The Alaska citizen., 1916-06-12
TED LEWIS HAS
CLASS AS BOXER.

be uulN eTSal\ recognized a. luf champion of that division
 II is not necessary 10 place Levi. on the welterweight pedestal and idolize him as the champion 1T is for Lewis himself to fight his way to that position and he will los no time in doing just that very thing.
 Lewis started his championship campaign when he took the best vel terweight in America Willie Ritchic and lambasted out of him every tt"iar aspiration The latter stv. entertained Ritchie went into the ring one and three-quarters pounds above the welterweight standard of 142 pounds, while Lewis came in sea ing l5g'4. Only CISpaT.t of four pounds. but enough of an advantage for fighter Of RitchieS calibre to enhance into a victory. But Ritchie could not turn thsz advantage to profit. for Lewis al ways showed the master hand.
 The welterweight division was really eNhumed in the Lew s-R.tcAf. fight After hiatus of many years the division has jumped into pop ular favor once more and at the head of it is a Britisher-a Brit isher for the time being at most. For Ted-kid Lewis desires to become an American citizen. and as soon as practicable he will forswear his allegiance to King George.
 Lewis has just passed his majori- ty, and when his claim to the wei terweight title is established he will be among the youngest of ri9G champions Lewis first began wear ing crowns-of the sort used 10 distinguish boxing chaupions-at at the tender age of r. That Was less than five years ago He won the bantamweight championship of Eng land and then hit the trail for Aus tralia. He returned to England and challenged Welsh to brush for the lightweight title of the Islee; but Freddie graciously retreated anu came to America. Lewis, persist ent lad followed the Pontyprdl boxer across the Big Drink But Welsh just as persistent in dodg ing. refused to have anything to do with Lewis so far as the rinS was concerned.
 Lewis came here in the fall ot 1914 and in his first appearance disarranged the features of Phil Bloom The latter outweighed his tow-headed rival many pounds, Dut Lewis showed latent possibilities and he was promptly placed undet the protecting wing of tommy John stone, who is managing his affairs after break" had occurred
 The climate of these Amalgamat ed States evidently agreed with Lew is, for he bounded right into the lightweight division where he snoop- ed around for nearly a year, beat ing some of the best performers in that division. Even Charley White, the Chicago whirlwind, sue cumbcd to Irw~' cloynrnes:
 As there were no more light weights to conquer, Lewis begged his manager to resurrect the wei terweight division and proclaim him the champion. This Johnstone u1- hesitatingly did after Lewis had promised to defend the selfimpoSed title against all corners
 Willie RitChie was the first le2itj- mate welter to fall victim 1 ewis has gone so far as to box middle weights with unfailing success h1t now that he has a regular Voca tion-bossing the walterweiehts- t s unlikely that he will step GU If that pasture unless forced to do by added weight. He still has three pounds to go to hit the wei torweight mark. And he is at hi pest uuueT llle 1tU puuuuS.
 Hark, A sound as from tomb, Why, it is the mournful wall or our own Packey Mcfarland He deslres to know why he, of all per sons, should be left out of the wei terweight consideration.
 Of course, Packey is about trying to prove his right to the 142-pounG championship; but he neglects to state that he can never make that poundage Yet he would be cham pion, although he has long out grown the welterweight division.
 For years Packey went along beat ing up lightweights when he was a welterweight himself, Now, when he is a full fledged middlewe;ght he wants to lick all the little wei terweights. Naughty Packey.
 By the way. Packey is becomog Z a regular promoter of sports He has interested himself in the pro motion of a siX-day bicycle race in Chicago, and now he is thinking of hiring a baseball park 70 stage fights and other sporting events dur ing the summer. Packey just cant keep out of the sporting limclight