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Show RITCHIE ID WELSH K REfiDYFOR TILT Lightweights in Excellent Condition for Bout Tonight To-night in London. By GEORGE CONSIDER. Special Cable to The Tribune. LONDON, July 6. After eighteen years of waiting, London tomorrow night is going go-ing to have a genuine boxing contest, with the championship of the world in ' the balance. Nevertheless London seems less interested than it was a week ago, the night before the farcical performance by Bombardier Wells and Colin Bell. In all my experience I have never seen less newspaper discussion or less general anticipation on the part of the public where a champion of the world in any division was about to go twenty rounds to defend the title. The amazing truth is that the British public actually prefers the impossible (but handsome) Bombardier to Freddie Welsh, than whom probably no cleverer lightweight over lived. F6r one reason or another Welsh is not popular with j Londoners. As for Ritchie he is un-j un-j known. ; Little Interest Shown. "f suppose he must be champion of the world," one London Johnny drawled when I called his attention to the fact that Ititchie held that title. "But realty, yon know, it doesn't matter much, does it? There are so many champions these days, and. besides. Ritchie has never fought over here, lias he?" The- odds of six to four on Welsh re-flent re-flent this apathy that seems to dull Londoners Lon-doners whenever anything that they do not know- all about is offered to them. : Thev do not like Welsh much, but at least they know him and his ability. ; Their argument seems to be that surely ! nobody who has not performed "over heah" can possibly be as good as a man who has. ' Another result of this unusual 6tate of affairs is the fact that the advance sale of sea ts is actually less than for the " Wells-Bell farce, although the scale of i prices for that bout was almost three , times as high. I lowever, Cochran, the ! promoter of both lights, tells me that last week he expected he would be lucky to break even, but made a nice profit when , more than $15,000 was paid in at the arena after 7 o'clock on the night of the .tight. Doubtless ail the empty seats will be taken by iatR comers, who will trust i to luck to get what they want at Olym-' Olym-' pia tomorrow night. 'Champion Arrives. Ritchie came to town today from j Brighton and moved into a private apart- ment within a block of the big arena, I where he will sta y until it is time for I him to enter the ring. T saw him tonight in a box at a music hall. He looked happy and confident and in magnificent shape. "If I'm on the short end of the odds," he tnld me. "anybody ought to be able to gel at Ic.ist o to I on the knockout nrnpnsition. It's a mighty good bet, Mr. Consldino." 1 think so myself and ha.ve already put up a few English equivalents of our $5 gold pieces at these odds with Englishman English-man who think the champion never will have a chance to put over the finishing punch. After weighing in at 2 o'clock tomorrow tomor-row afternoon Ritchie will eat a big dinner, din-ner, and expects to enter the ring weighing about 133 pounds. Welsh ts due to arrive about noon from Cardiff, arising at 6 o'clock in the morning, morn-ing, motoring twenty-eight miles from Porthcawl to Cardiff and then riding three hours and a half on a railway train. Welsh is sure to be under the Impound Im-pound English lightweight limit, because every ounce more than 13:t pounds Welsh weighs mea nn lie is just that much slower. Ritchie Americans' Favorite. .Judge Coyne, Sam Berna rd. Bob Vernon, Ver-non, Leonard Hicks in fact, nearly all the A merica ns I know In London are betting on Ritchie, to win. But one Englishman of mv acquaintance tonight ordered a bookmaker to bet $10,OiO for him on Welsh at 5 to 4. and could not get any of Ritchie's hackers even to nibble. The Impression around town Is that ihe odds will be as good as S to 6 on Welsh at the ringside. The only Americans who are backing W elsh are Harry Pollok. his manager, and Man McKettrick, who was responsible for r'rank Moran In his recent encounter with .Ui'.-k Johnson, pollnk is absolutely cer-lain cer-lain Welsh will get the decision, but admits ad-mits that the challenger should not be heller than even money. I have senn both men and examined them carefully and I canot see anything to 11 but Ritchie. I believe he will Mnock out Welsh inside fifteen rounds. |