The Washington herald., 1917-12-16
IS ON
TAP FOR FANS
Good Crowds Promised for
Mills This Week Glib
bons Meets Brown.
BY JOHN A. DUGAy,


The boxing game has taken a death
grip on the local followers OF the fstic
pastime.
Two big bouts are scheduled for
the init fans this week.
Tomorrow each outgoing train will
be we'll filled with fight followers from
the. District who will make the Jour-
ney to the Monumental City to take
, in the big bantamweight struggle
between Kid Williams, the Oriole
wolf boy, and Johnny Ertle. the Kew
pie hitter from st. Paul, at the Peer
less Athletic Club.
The Maryland A. and S. Clubs
arena at Ardmore. Md, is expected To
be well filled when Jeff Smith. the
Bayonne middleweight, swaps punches
with Kid Sheeler. the Frederick
mauler, in a fifteen-round set-to on
Thursday night.
Although much interest centers
around tomorrow nights battle, the
call for seats by the local fans for
the Ardmore show gives promise OF
one of the largest crowds to date.
In booking Smith and Sheeler Match,
maker Freeman is presenting two OF
the best known sluggers in the roped
game. Smith has always been feared
by most of the middle-weights and
number OF the light-heavyweights
have run out of fights with him be-
cause of his punching powers.
Al Lippe, manager of the Bayonne
middle-weight, claims 1t is as hard
for him to get a match with classy
boys in this division for Smith, as
it is to attempt to swim the old At
lantic. Lippe was more than pleased
to sign up Smith for this battle with
Sheeler, as he realizes that Sheeler
has been making great progress DUR
ing the past year. and it will be a
big feather in the Bayonne fighter's s
hat II he can come out on the long
end of the argument.
On the other hand, Kidwilder, man.
ager of the Friedrich bear-cat. claims
that he believes Sheeler will halt the
Gimp Dix boxing instructor. Sheeler
is a battler who is always on top OF
his opponent and when 1t comes tc
the exchanging OF wallops, he is more
than willing to stand toe-to-toe with
his opponent.
Freeman last night announced that
he did not expect to have any trou-
BILE with Lippe over the referee ques-
ton. Freeman stated that IL Lippe
would not agree to either p. F. O'Con-
nor the clubs official referee, or Fritz
Huber, that he would step into the
ring as the third man.
Matchmaker Freeman closed out
last night with Eddie Kane, man
aGer of the Gibbons brother, to have
Tommy Gibbons. the only contender
for Mikes middle-weight crown. to
box here on Wednesday, January 9.
Freeman wired Nate Lewis, manager
of Chicago Knockout Brown, on Fri
day afternoon asking him II he de-
sired to have the Green champion
meet Tommy Gibbons in this match.
The battle was closed last night
when Lewis accepted terms, Kane
signing articles before boarding the
train for Pittsburgh.
Kane will be here for the New
Years day show. providing he cannot
book any one of his stable for a
holiday attraction. On next Satur-
day night Eddie will send his light
weight. Billy Whelan. against Frankie
Sanders in a 12-round bout in the
Smoky City.
Kane is all praise for whelan, as
he claims that his Irish protege will
become lightweight champion before
many moons. Whelan has been fight
ing for the past three years, and in
the forty battles in which he has par
ticipated he has never been held even.
This st. Paul battler has toppled
over such well-known western init
artists as Eddie Wallace, Jerry Dali
ton, Freddy Andrews and Gene Del
mar. Kane intends bringing his en-
tire stable east to place them against
the best in the game in this neck of
the woods.