Show I BOXING SCRIBE SEES GREAT CHANCE FOR FIGHTING GAME I Cleveland Counsel Has Opportunity to Increase Increase Increase In In- crease Prestige of Sport BY JACK TACK SKELLY I have been T writing riling preaching and pleading brI for br forthe pOR many many years cars FOR FOB I the formation of an association to control boxing in an honest antI and logical manner all MI over the civilized world and ma maybe he after all all my efforts are UP about to bear fruit Great credit should be bo given ghen to m my old journalistic friend Tom Andrews Andrews An An- drews draws the tho able earnest sporting editor of the Leader header of Milwaukee Wis Vis who has called a n. meeting of promoters and expert boxing scribes to be beI beheld beheld held at Cleveland 0 on tho the and of this month for the purpose i of formulating ironclad rul rules s under which the manly art can be properly I conducted in this country Mr Andrews Anrews has issued a circular in which he says he has had reports I from nearly all aU the big clubs in the country and that every everyone one has promised to send a representative He had been communicating with clubs in in Europe and Australia and says s 's they h have he e written that thor thoy are in favor or of the organization tion and will ill operate co-operate with an American branch bronch I I This certainly looks like business and Im I'm delighted to think that my I fondest hopes nr are about to be realized reali very shortly B horse racing football bowling cycling golf olf J lawn tennis and in fact all games are more or less under a controlling body excepting boxing And yet et the tho manly art is the most universally uni popular of them all when you stop to think it over O fellow fans Baseball may be the national game of but boxing boring is the international sport of the civilized globe A big worlds world's champion like Jess Willand Willard for example is is well wen known all nIl over 0 the whole hole un universe Every schoolboy in England Ireland France Germany Austria Rusia Russia Rus Rus- sin sia ia Australia South Africa Sweden and in some parts of China and Japan knows who is as the mighty might king of f pugilism but hut the they dont don't know who is the best pitcher or batter in the big baseball leagues nor who is tho the greatest colfer l er g or la lawn tennis player in creation I Tb O-Tb- i The sport aport ha has b been en knocked and kicked about In the most unfair and unjust manner for tor probably two hundred years yean or so 80 o. o Stupid stringent unreasonable laws aws have ve been enacted Against the manly art by many nations who rho have recently proved to be far more brutal destructive and diabolical than any bunch of ot prize fighters I ba have bavo vo ever known No mob of pugilists that ever evor lived would be bo guilty of ot the horrible barbane barbaric barbaric bar bar- baric bane acts that have disgraced and de degraded degraded de de- graded so 80 civilization In the European war A prize fighter tighter Is most always alwa's Asame a game same courageous man who battles an opponent of ot equal size strength and skill with a a. padded glove and does not seek reek to cruelly slaughter Innocent babies and helpless women or weak old men with the sword or gun He combats under fair rules in tn a humane manner and spills very little blood Indeed But trat's that's another story bo boys sI s I consider it the tho duty of ot e every ery fair honest and progressive boxing promoter promoter promoter promo promo- ter and writer to rally to the call sent sont out cut ut by Tom Andrews and give him all the assistance possible to organize a central bod body Tor lr not nut only tho the control of ot boxing but for tor its uplift Improvement Improve Improve- ment meat and progress The fakers takers and tricksters should be wiped out of ot the game and only men mon with good reputations who have tho the Interest of ot the manly art at heart should be allowed either to box or conduct a recognized club This canall can canall canall all bo bO accomplished If It the leading minded fair promoters and scribes stick together and agree to stand b by bythe bythe the rulings of ot the Intended organization tion to be formed at Cleveland V F COURSE there thero will be bo a thousand thou thou- O OP OF sand land Ideas ad advanced at nt Cleveland for tor the improvement ment of ot the old game gme Some of ate them will no doubt be worthy orthy and very ery practical T hile nUe others will be hardly possible or teas teas- ible whatsoever Let me suggest a n few of ot my old fads and ideas that might be given some little con consideration coming from froma a a. man who has had some thirty years years' experience as a it boxer boxt r referee promoter promoter promo promo- ter and an around all follower of ot the ring Here they are Proper weights should be agreed upon for tor the various championship classes and every titleholder should be bo compelled to do tho weighing at ot the ringside or two hours before a a. contest contest con con- test not five six or seven hours before before be- be fore as they do at present Every champion should be required to defend his title at nt least every six months if it properly challenged with a substantial forfeit posted in responsible hands handi These contests should be of ot twenty rounds or more with a decision decision de de- de- de of ot course COUlSe All fighters should be be- be compelled to box for a certain percentage offered b by responsible clubs and no guarantee should be given As Tom Andrews says A lOA boxer Is worth no more than he draws at the gate This would give a chance for the promoters to gamble with the boxers and keep them thorn 1 out of or bankruptcy and considerable I trouble I Only three seconds should be allowed behind a fighter and the they should be prohibited from using lou loud boisterous coaching or lan language a e. e They should Also bo be disqualified for tor slashing water on tho the poor boxing scribes in the press stands or any other disorderly conduct Every club should have a ring keeper keep keep- er who should see seG that only onh legitimate newspaper men occupy the tho seats scats in the press pross stands and that no rules are ere violated b by seconds or others durIng dur- dur lag Ing a contest Every referee should be a thoroughly I competent man with considerable ext ex ex- t He Me should hold a 3 license from the tho organization and be held hela re responsible responsible re- re for all fouls fakes and other violations that be he failed to immediately act upon The referee e should be made mado absolutely Independent of the tho club owners or managers where he ho presides I and have havo great grent authority All An weighing in should be done open open- ly IT at nt tho the ringside before the referee and members ow the press presa and not behind behind be be- be- be hind closed doors at a all as a present All boxers and cluba Clubs who willfully violate or break contracts or do not nol live Uve up to the rules of ot toe the proposed organization should be blacklisted after being found guilty In a a. proper man man- Jer Fighting in clinches and wrestling should b be strictly prohibited The kidney kid kid- ne ncr ney and pivot blows blous should also beto be to forbidden r b I d d en Decisions b by all nil means should be given In all 11 contests and all nIl members of or tho the new organization should advocate advocate cate them to their fullest extent Without Without Without With With- out a. a a contest is only a farce and no contest at all Its It's only a joke Only boxers who have hove reached a certain certain tain thin proficiency In the man manly art ort should be allowed ed to box In public Its It's disgusting to see staged a couple of or raw 7 wild ild unsophisticated slugging novices who make a a. burlesque out of or ofa ofa ora a bout All fighters should carry acard acard a acard card from tho proposed organization showing their good landing and abil abil- ity It Is about time to weed out the dubs who dont don't understand the ver very first rudiments of or boxing These Those are arc Just a few suggestions that might tend toward uplifting and Improving tho the old sport which Is bound in time to become the most moet popular of all sports all the world orld over For man many 5 years ears It has been boen hounded and downtrodden but properly proper proper- ly 1 organized It is bound to come to the front on a cleaner and more elevated basis bals It k k c I yEN with the fearful and nd gigantic EVEN E war going on on the boxing game ame Is thriving greatly In Australia In fact it Is todo today tho the most popular sport of ot the Antipodes Great credit should be given to our friend Snowy Baker for the leading lel part he has so O suo- suo played In promoting the game In tho the off far Mr Ir Baker t la Is thoroughly In earnest with the idea of or organized boxing and andIs andIs andis Is at ot pr present ent endeavoring endea to bring about some sort eort of joint action in all other countries whore where boxing Is leadIng leadIng leadIng lead- lead Ing to reform tho the game and punish boxers who are guilty of ot glaring and deliberate Infractions of the rules So it Is la only a question of ot a few tew years Jears when hen organized boxing will rule tho the ring under every flag What a wonderful Improvement nt this will ili make Indeed In the old manly art In er e every o waZ It will wipe out the che cheap p crooked managers who live and prey upon so 90 man many poor boxers It will send the faking back to some hard but honest labor It will make the hippo hippo- promoters take to the woods and put honest boxing up among the most classy sports Let Lot us hope that Tom Torn Andrews and al tho the other organizers organIzers organizers organ organ- of ot boxing will make a grand suc suc- I cess |