Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-16
NO FULTON BATTLE
FOR JESS WILLARD
Heavyweight Champion Is
Tied Up With Ironclad Cir
Gus Contract.
ROCHESTER MAN WANTS
CHANCE FOR BIG TITLE
Much Disappointed Over Not Being
Able to Get Match This
Summer.
BY T. s. ANDREWS.

heavyweight ute, was a very d1Sap-
pointed man, as was also his manager,
Mike Collins. when 1t was announced
that Tom Jones, manager of Willard.
had turned down the offer OF $4,000
cash for a ten-round no-decision match
with Fred Fulton st Minneapolis Labor
day. Harry Sherman, the Minneapolis
movie man, made the offer and even
said he would go $1,000 better, making
I. $4,000 in ell. III order 70 land the
match. However, Tom Jones said he
was tied up by an ironclad contract
with the circus people and could not
get away. He promised, however, that
he would give Fulton first chance for
q match when the contract with the
circus ended, which means the two
big fellows may get together some
time late this fall.
Manager Collins takes a little diff
ferent view of the situation. 1T is
not my object to belittle Willard in
any way, nor to accuse him of trying
to avoid match" said Collins. but
1t seems awfully strange to me that
champion should pass up $4,000 in
cash for ten-round contest if he did
not have good reasons for doing so. 1t
was my understanding that Willard
could get few weeks off from the
circus in the event of a big match.
Whether he means a title match or not
I do not know, but it is certainly a
big match when he can get $4,000 for
his end, with no decision at stake
Fulton and myself have declined 9TH
or matches in which big money was Of
fered US, in order to get a chance at the
champion. and We have lost a lot of
money by doing So We were willing
to accept anything at all from the Min
neapolis promoters in order to test
strength with Willard. OF course we
prefer a twenty-round battle in which
the title would be involved. but as
could not get that, we were willing to
take the next best thing. which was
ten-round contest. Tom Jones promised
US first chance at willard and now that
he has failed to go through with this
Labor day proposition. l am going to
hold him to that promise later on. as
have heard that Willard was to retire
from the game when his circus con-
tract ends l hope not because II is my
firm belief that if Fulton and Willard
ever meet in a championship battle,
that the Minnesota boy will relieve
Willard of his crown. i do not intend
to be fooled any longer with such
promises, but will start now and enter
a campaign with Fulton to meet all
corners. We have matches in sight at
Fort Wayne. Ind: Windsor. Ont: Day.
ton, Ohio. and, in fact, numerous other
places throughout the country. Fulton
will keep in training and then if Mr..
willard changes his mind in the fall we
will be ready for him for any distance
he may decide"
Matt Hinkel of Cleveland. president
of the American Boxing Association,
Is making a strong effort to bring
about a championship match for the
featherweight title between Johnny
Kilbane. holder. and George CLANCY of
Baltimore, challenger. 1t is surely
about time that Kilbane defended his
title in real match. Promoters have
tried to get these boys together for
the past year, but without success
Mr.. Hinkel was SO enthused over
the crowd at Sandusky, Ohio (Which is
near Cedar Point. July 4. that he has
been approached by the business men
of Cedar Point to try and bring these
boys together Labor day. There is no
doubt that CLANCY will be easy to deal
with, but whether Kilbane could be
obtained for such match is another
question. AS Mr.. Hinkel is at the head
of the boxing association he may de-
eide to take some action against Kill
bane, providing he is convinced that
the champion tries to avoid meeting
where the title is at stake. II the
contest is arranged il will no doubt
be for fifteen rounds and to a decision.
although most places in Ohio are under
the no-decisioU rule, a few exceptions
having been made during the past year.
where decisions have been given. 1t
is likely too, that if the match is
made il will not be at 122 pounds,
which has been the featherweight
limit heretofore, but at 125 pounds or
Whereabouts. as kilbane does not IKE
the low weight any more than Chaney.
Young Zulu Kid, the little Brooklyn
fighter who has ben beating all corners
in the east at 10 pounds and over, Is
hot on the trail of Johnny Ertle. Zulu $
manager Joe Sarno. is out with chal-
lenee to both Ertle and Kid Williams,
the champion, and he does not ask
anything unreasonable on the part or
either fighter. Zulu KID ofered TO
meet Ertle AT any weight he may name
from 10 pounds at ringside. up He is
willing to fight ten rounds or twenty
rounds on a "winner-take-al basis
that is. If the match is for twenty
rounds-and let the winner meet Will
Hams for the championship. He says
that in case Ertle VIII not make a
match with him he is willing TO hook
up with Williams the same terms.
The little fellow has made a great rec
ord during the past year, having boxed
boys weighing from ITO 10 ia pounds.
and there is no doubt that he is well
entitled to the fiy-weight championship
Of this country. Here is a chance for
Mike McNulty, manager of Ertle, to
get busy and pave his way to the cham
pionship.
The Million-Dollar Athletic Club Of
Colorado Springs is trying to live up
TO it's name by offering Sl7,5oo to Fred
die Welsh to meet any lightweight the
club may select for title match Labor
day the distance to be twenty rounds.
The clubhouse where the bouts have
been held in Colorado Springs is not
very large, but II is understood that
the men behind the proposition intend
TO build a new stadium However, II
should cut very little figure as long as
the club is made up of millionaires for
they should not object to paying s25 a
seat for an exclusive sport event of
thts kind
Harry Pollok. manager for Welsh
has accepted the proposition and IL is
up to the club to get an opponent. The
men who are most prominently named
in this connection are Charlie White.
Richie Mitchell. Johnnie Dundee, Benny
Leonard and Ever Hammer. The weight
would be l35 pounds at o'clock and
all of these boys could make the weight
easily. with the exception of Hammer.
and the chances are that il properly
trained he would have no trouble get
ting down to that poundaRe OF the
entire list White. no doubt. has first
claim to a chance at the title. but the
other boys also have right to be con
sidered seriously in the matter. espe-
c!alIy Leonard, Dundee and Mitchell
II might have been a good Idea for
these boys 70 have held an elimina.
ion tournament and let the winner
meet welsh. but such a proposition
would no doubt meet with obstacles
Immediately il II were preached ia
them. Such a tournament would be al