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Show Ilf -filTW GO STICKER FOA EIS Opinions Differ, but AU Agree That Battle Will Be Warm One. By W. W. 2TAUCKHTON. SAX FRANCISCO, Dec. 6. Tho date of the Willie Uitcliie-Tommy Murphy championship cham-pionship glove contest Is drawing near ivild tho discussions In regard to tho possibilities pos-sibilities of the affair show no sign of slackening. At that It seems as though anything that Is advanced now must savor, of ropo-tltlon. ropo-tltlon. for If ever there was a match in which the chances were vlowcd from every ev-ery angle, this Is It. After all, however, argument, like-training like-training work, simply serves to fill In the time. There is' no way of figuring out the chances with mathematical certitude. cer-titude. It there were, ring events would merclv toko place "on paper,'' for after the correct formula had been workod out there would bo no occasion for going through with tho bout. . In the main, arguing as to the outcome out-come of a boxing match Is simply an escape valvn for surplus enthusiasm. A small proportion of the followers of pugilism pugil-ism study conditions closely, and placo their bets accordingly, but tho larger class the non-betting ' element discuss these affairs with animation because the Frooess Is pleasurable. And It'B wonder-nl wonder-nl how individual lcanlngn. give color,- as well as false value to opinions. Ritchie hews to the line of correot living liv-ing as rigidly as Tommy does, and Is every ev-ery bit aa methodical about his system of preparation. For that matter, to draw uittentlon to Murphy's blameless life in this Instance Is to elicit a comparison with a rebound, for since both men are clean livers It Is easy enough to mako tltt point that a clean living youth like-Ritchie like-Ritchie must perforce bo a better risk than n- clean living veteran like Tommy. Thero Is Just ono thing that dampens tho ardor of the Ritchie 'contingent whenever It hobs up tn discussion, and that Is a reference to tho sloppy showing show-ing tho champion made in the first few rounds of his bout wlthl Joe Rivers. But this Is condoned on tho plea that All's woll that ends well.' Rltchio. even though he was badly mauled in the beginning, be-ginning, won the fight .In the long run. and that's what counts. The ono lesson learned from the Rivers match Is that Ritchie ta not a g?tbol; glnnor. but oven then It 1b doubtful If this will, mlllinto against him In Wednesday Wed-nesday night's battle. Murphy's past battles around San Francisco suggest that Tommy himself does not vrarm to his work until a few rounds have passed, so that tho coming encounter may open up sedately and increase in-crease In fury aa It goes on. . |