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Show I. It Is Said That He May Turn Prize Fighter to Meet .Johnson. CONFIDENT THAT HE CAN WHIP BLACK MAN Corbett Has Promised to Train Him for a Bout in a- j BY JEFF THOMPSON. By Leased Wiro to Tlic Tribune. NEW YORK, July 23. Prank Gotch, tho world's champion "wrestler, may turn prizo fighter. Gotcli believes that he haB tho stuff in him lo beat Jack Johnson John-son and he certainly doesn't lackftcon- IE . iidonec. Gotch is not anxious to tako up ttr the fight game and plug along at it bore.' bo-re.' .cause tho gamo doesn't offer manyijos-Er' manyijos-Er' nihilities these days. However, ho will If. bo content if ho can meet tho negro LL champion within the ring iusido ot a fc' i vcar Gotch is ono of- tno many who , Jmvc challenged Johnson. "Tom" Shar-ke.y Shar-ke.y believes that ho can "come back" fc; sufficiently to wallop the negro. Tommy f .Burns has a half promise from Johnson Ij.' for a fight in London in about a yoar. K Al Kaufman, tho villago blacksmith, K- stands a likely chance of getting a Ri whack at tho big heavyweight first. K- There has been some talk'in tho cast of & matching Young Barbour, tho million-Jt;.' million-Jt;.' aire amateur, against tho negro, buL Unrbour refuses to fight. Gotch weighs h over 200 pounds and is as strong as 7 Johnson, although ho has never none jm any boxing. F "Jim Corbett has promised to train mo and I bclievo I can get into condi-ajf condi-ajf Lion to whip the colored man' sayH the iff Jowa mat artist. "J am strong and nat-m nat-m urnlly quick and it won't take mo very V long lo get tho hang of tho gamo. I v know that I don't stand much show at E present but wait till Johnson's tlicatri-wfe tlicatri-wfe jnl tour is over and his joy riding is m 4Alono vo "' bavo a man not so hard P 2to whip as the one who went against IPapke to Fight Ketclioll. Billy Papke, formerly known in tho pugilistic firmament lis tho ' 'Illinois Thunderbolt," may . meet Stanloy lyetehell during tho frontier celobratipn in Chc3'cnnc, Wyo.. in August. Ketchel, who used to be. known by tho appellation, appella-tion, "Tho Michigan Assassin," cleaned up a big bank roll on Johnson's victory and has not been bohaving himself in his best manner. The Thunderbolt has mot the Michigan Assassin four times. On Juno 14, H908, ho lost a ten-round bout to Stanley in Milwaukee. On September Sep-tember 7 of tho samo year ho knocked out Ketchel in twelve rounds at Yemon, Cal. A littlo over two months later, on' November 20, ho changed his role from that of a thunderbolt to Ajax defying the lightning and was knocked out by tho Wolvorino in eleven rounds at Their latest fight was also ut Colma on July 5, 1900. Papke lost Iho decision i in twenty rounds of fiorco fighting. "While a fifth meeting between theso yiucn would be a great drawing card, Ml is most unlikety that it could be held in Wyoming, as tho governor of that state has put himself on record as firmly firm-ly opposed to fighting or boxing contests con-tests of any kind. Billy states emphatically that ho has no desiro to meet Sam Langford, tho brunetto from the Hub. Ho says: ,"I do not refuse to meet Langford because J am afraid ho would beat me, but be-causo be-causo ever since my career began I have steadfastly refused to meet a negro. Anvbody else at tho middleweight limit of loS pounds will be taken on; there are no except ions Another reason for my not wanting to meet Langford is because J don't believe that he can m.iko a weight as low as 15S. Langford )s in rcnlitv a heavyweight, and his best fight weight is nearer to ITS pounds. But he's a good man, and you can't lake it from him." Billy trained with Jeffries at I?ow-ardennau I?ow-ardennau while preparing for his fight with Joe Thomas, which he won in fif-ftV, fif-ftV, 1e.cn rounds, and sa3'6 that in his opiu- ion the former champion worried himself him-self into a state of physical collapse before he ever entered the ring with Johnson. Papke has returned from the coast to his home .t Kowanoc. 111. Papke is nn enthusiastic Elk and was a delegate to Iho convention which was recently hold in Detroit. KM . Dearth of Good Fighters, ffiy There is a dearth of good fighters. Rianlev Kol.ehp stands ready to lose E5fc hi-? middleweight championship. Abe jBSr j I toll has about coma to The end of his Bftt fighting string na featherweight ehani- Hk nion. One has to think twice before HR. he remembers the name of Nelson's wmwL conqueror. Ad Woigast. Thoro is much HSS dilute over Iho ban title which is wjtSt held by Johnny Conlou. The only KlK; championship about whVh there is no uwfm dutibl is the heavyweight held by John- Joe Woodman and his protege. Sam Langford. have arrived here from Cali-Hkt Cali-Hkt j'ornia- Lnngford says that he js Ihe Hk logical opponent for Johnson in his fSS px fnl 1,'fe Boston negro says that aH3h he is willing to pat up $10,000 as guar-K guar-K jTIileo of his sincerity any time. IHffr: J Tho moving pictures promoters havo IBS; had more (runble with films of the UK' Jeffries-Johnson fiizli! than an ' other. WBf-' Indeed, so many difficulties have be-Hlt be-Hlt ret thorn' that, if another great prize Hr, fight is oyer held in this; country, with IR? as much intciest ns the recent heavy-'IflBfr heavy-'IflBfr woiglu' championship fight held, it is IBS'.. doubtful wiiotlier pictiirc.s will be taken. K About "Parson" D.ivles, H&' "Parson" Bavies, foriuorly the best1 flB9r known of the fight promoters, is not ft inondiug very rapidlv. Davies is spend- ing tho summer at. tne beach, near here. Hut Ho ennnot. walk and he has lost all his wmf old-time interest in tho fight game. IR- Speaking of his career. Dnvies said: fHR "I've had mv da v. and I am more than UMf coufent to let others occupy the stage. myci. I think during ihe time T was con-wmv&z con-wmv&z Jiectcd Avith tho prize ring as tho man- oger of various of the groat, fighters I NflS- fWaw more ring hintory mado than tho Irnture goncrations will ever see. Tt iK" lis unfortunate, but I am afraid tho fighting gamo will never again bo what it was in tho past. It is truo thoy aro fighting for bigger purses now and thc3T aTO getting a groat deal more attention, at-tention, but the gamo is different. I don't know just what tho difference is,' but thero is a difference, and every one of us old-timers feels it. "It isn't likely that many nowspa-por nowspa-por men will be taking the trouble lo get my ideas about anything much more, now that I have dropped out of sight, so I want to tako tho opportunity opportu-nity while I have it to give tho men with whom I have been associated what I think is their due. The popular idea of a prize fighter is a man not pleasant to associate withi I want t'o say that in all my experience and T mnnagod a great many of the fightors. among them Jackson, Jim Hall, Joe Cho3"nski. Tommy Ryan, George Dixon and Peter Maher I found firm, fast friends and men on whoso word I could rely absolutely. Tho sporting world just' now is discussing pro and con the merits and demerits of a great colored pugilist. I nevor had much to do with Jack Johnson, but I did manage two of tho treat est colored fiehters lliat cvor lived. They were Potcr Jackson and George Dixon. T know both those negro men intimately, and I want to saj' that 'whiter' men never lived. They were gontlemcn in the rough and two of tho truest sports who ever stepped into n ring. The colored fightor, as I know him. is not' the man tho public at large thinks him. I doubt in tho first place if ho is as cruel as tho white men engaged in to same work." Brief Mention About Boxers. Packy McParland, tho American lightweight, who has .been fighting in England, has engaged Jimmy Britt of San Francisco for his manager. Lord Lonsdale is greatly interested in a return fight between McFarland and Freddy Welsh. Welsh holds Lord Lonsdale's English lightweight belt. California may bocomo tho homo of tho short bout. Not so long ago, before Governor Gillett "came back," tho far western state was looked upon as the onlv safe and sane homo of the long distance mill. Tho governor changed this. Jimmy Britt, in lotters to 'Frisco friends, indignantly denies that he has expatriated himself. Jecms says ho is still an American and always will be. DoWitt Van Court, the western trainer train-er and fight follower, 1ms invented a new kind of shoe to bo worn by boxers iu action. The shoes have springs in tho heels in order to make tho wearer light on his feet. |