The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-04-23
BY FRANK G. MENKE

Great Britain knows no task more
difficult and more hopeless than that
Of developing heal heavyweight
gladiator.
What is stranger-what Is more of
a challenge to comprehension than the
fact that the hons or pugilism-the
cradle of first fighter@nasn't produc-
ed formidable fighter in nearly 50
years?
II England and its possessions
had made no effort to produce a heavy
comment and surprise would be SUI
perflous. But Great Britain year after
year has been secured for heavy
weight material. Vast sums have
been squandered in recruiting ana
teaching prospects.
So agitated has England become
over its failure that sporting publ
cations are editorially begging husky
youths to take up the fighting game;
noblemen of wealth are gathering up
likely looking giants and paying box
ing tutors big money in the hope that
one or the other will develop great
ness-and become world champion.
But so far, the net result of nearly
20 years of search for a heavyweight
champion is Bombardier Wells and
Joe Beckett-men who wouldn't last
five minutes as Jack Dempsey's spar
ring partner.
Why is it that England can't pro-
duce a great heavyweight through ma
tional search, national effort and ma
tional expense while this country with
out effort has brought out 100 men
in 20 years who could whip England's
topnotchers without drawing a long
breath?
Mitchell is Last.
Charlie Mitchell was the last of
England's great ones-and yet Mitch
ell was never a match for Sullivan,
Corbett or any other Americans under
the Queensbury rules. Inasmuch as
he was England's one outstanding
fighter at the time and England
pride-he became immortal. Yet had
he been an American and accomplish
ed no more than he did. his name
would be but a hazy memory
Eliminate what Mitchell did in Eng
land and what does one find? He
was whipped by Dominick McDaffery
who never was truly great. His
best against Jack Kilrain was a draw.
Mike Cleary, Patsy Cordiff and Jack
Burke held him to draws. The only
Americans he did whip were obscure
and mediocre men such as Denny
Hayes, Billy Lynn, Billy Edwards,
Reddy Gallagher and John Siholes.
Mitchell's real claim to fame was
made when he went SO rounds to a
draw in France with the mighty John
L. Sullivan. But there were extenu,
ating circumstances. The fight was
on wet soggy turf under London
Prize Ring rules by which a round
was ended whenever one fighter was
knocked or fell to the ground. Sulli-
van, a heavy man, was at a disadvan.
tage on the uncertain footing that
day; Mitchell, light and agile, was in
his element.
Picked Away
The Briton would step in, peck away
and retreat when Sullivan went after
him. When in danger, Mitchell would
go down-and Sullivan would have to
wait for the next round. And in the
next Mitchell would duplicate the pre-
vious one. That's why Mitchell went
those 80 rounds.
Just how great Mitchell was under
Queensbury rules is shown by the fact
that Sullivan knocked him out .. in
three rounds and nearly annihilated
him in the process, and Corbett re
peated the trick some years later.
Mitchell was England's greatest fol
nearly so years-he was undeniably
the outstanding fighter in half a cen
fury. Compared with other British