
Establishment Of Champions
in All Divisions.
ALL NEW CHAMPS MAY BOB UP

NEW YORK. Feb B-This year may
prove a most productive one for fstiana.
AFTER a lapse OF. ioi these many years,
the various divisions finally are to he
adjusted. with o recognized champion for
each class. The middeweight situation
IL clarifying itself, a. Is the weiterweight
nuddle. II will take about two more
bouts 20 settle the middieweight question
while the welterweight tangie may be
etraightened out with the holding Of three
or four battles between the leading claim
ants OF the title.
II requires but Mike Gibbons-M Nc
Coy match. and a Gibbons-Ies Darcy bat
tie TO establish the riEhtful middleweight
champion. Little doubt II entertained OF
Gibbons ability TO knock out Mccoy. a
third rate fighter who Is srimly clinging
to championship claim by virtue Of his
one-punch knockout Of George Chip. II
he's been lntirnatcd that McCoy crossed"
chip after the latter had agreed to let
him stay the limit Of ten rounds. Mccoy
has been trimmed most persistently since
that evening, third and second raters
handing him Unreasonable punishment.
as well as middleweights OF better cali
her.
Gibbons and Mccoy fought at Brook
ossion Gibbons disarranged McCoys fea-
lures until he was almost unacceptable.
Only Gibbons compassion for an inferior
opponent saved Mccoy from knocKout.
Gibbons still maintains the same proper
tion Of class over Mccoy. and would not
have any trouble in scoring Mccoy from
his championship aspirations inside OF
five rounds.
That naturally would bring the issue
down TO Gibbons and Darcy. While Glib
bons has been engaged in eliminating
the middleweight eontenders In this coun-
try. Darcy has been eminently successful
in pressing his title campaign on the
other side Of the universe. In faraway
Australia Darcy mas developed into a
formidable middleweisht. Already he has
been classed with Bob Fitxsimmons and
Stanley Ketchel. although lacking the
combativeness OF the Inflated Stanley.
Darcy has stified the championship walls
Of such good performers as Eddie Nc
Goorty. Jimmy clabby and Jeff Smith
The winner Of the Gibbons-Darcy match
would OF a certainty be recognized uni
versally as the worlds premier middle
weight And rightly so. too.
AS mentioned several months ago. Darcy
win not come TO this country for another
year. SO Gibbons will have 20 tramp
across 20 the other side OF the world n
he II DESTROYS Of becoming the worlds
championship middleweight. Mike has all
ready been offered several luscious purses
20 make the iunket. but he demands tho
equivalent OF s7o.Oo0. in purse and round
trip tickets for three.
Lewis Leads Field.
Tho wclterweight baube IL stili IN abey-
anca although Ted-Kid Lewis 10 the
foremost claimant Of tho title. and he
n rapidly enhancing his claims by win
ming consistently. He has eliminated
while Richie. Charley white. Milburn
savior. and several other overgrown light
weights. and also has disposed OF the
leading weiterweights. among them Kid
Graves and Jack Britton. Lewis. how
ever. must first dispose or Mike Glover
basore he can hope 20 be looked upon "a
the legitimate title holder Glover holds
. point decision over Lewis. and re-
turn match II eagerly sought by Lewis.
- that he may wipe out the stigma OF
that defeat.
Now. hurdling over 20 still another
division. II would occasion little surprise
II new champion was 70 be crowned IN
the lightweight division before the cal
endar year OF 1915 is out. Certain II IA
that Freddie Welsh will he knocked on,
81 he ever consents TO take on a hardy
lightweight for any distance over twenty
rounds. But Il r. unlikely that Freddie
will permit himself TO be inveighed into
q Marathon match unless ne is amply
recompensed-say something like 5000
for twenty rounds. Welsh. be Il known
has been leading an irregular life for
nearly a year. and the wonder OF Il al
Is that he hasn't been stopped In some
Of his ten-round bouts. Welsh Is wary
old ring bird, and 30 far out-generals the
other llghtweights that no can nearly
always manage 20 stall his way through
ten rounds. As long as he Is on hts feet
at the end OF ten rounds, Freddie re
snains champion. But the time Ia no
far off when a fair-hltting lightweight
viii catch Freddie unawares and sill
him the punch soporific.