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Show III WEDS SI! Til IE - CLASS CHAMPS ilay Bronson Returns to Game and Wants Match; Packey McFarland Is Jt Also Active.- BEECHER FAILS FOR LACK OF CONDITION Not in Shape for Battles With Gary or Welsh; Griffith Makes Good S Showing, tur ea By T. S. AITOBEWS. MILWAUKEE, Wis., Feb. 6. Tie welterweight class, tvhich seemed to be ajf(quite dormant for a time, is becoming . of active once more, and the indications "Piare that some real livo battles will be inaugurated between the various claim-Thants claim-Thants before lona:. At present the divi-rejsion divi-rejsion is really without a legitimate title ingholder. although manv writers have parecoguized. "Kid" Graves of Brooklyn, of X. f; formerlv of Milwaukee, as the phone with the 'best claim. After Hay hnBronson, the Indianapolis welter, tie claimed the title two years ago and 'posted his money to defend it, he was att recognized bv manv as the champion. atfRa.v made his trip to Australia with in ILiiburn Savior, the lightweight, and coi while in the "Antipodes lost in a battle eo: for the title to Matt, Wells, the English to welterweight and former lightweight th. champion. Then Bav retired from the pi'Tintr and. while Joh'nnv Summers and f'tMatt Wells disputed about the British wi title, the American championship crown ho was permitted to go without an owner, bo Packey McFarland, the Chicago star, on . mentioned by some as the rightiul re-jeTv.-r, an(j n ' was also claimed toy holdeTlover of Boston and "Kidr' b, Mike ' .n f Brooklyn. Jack Britton also j Graves oi5t hut as Jack was sticking to n butted in, T fits, his claim in the welter n the Jightweif "not given serious consid- division was i eration. over had several meet- p Graves and Gtj seemed to favor the ings and these itter posted $1000 to "Kid." and the li nst all comers. The defend his title agamsidered to be 1W weight was alwavs ct vears has shifted H ringside, but of "late y-lio pounds ring-to ring-to 142 at 3 crclock or" vi-. side. Two Claim Title. arlani with ' Now comes Packey Mcil 3, Kay Bronze, Bron-ze, claim, and, to top matter- tes me that - son. the former holder, wri.i real come-P come-P he has decided to make .Championship, Pbaek and defend the c' rs to him. lv which he thinks still belongrietter: t Bay sends the following re all alike k It seems that boxers aRmind to re-si re-si for I have made up my Jr a whirl at 1" enter the ring and take" again. You ti the welterweight title in my C'2U? !N mav not agree with me v- title, but 1 !. still to hang on to the 'ith Milourn p have been training w, 'nd find that Savior for all his bouts aB at least i 1' I am as good as ever.'-1 I can well ti think I am, and fee! tha-J match with t: stand a championshipUU young and f anv nf them. I am si' mv cnallenge f in" good shape, andiid, Graves or a goes for MeFarl-rfer the marathon t Glover, and I n.' to meet Leo Kelly, p route I hoj.is welter, in the latter .1 the St. Loiry-out and will then be a citv as a.jr the rest of the bunch I r rea'dv f- to sav, too, that Freddie tl wanf-ish is still dodging Savior. The v Wjauer hurt his hand and had to pass th up a couole of matches, but he will th start again February S against Ed-wit Ed-wit d;e Mov in Philadelphia, and on tig February- 10 agamit "loung . Lustig of Xew York. TlGraves's Claims. i On the top of Hay Bronson 's re-entry into the arena comes a letter from 'Kid" Graves regarding his claim to PuVne title. He says: According to the stories in the eastern press, Packer McFarland is coming back and will try to duplicate dupli-cate "Bob Fitzsimmcms's feat of r winning three titles. He wants the lightweight, welterweight and mid-(ls mid-(ls d'etveight crowns. There was a time at i when I would gladly have relin-the relin-the quished all claims to the welter-K welter-K i weight title in favor of McFarland er and" boxed him for the honor, and msu mv father, who is my manager, lelt TJ th ame way about it; but now the mee shoo lits a little better and we effc don't intend that. Mclarland shall for' have the title unless he meets and & defeats me. - I hate met all the best men welters in the country and have men "-on the elimination tournament for Stei the champion-hip, since the retire- f mcnt of Kav Bronson. if nou: Farland wants a crack at the title lie let him come out and box me over ho' anv distance, and the title will be at Feb Ftrike. This also goes for any or nm the claimants to the welterweight Xom title. Febi There is no doubt that Graves lins a A'ood claim, but he mmt now consider the 'a'-k p.riuon, too, .'i-i t.iie lafW gave t'no "TlKHI" a hard buttle the other nr'M in ,n0 (rooklvn. Some ; .;. (.or s rrave Jack the -,,Brhade "and j-omo the "Kid," so rhat by vas probably a -;uod draw. Mowcver, !r,enith Brun.'on bar-1- in the ring, there. bould bo no difficulty in arranging SAr,rn0 matches among the bunch. (kecher's Mistakes. Willie B'.-f-fcer, the j:w Tork light- -eight, has inadu two rnistrikcs in tal:-i!"rjfj tal:-i!"rjfj m.'it'-hcs v.hen out, of crjnditifHi. or;:e -.';' .:n ago he tool on Timiiny 'fjry nf Chi'-ago before a Miv.aiik-e tub rind made a poor showing be-aa c e was abont ten pounds over weight pond out of condition. It hurt him as a falt'rd in 7d il 'va n kcc. T,st week l,e took rnctn yy':'i'lif U'"l'h in :;ttvr York on jnn brinne hour",' notif,, arid, v.hllr he put up the good nr;"innrjt for Jive iound' h-the h-the l-''- unab!- to f,,nt 'nun nt an-.' great corro-cd afl-i'.ard -. Ih cult. V,r-,. a nan'Or bout, i,n hr-'. r . r. 1 1 T a'-.-ru ding 1o tr,fl,,. ceivc thn par'"'"- Th'-re wi.-ni fiy f.aprr-, wpono-.''-v-r, v hidi took into -oriKidi-r;i t ion obtaiio fact, t'-.nt hn wan out of condition to B'i-1 gavo iiiin credit for a 'ood ho-.ving, con especially in the fourth game, when he put over a wallop that made Freddie eee stars. Had Bcccher been in tae best oi' shape the chances are that he would have put up a much better contest con-test and helped his reputation thereby, but as it is he &et3 no credit for bis work and loses the chanco oii getting other good matches. His manager, John ,T. Reisler, eaya he did it simply to help the Garden club out of the hole. It might have been well for John to have insisted on a second contract at the time, calling for another match when his boy could be in sJiape; that would have protected him both ways. It only proves again, however, that a boxer, no matter how good he mav be, should see to it that he is in proper condition when he enters the rin?, or take the consequences. .Willie .Wil-lie and bis manager meant well by trying try-ing to help out the other fellows, but they suffered by it. Welsh and Shrugrue. .Toe Shugrue, the Jersey lightweight, will have a chance to prove his claim that he beat Freddie Welsh recently iu Xew York when they clash again in Madison Square Garden, Xew York, 1-V;bniary 0, lor a ten round tilt. Joe made a good Knowing last time, but he v.ili bavo to travel home to repeal, tor Welsh will be in the bent of shape this time and will try his best to win decisively de-cisively over his rival. Johnny .Hindoo U also cln rnori) for a match with White, Welsh or Siiugruo. Tn the meantime mean-time Dundee will try corji'lusions with .Too art dot at New Orleans, aud Jimmy Iniffy, the KuO'alo star, will try out Shugrue in the latter city. Hum Jtoihi- dcau, the I'tuJudeipnia cr.'H'K, ij saying li ttle, but watching h is ehnnco for a t rv at the entire bunch, and when ho eels the I'h.'inco he may change the complexion com-plexion of things gnhoraH.y. Griffith Is Speedy. Johnny Griffith, the clever Ohio light-v.eighl, light-v.eighl, did what. V6 tr,;iny friends expected ex-pected hint 'to (Jo in his twelve,-round jnntch with Freddy Welsh at -Al'.ron, )., the other night outboxed him at, long rfi :ige. According to the newnpapers Johnny had a shade at the end or" the goi n g. bu t t; ken fis a v.diole a draw der-ivion would probably be pretty near the correct i")'( In a long fight Welsh j would" probably wear out his you rigor opponent, I r 1 1 in the sh-irirr bouts I Griiiith hs -'11 the speed ami cleverness I to carry him along a. winner. "During his tour in Australia Johnny made a splendid splen-did ?:'uowinL', defr-aiitig the sterling ffuphio "M'-Igan, ehrtmpiori nf that, com' rv, nr:d r'jjninrf away with I ho h i gh'-'.t t r ibiil e ( iv, i ii tiie AiiM.ru lia n ,'- i i I ej-'t - 1 h !i t nf being the Hevercwt bov iMee the davs .of Crilb.. Gnf'fiilh pro-ed his ela.-v again -t WeMi. and it. v ill no donU. r '.nil in h boy Icing jniif'djed ngain:-.t. the lar the di-i di-i ,oii j,v Ii i te, Shugrue, I'.ritl on nd I J.'iuhi". He i certainly dev-rrving of I ree.ogn i tie n among t ho very r .jt. |