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Show TONIGHT'S GREAT BATTLE. Will "Williams Celebrate Pioneer Day by Defeating Turner? A COMPARISON OF THE FIGHTERS. Heavy Betting Going On Here, "With Turner Tur-ner a Slight Favorite Pools to be Sold Tonight. Tonight Jim Williams, the undefeated champion ot Utah, and Bob Turner, the colored pugilist, who stands high iu his class, will fight to a finish in San Fraucisco. All things considered, the colored man ought to win. He has been thoroughly tested and is known to possess science, strength and great generalship. He has met and defeated many of the best men of his weight in the country, and has rarely been defeated. Williams has never been thoroughly tried. Iu his contest with La Blanche he made no effort to do anything except keep out of the Frenchman's way, and his other fights were with men who were not able to make him show what he was really capable of. His admirers think he is a wonder who will mount to the top of the pugilistic ladder. They base their judgment on what he has not yet shown.but what they believe a thorough test will develop. This accounts for the fact that while the odds are $7 to $10 against Williams in San Francisco, he brings even money in Salt Lake. Local pride has not so much do with it as some people imagine. In 'Frisco the U tan lad is a perieci stranger, wuiie mey Know just what Turner can do. As was said before, Turner ought to win this fight, taking the records of the two men into consideration, but we are inclined to think that he will not do it. Williams' ability is an unknown quantity, but our impression is that when all that is latent in him is brought out tonight, he will leave the ring the winner of a hard fought battle. Of course the keenest interest is taken here in the result, and a large amount of money has already been wagered. The most of it has been put up at even terms, but ou Saturday and today the odds have been iu favor of Turner "at $00 to $100. There will probably be some lively betting tonight, as pools will be sold at the Congress saloon, on Second South street, and at Wilson Wil-son & Busby's, in the Delmonico building. IT IS OFF. William Taken 111 and the Fight. Has to be Abandoned. At 2:30 o'clock this afternoon, the following follow-ing special dispatch to The Times was received re-ceived from Carl Smith, sporting editor of the San Francisco Chroniclt: Sax Francisco, July 25. The Turner-Williams Turner-Williams fight is off and Williams is lying in his room at the Six-mile house the sickest man on the coast. For the past few days statements have been circulated as to his condition, hut investigation investiga-tion apparently found the Salt Laker in good health and confident of winning. The ru- mnr were jKerihed 1 n on rTTrcitin lnK which has a match the night following the date of the Turner-Williams go. Manager Harrison, of the Pacific club, sent a physician physi-cian out to make sure, and tho doctor reported re-ported Williams as being all right. Yesterday a company of reporters went to see Wiiliams. When they arrived at the Six-mile house, Martin Murphy was just giving him his finishing fin-ishing touches, and aftcr ashot, wait, the ptfgilist was introduced, appearing to be in as fine condition, 6o far as the eye could determine, de-termine, as a man could be without over training. He was put on the scale and weighed just 154) pounds after dinner which is slightly below weight. Williams went through his regular exercise, this being the last thing of the kind he had proposed pro-posed doing before he should meet his man In the ring tonight. He started iu with the dumb bells and handled them like an adept. Then he skipped the rope for fifteen minutes and from that went to punching the bag. He proved to be a very rapid puncher, very shifty and quick on his feet, besides hitting heavily. Those who bad scctrTumer fight said when they saw Williams yesterday that the colored man would have to be quicker than he has yet 6hown himself to be. The manner man-ner in which he went after the bag caused the visitors to regard him as a demon for punching, and apparently a good man to meet any of the middle-weight?. What was the astonishment of the officers offi-cers of the Pacific club, therefore, last night to receive a visit from Williams' manager, with the news that his man had fallen through and couldn't fight. A doctor was taken out in a hack and he reported that Williams was a very sick man. It seems that he is full of malaria, but has concealed his condition from his trainer, under the idea that he would improve sufficiently before the day of the fight to enter the ring. He claims to have been unoble to hold food on his stomach on certain days while on others he would feel all right. The doctor tola him he was iu no condition condi-tion to fight and when asked whether a week's postponement would give him time to recuperate declared that it would be useless. So the club officers decided de-cided to declare the fight off. It seems that Williams' bag punching for the reporters was what precipitated his collapse, for they had hardly left when he went to pieces. It was a great piece of luck iu one 6ense, for hed he gone into the ring and made a 6ick fight he would have beeu a goner forever as a pugilist, and would have lost thousands of dollars wagered on him. Turner came to town this morning ready to fight, and was surprised and disappointed to find the fight had to be abandoned, but his disappointment was nothing to that of Williams' friends when they saw Turner, for if ever appearances counted for anything, any-thing, Williams would have won in a gallop. For myself, I am as certain that the Salt Lake man would have beaten as I am of any thing on earth. Carl Smith. Sporting Splinters. Tim Murphy has declined to fight Billy Plummer at li5 pounds. George Dixon has at last determined to give Skelly a chance for a fight in October next provided the latter can get sufficient backing. Harry McEnerny, the well-know New Orleans sporting writer, whose articles on pugilism over the signature "Bantam" are widely read, has just returned home from a visit to SulLvan's training quarters. He thinks Sullivan will whip Corbett. Jack O'Brien, the Welsh pugilist who is to meet Fitzsimraoas in the New Orleans Olympic club's arena, in September next, will arrive in New York Monday. He was born near Cardiff, in Wales, December 27, 1S67, and is, therefore, not yet 25 years old. He stands five feet nine and one-fifth inches in his fighting pumps aud is in condition at 15S pounds, 6trong. His flret "win" was against Jem Driscroll, a Dublin academy master. Then ho successfully whipped "Dublin" Tom Burns, "Shonny" Jones and Felix Scott. In the battle with the latter he broke his right arm In tbe first round and won in the third. These were all novices who frequented the Dublin and London boxing taverns, and at a day's notice donned gloves for the short ends of purses never big. O'Brien than rau up against Ted Bryant, a ten 6tone eight pounder, and : though the blow is styled a fluke, Bryant I won in forty -seven rounds. |