The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-09
Few New Titleholders Look ed for During 1918, Al though Some Crowns Are in Danger-J Johnny Xiii bane Has No Dangerous Rival.

There are not likely to be as many new champions set up this year as was the case during the past twelve months, when four new titleholders were crowned. The war is cutting i down on the boxers activities and inn portant matches probably will be de- cidedly scarce until the war is over. | However, some crowns are in danger ] aand nearly every champion has at least one rival treading close on his heels.
 sa For Jess Willard it is Fred Fulton who threatens to make trouble. Full | ton is younger, more clever, faster and he packs a more snappy punch than Willard, but he is a rattle | brained fellow without stability, and is nde to be relied upon. If they ever meet, Fulton may make Willard look like a joke or he may put up dis nal exhibition and quit in few rounds. What happens in the first round when Fulton is trying to gain control of his jump nerves will deter mine the outcome in all probability. | If Fulton gets off to g. good start he { will fight in his best form and his best form should be altogether too ! much for Willard, now that the latter ! has grown somewhat shopworn. ! Mike O'Dowd, the new middle ] weight champion does not appear to have very tight grip on the laurels | he won when he flattened Al Mccoy recently. If O'DoWd ever faces Mike Gibbons in the ring, the latter will be | top-heaYy favorite to beat the title i holder Gibbons is far more clever and hits more sharply. He is more r experienced and is better ring gen. ] eral. In fact Gibbons seems to have every advantage in his favor with the exception of youth and rugged ness.
 But Gibbons, like so many clever | boxers, is not at his best when his | opponent is disposed to rough it with | him. ODowd is an aggressive, de- I termined fighter, who does not know what fear is, and he never takes a ! back step. The St Paul phantom's s record shows that it is just this type of fighting man that has caused him the most trouble. In most of the bouts in which Gibbons disappointed his admirers, it was a tearing in, az gressive fighter who made him for get his science and take the back track.
 Tommy Maloney was only a fair sort of second rater with no skill, but plenty of aggressiveness. He made Gibbons look cheap in a bout at the Garden some years ago when the lat ter was at his best. Soldier Bartfield was another man lighter than Gib- bons, who made him back up by talk ing the aggressive. Perhaps O'Dowd would not be anything like the easy mark many people think.
 Jack Britton seems to be the only man Welterweight Champion Ted Lewis has to fear. Although Britton fsayery much of veteran he general iyfmanages to hold Lewis even or better. Lewis won the title from Brttton on 8 referee'S decision at the end of g. twenty-round bout at New , Orleans, and it is even money that Britton will win if they ever meet again under the samec onditions. So far Lewis has shown no great anxiety to allow Britton another chance. These two fought on an average of once month until Lewis managed to win the title with an official decision That brought the series to an abrupt ending. Lewis maintains that he is perfectly willing to face Britton again if the promoters will offer a purse large enough to be worth while.
 Although Benny Leonard is conced- ed to have a-strangie hold on the light weight title, there are at least three men. any one of which would draw well if matched with him. Patsy Cline put up a great fight with Leon,
 l1 osa over in Philadelphia a few month: back. In the third round Cline con nected with a right to the jaw, anG for time Leonard was up in the ail and seemed to be in some danger O being put down for a count Aftel that, however, Leonard steadied him self, and at the end of the sixth rount there was no fight left in Cline. Still Cline made such good showing tha another match between the mel would be a great drawing card.
 Johnny Dundee has every right t a match for the title on the strengtl of. his past performances with Leon ard. In their first match Dundee wa /. a rather easy winner in the secon Leonard gained so slight an advantag that it was hardly worth boastin 4 about, and their third and last con 
 test went the same way. Since thei
 last battle Leonard has improved
 great deal, while Dundee. probabl
 has slipped a bit, so that anothe
 meeting might prove to be rathe one-sided, but that remains to be seel
 and in the meantime Dundee
 claims for consideration cannot overlooked.
 Joe Yelling is another lightweigl
 who deserves match for the til
 Yelling has not done anything vel
 startling, but he is a good boxer ar
 = hard hitter. If he were more a!
 gressive his chances of accomplishir
 something against Leonard wou
 look more bright. The. latter is alt
 eether too shifty on his feet for g opponent who stands flat-footed ar
 relies on countering asN Yelling doe
 For the same reason, Charley Whi does not loom up as a very dangerol
 ouponent for Leonard, despite tl
 Chicago thumper's forceful left hoo
 ETTEEQ AT, ROTTOTTE7yr AMI