The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-24
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Fight fans are looking toward Monday nights fracas between Claude Wilson and Tim ODowd with something akin to curiosity. An nouncements in eastern papers to the effect that Tommy Tompkins had turned down an offer of $l5.00o Tor Claude's contract have started the railbrds to thinking about the popu- lar little Birmingham bantam, and they're wondering whether there might not be something to all that talk about Wilson being among the first five American iiyweights."
 The offer made Tompkins was reliable one. as the eastern papers emphasized, but there was some fac tor that made Tommy Tompkins turn it down. Some of the fans are in clined to believe that certain clauses, which might offer too many loop holes for escape, caused Tommy to decline the chance to pick up s15. 900. while others believe the befreckled fight manager thinks he has an in- vestment worth considerably more than that sum in Wilson
 Be that as it may, Claude Wilson is still fighting under the colors of
  will probably continue to do so for some time.
 As to that first five" talk,
 that's more than likely the en-
 thusiastic exclamation of some
 rabid Wilson follower. Claude is
 a mighty promising little fighter
 and can whip lot of the boys
 fighting main fights today, but
 there are probably quite few
 more than five bantams over the
 country who can whip him.
 Curiosity of the railbirds is excited over several things now as the third Wilson-O'Dowd fight hears. In their past two meetings. Timmie O'Dowd demonstrated conclusively that he could whip Wilson. Random Is won dering whether Claude's invasion of the east. and the subsequent expe- rience gained, will enable him to tri- umph over his old-time rival.
 w. A. Mason, manager of O'Dowd, has written in bit of advance dope" on his boy-not needed al all. City fistic circles-but the interest ing part of that communication is this brief but decidedly to the point statement by Manager Mason:
 "O'Dowd is a better scrapper than Wilson, and always will be. Timmie
  pect him to land the old kayo this time"
 So fandom Is curious as Wilson and O'Dowd wind up training for their bout at the B. A. c.
 An old-timc favoritc with Bir- minRham fans, Cliff Binck1ey, the wrestler, will get the chance
 he has been seeking when he
 meets Strangler Lewis. veteran champion. ex-champfon md
 champion again, for the mat crown Monday. night. When wrestling was in vogue in Bir- mingham, Cliff probably had
 more followers than any grnP- pier to appear in Birmingham
 since the palmy days of Doc
 Roller. Dave Evans. staunch ad- herent of Cliffs, believes his
 "boy" stands cOrking good
 chance of setting the Strangler on his much nbused crown.
 With the arrival of Cecil Ham, mond, all the 1923 Baronial candi- dates are in. Those listed among the missing will probably remain as such. as none have shown an incli- nation to change their minds in their decision not to report.
 Harry Achinger. Baron shortstop of last year. seems to have definitely
  will not be on hand this year.
 Pitcher Randolph, star of the Cot, ton States league in 1922, Is in school at Bethlehem college-and will be unable to report until June or July. It is likely that he will not report at all this year. but 1t is hardly probable that the Barons will let him get away without strings attached. for Randolph is considered a mighty nice pitching prospect, likely to come in handy later on.
 Ii Stuffy Stewart comes back. an other problem will arise, for good infielders like Stewart and Danny Clark cannot be kept on the bench. Railbirds are wondering If Joe Dunn will try to make a shortstop out of Stewart, or shift Clark to the out field, where hE ought to go good. Danny can hit 'em hard and often enough for any position on the team. while Stuffy Stewart could cover shortstop from second to third.