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Show Naughion Picks Dixon as Best Fighter of All Time Thinks Negro Triumphed Over Greater Number of Topnotch Opponents Than Any Other Pugilist; Pug-ilist; Selects Bob Fitzsimmons as Second. By W. W. NAUGHTON. By International News Service. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2. Now it is a " fight-fan' ' living iu Windsor, Out., who wishes to draw me out on certain points. In a letter dated July 15, he says: "Seeing in last Sunday's Detroit News-Tribune that you answered a question put by some fight-fan as to who, in your opinion, wns the most perfect Australian boxor, I. wish to ask who you consider was tho greatest lighter of all time. If you do not caro to answer that, would you plonso state who you considor tho greatest negro tighter of all time?" ' I 'II do the tfeftt f can. and to show you T am not inclined to shirk the issue, is-sue, J' will answer t both your questions. H so happens that in replying to thc question L reply to both, for the greatest lighter who over lived, according accord-ing to my idea., was a negro. And his name was George Dixon. Opinions May Differ. v It will be as well for you to remember, remem-ber, Mr. Windsor Fight-fan, that this is merely an expression of individual opinion. There arc no standards by which these questions can be worked ' out and settled with mathematical exactness. ex-actness. Nor is thcro anything on the face of the earth on which both lay men and experts disagree more than the question of merit in pugilists. Tins because fighting appeals to tho emotions. It arouses enthusiasm and creates heroes and ideals. I have no doubt there is still in existence ex-istence a smattering of very old-timors who will snort at. the idea of Tom Sayers and Ned 0 'Baldwin and Donnelly Donnel-ly and Cooper being passed over in a discussion of this kind for a slim-limed slim-limed yellow skin like little Dixon. But ho is my choice. And I fool that Bob Fitzsimmons runs him a close second. I name George Dixon, because T believe be-lieve he triumphed over a greater number of formidable opponents than an' other man T ever heard of. Dixon Met Best Men. Some fighters had their run for the championship goal when the men they had to cope with -were on the downward down-ward "rade. This was nolablv thc case with Jim Jeffries, lie defeatod Bob Fitzsimmons, Jim Corbett and Peter Jackson when each of these was well past his prime in a fighting sense. Whoth or or uot ho could have beaten them" had he met them at their best, 1 do not know. T do know, however, thc world was raked and scraped for opponents for little Chocolate Dixon, lie mot thc best nieu of tho various fight-fostering countries wlion they held tho championships champion-ships of their various sections, and when it war? madcas clear as possible thai there was nothing left in their countries that could compare with them. And ho went through them all like Minlight through a chink in a barn. The tame arguments apply largely in the cace of Fitsslmmons. Taking his opponents, op-ponents, man by man, he ca'nnot show so big an army of worthy conquests as Dixon, probably, but old Bob overcame mora handicaps than any other fighter I have knowledge of. For this reason, I consider he rails very little short of George Dixon In point of distinction as thc world's greatest fighter. Merc If one fired at mo from a point ncaror home, "How docs Willie Ritchie compare with thu llehtwclght champions who pre-coded pre-coded b'.ni?" Compares Willie Ritchie. Up to date he docs not beIn to compare com-pare In tlie slightest. Ritchie Is still young and lacking In experience, however, how-ever, and may loom up as more a world-figure world-figure In pugilism when he has pitted himself against men like Tommy Murphy, Freddy Weigh and l.eacli Cross. Wol-gu.st, Wol-gu.st, who prercded. as a champion was a wonderful fighter before appendicitis marked him for Its own. JIls handling of DaMlIng- Nelson on Richmond field was FOim-th'.r. to Jive In mc:rorv even If little lit-tle "Ad" had never accomplished anything any-thing v'.t. , Battling Nelfon In his prime, wns an Interesting performer. And H wax his negative qualltleH that made him worth while. Tnere never waa a man within twenty pounds of his weight who could stand auch rough usage and keep pressing press-ing Hteadlly forward. Ho wusn't the7pjo3t gnlnly Xlghtor of hla claaa. by Ions oilda, but his powers of assimilation covered a multitude of defects. Joe Gans was a thorough workman and a slg-Ht of him In action was as great a treat as a student of boxing could desire. de-sire. He stepped around In a soft-footed way, and was never out of position. Ilia manner of ending It all with a downward clip of. the right, delivered witnout drawing draw-ing back thc elbow? was well worth tho price of admission. He was an artist, and It was a lament with old-time sports that Joe and Jack McAulIffo did not flourish contemporaneously. contemporan-eously. A tilt between tho pair would have been worth a journey to see. In answering the questions put to mc, candor has required that I give credit lo certain colored boxers. A little reflection reflec-tion will make .It evident to all fair-minded fair-minded sporUs that tiic negroes have been more prominent than any other race In pugilism dining tho past quarter of a century. . . It Is more than probable that for every negro engaged In fighting there have been-fully fifty white men. but a glance at thc roster of faino will show that tho men with black skins have more than held their own. George Dixon, Joe Walcott. Joe Gans, Peter Jackson. Sam Langford, Jack Johnson. Try and select tho names of six white men wno have done better than these. |