Show J J- J J r An Any Authoritative Sport Sort y Feature by the Foremost Foremost Foremost Fore Fore- most Sporting Writer a and Cartoonist in a r America r I By Robert Edgren T- T the attention of ot all our PERHAPS E pugnacious big men has turned to toI I tho the war the great bulk bulkot of ot the present heavyweight champion champion champion cham cham- pion Is discouraging Whatever the reason reason reason rea rea- son there are fewer logical contenders floating around o today than at any time Wl ea since John li L. Sullivan wore the belt When Sullivan was king be tie received a challenge row now and then Some he took up and others he turned down with truly regal hauteur He refused to even talk about fighting Peter Jackson the great Australian and he turned down flat fiat Bob Fitzsimmons of New Zealand middleweight middleweight middleweight middle middle- weight champion and afterward holder of the heavyweight title that Sullivan lost to Corbett Sullivan had a fairly easy time easy time at that The terror of ot the Sullivan name held off oft some of off t the men who might have ha demanded demanded de demanded de- de a match with anyone anone else Little Little Little Lit Lit- tle Charlie Mitchell fought him but Heavyweight Champion of England Jem Smith wouldn't sign to fight even when Sullivan offered to knock him out m n I four tour rounds or forfeit the o I Corbett had a lot of challengers Sailor Sharkey roughed him all over the ring i in a round four-round bout in San Francisco and tried to get g him Into a long fight afterward simmons followed him aro around md the country for a year or two constantly challenging Peter Jackson after lighting fighting over sixty slaty sixt rounds with Corbett wanted a second match when Corbett was champion and didn't get It Fitzsimmons had his share of ot challengers challengers challengers chal chal- lengers among them Shark Sharkey Ruhlin Corbett Jeffries and Peter Maher Four of th these se gentlemen he be had knock knocked d out He lIe finally took toole on Jeffrie Jeffries needing a little c change ange to pay for tor his theatrical posters and nd other gewgaws s JEFFRIES SETTLED CHALLENGES They all challenged Jeffries for a awhile while Jeff Jen out Fitzsimmons t for r the championship and then took on after the other logical contenders one another and satisfied them all He defeated defeated defeated de de- de- de Sailor Tom Sharkey In twenty- twenty five rounds by decision TIm Jim Corbett had worked work hard for six months In private private vate ate to come back and surprise the world by Jeffries and winning back the title by sheer skill He might have succeeded for tor he gave a wonderful wonder wonder- ful exhibition in boxing If In Inthe Inthe inthe the twenty-third twenty round had not discovered discovered discovered dis dis- dis- dis covered that he was ws being technically licked ticked Jeffries ran at Corbett and knocked him against the ropes and catching him as he was thrown back finished him with a deadly punch on the chin After that Jeffries beat Hank Griffin Griffin Griffin-an an old rival rival rival-In In four rounds and knocked out Joe Kennedy Kenned a brand new one In two rounds He lie knocked out Gus Gus' Ruhlin in rounds and Fitzsimmons again In eight After that he knocked out Corbett a second time in ten rounds There ere was a funny thing about that fight Fitzsimmons after losing to Jeffries a a. second time decided that there was no future chance of or winning the title from the theft shaggy giant so Fitzsimmons Fitz immons of offered offered offered of- of to teach Jeffries all of his own remarkable remarkable remarkable re- re boxing skill sl and actually did train rain him for the Corbett fight boxing with him dally daily at Harbin Springs FL FItzsimmons FItz- FItz lx- lx simmons disliked Corbett and was very anxious to have Jeffries knock Corbett out In shorter time than Jeffries had used to dispose of Fitzsimmons Fitzsimmons Fitzsimmons Fitz- Fitz simmons seconded Jeffries in the Uie bout and urged him to polish off oft the dancing Corbett In a round or two But Jeffries the battle all in his own hands after fter two rounds had bad been fought foughi took his time slyly grinning at I Fitzsimmons' Fitzsimmons anxiety and holding back his punches As round after round passed Fitzsimmons became disgusted Jeffries let Corbett go until the tenth round and then go going goIng going go- go ing after him swiftly knocked him out with two terrific body blows Corbett has told me that he felt those blows for or vears years afterward f After that Jeffries knocked out Jack Jacle Munroe the only other challenger r m ut fIght eight in n two rounds Then there was no one for Jeff to fight No one challenged chat chal at at least no one that the public or the promoters would take seriously as a rival For once there were no title hunters in the heavyweight weight class Jeffries Jeffries Jefries Jef Jef- fries ries was even more free from challenges challengers ers rs es than Willard today t Jack Jaek Johnson had pad a a. host of challengers ers The white hope class was developed by a general desire d to see Johnson beaten and the knowledge that there was wasa it a fortune waiting for a man who sent down Among the men touted as rivals fals for tor Johnson were the giants Pal- Pal PalI zer and Carl Morris Morns Gunboat Smith a lighter man with a Fitzsimmons wallop LUther other McCarty Arthur Arthul Bombardier Bom- Bom hardier bardier Wells Jess Jess' Willard and Frank Horan Moran The old time challengers of Jet Jet- tries had passed out as fighters WHAT WHAT BECAME OF CHALLENGERS i Of the men mentioned Can Cari Morris was badly beaten by Jim Flynn a small dumpy heavyweight That let him out for or the time being He made a new start t and but f arrived worked r too his way late to to the have e to top Willards Willard's again hance at Havana j I knocked out Bombardier Wells but ut only after taking a terrible two- two round beating that ended his career as a a championship Championship possibility Moran afterward afterward after after- ward Yard knocked him out In seven rounds and finished the job of ot elimination L Gunboat Smith took decisions over Willard and Moran knocked out a score or so of good men in sensational style even fought and that black terror error of ot the heavyweights who was carefully avoided at all times by Champion Champion Champion Cham Cham- pion Johnson Sam Johnson Sam Langford But he hes heP was vas s stopped P fu by Langford later on n and etan his s stock slumped Other heavies et ie were e willing to let it slump They weren't sorry to see Smith out of or the running funning t Luther McCarty died after a bout with going down with a broken neck with the first right hand blow that A landed on his chin It was learned afterward afterward aft att- erward that McCarty boxed with a fractured fractured vertebra vertebra the the result of or a dIven dIve In to n shallow water a week before the I fight I i i never regained his fighting nerve nerve I after the McCarty affair As for Frank Frankl Moran Jim Savage him in se seven n rounds rounds Later Moran did some some good fighting and was given a a. twenty round match with Johnson in France Johnson was too clever dever for hims him s Jess Wilard Wilard an although occasionally giant got the Chance with Johnson at last and knocked the black champion out in twenty twenty six six founds rounds nt Lt Havana ALL WANTED Ct CRACK CRACK CRACK-AT CK AT WILLARD 1 i As soon a as Willard ha had the title he heas was as overwhelmed with challenges from all the men who had boxed him before he became champion They didn't t Know how much he had Improved during the 0 months he ho spent training t for tor the Johnson John- John son Ion fight After a year ear or so Willard boxed Moran Mo Mo- ran ten rounds in New York Moran loran being be be- be ing temporarily on the crest of ot the wave of ot popularity through two sensational knockouts of ot big Jim Coffey Willard played with Moran through the ten rounds and showed s such ch Improvement provement in asa as 88 asa a fighter his fighter his huge bulk being particularly particularly impressive that Impressive that all an talk of ot matchIng match- match trig Ing any one one else against him languished for a year ear afterward I Today there ar are ar only two c challengers f. f Lb- Lb a of ot Willard whose claims are are taken at all seriously They are Fred red Fulton ulton a new giant with a sensational record and Carl can Morris the original white hope Morns Morris Mor Mor- ris ns has learned a lot about fighting He lIe Heis lIeis HeIs Is 6 feet fee I 5 Inches tall not in the least fat and Weighs about pounds in very verj good fighting condition He i is lg no match for Willard in skill but has shown re remarkable remarkable remarkable re- re gameness sameness great strength and seemingly endless endurance But now will probably never get a a crack at th the crown I The other man man Fred Fulton Pulton Is 6 feet 6 inches tall broad sho shouldered sholder d long arms strong strong and wiry and and extremely skillful He has a great left lett hand and should be able to give Willard a hard fight The only question is whether Fulton can compare at all with Willard Willardin in endurance Willard can can take a world of ot punching l If he has to Fulton has shown signs of ot weakness Gunboat Smith Smithis is still fighting well but ie le regarded as too small a man to fight Willard now although he beat Willard when the giant giantI was an unskilled boxer Moran has been I outfought by Willard Smith little Jack Dillon and Carl Morris outclassed Morris outclassed In fact b by the bunch That That- leaves Willard with but one challenger chal chal- lenger Fred lenger-Fred Fred Fulton who Fulton who will be In the least worthy of ot notice No other champion has been In the same easy position since the day Jeffries Jef- Jef fries retired because e there were no other men to meet him I I |