New-York tribune., 1916-07-22
WeIch Objects
To Referee, Bout
With White off
Pollok's Champion Refuses to
Fight at Minneapolis-May
Mingle at Denver.

Minneapolis, July 2i.-Freddie Welsh
called off his scheduled bout with
Charlie White tonight because the pro-
moters refused TO permit him to import
his own referee. The club proposed
Billy Hoke. but as Welsh has been
skating along the thin edges of the
ring of late he does not care to engage
in bout, even q ten-round no-decision
affair, unless the arbitrator is warm
personal friend Safety first" has
been the motto of the lightweight cham
pion ever since he acquired the title.
AS soon as the bout was declared Off
Harry Pollok announced that ii was
extremely probable that White would
be Welsh's opponent in the Labor Day
fight at Denver, which will be a twenty
round bout to a decision. White is the
most sluggish and least formidable of
the contenders, consequently Welsh be-
leves that he can keep away from
him for twenty rounds. But before he
goes into the ring he will make certain
that the man who is to render the de-
( cision is a relative of his by blood or
marriage.
Bennie Leonard, who is to be Welsh's
next opponent, declares quite calmly
that he expects to knock out the cham
pion in considerably less than ten
rounds. This would be some accom-
plishment, for Welsh on the defensive
is perhaps as clever boxer as ever
put on the gloves
Leonard now claims that It was only
stage fright that prevented him from
winning the title at the last bout at
Madison Square Garden. He was wor-
ried because he was fighting the cham
pion and could not get over the rush
of diffidence until the bell changed at
the end of the tenth and he suddenly
became aware that Welsh was almost
an easy mark.
There is no doubt that Leonard gave
Welsh about as tough a battle as any
of his antagonists and that he had the
champion wearied and anxious at the
finish. But 20 knock out Welsh in ten
rounds would require a process like the
receipt for making Welsh Rarebit-one
/ first has TO catch the rabbit And
Welsh, when his chin seems to be in
/ danger, is one of the feetest two
/ legged rabbits that ever covered the
ground inside the ropes.
/ Les Darcy, the Australian middle
weight, will not be seen in this country
until the end of the European War.
]
tains with some consistency that any
young Australian who fancies fighting
can find all of 1t that he wants in
Northern France, or in Egypt about
this time.
Sherman and Connolly, the Mime
apolis promoters, who just cabled Darcy
an offer of $4,000 for three fights IN
this country, have received word from
Darcy's manager that it would be abso-
lutely impossible for the champion Of
the Antipodes to leave his native heath,
though Darcy was eager and anxious 10
gather in some American money. NJ
merous American promoters share the
popular indignation against the Aus
! tralian government for maintaining
that fighters should fight.
Joe yelling, Jimmy Johnston's latest
lightweight protege, will have busy
thirty minutes this evening when he
faces Harry Pierce at the Broadway
S.C. The latter was regarded as only
a fair second rater until a month or so
ago when he turned loose and handed a
stiff beating to Milburn Saylor, the
highly touted conqueror of Leach Cross.
Since that night Pierce has been full
of pep and confidence. 1t has percolated
through the ivory which tops his dome
that he has a hard punch and he is
so pleased with the new toy that he
wants to use it all the time. II Jimmy
Johnston has a weak heart he should
stay away from the ringside this
ayeninP