Salt Lake Tribune | 1916-12-24 | Page 24 | Kilbane Steps out to Meet Fred Welsh

KiLBAfiE STEPS OUT TO 1ETJRED WELSH NEW YORK, Dec. 23. It's pretty tough to be champion of a class that consists of yourself. At ieast this must be what Johnny Kiibane thinks, for in Johnny's caj?e the featherweight division of pugilists is very largely represented by one John Kflbane ot" Cleveland, Ohio, and that just about lets the division out.- Kiibane lias probably had fewer battles bat-tles since he nicked off the feathery skypiecc than any other king bee who bus headed that division of the punch smiths. His last battle wasn't even a battle, for George Chaney of Baltimore, who a few months ago was conceded to be the only logical aspirant to Kilbane's crown, spent only a few minutes in the ring with the Olevelander. It was Labor day when Chancy pot his chance,1 but he was put to sleep in the third round, when a flock of cloves with a pile driver in them connected with his lower maxillary and sent him on his way to slumber land. So Kiibane stands alone, and in justice to him it must be said that the pugilistic world doesn't really know how good he is. . As an all-around performer in the ring Kilhane is generally conceded by fitrht-ers fitrht-ers to be the cleverest, hardest -hitting and headiest article of his weight in the game today. As a rule boxers are a bit slow to dish out praise for eaeh other, but in Kilbane's case the boxing fraternityat fra-ternityat least the grea'.er part of it-is it-is willing to hand him a helping of the laurels. Promoters here will cet a chance to stage Kiibane with Freddie Welsh in the near future, for Kiibane has been forced to step out of his class to keep busy. A short ti'ne azo the managers of Welsh and Kiibane held a confab here and a Treed to send the two against each other when l he rieht offer -ame hob-tiring hob-tiring up. Welsh flatly refused to do butter but-ter than ir.r pounds at 3 nYlnck in the -i ft'Tnoon tor Kiibane, showing that the lightweight champion has a wholesome j respect for the Forest City knuckleduster. knuckle-duster. Kilb;me wanted the weight sev- I eial pounds lighter, but Welsh &aid nix, no. nay, and Kiibane had to be content. con-tent. When these two bovs slip under the ropes for a ten-round fuss the fistic fans of this hustling city are going to get a ; real treat. Certain It is that the bout will be a breaker of speed limits a sort of hurricane. Kiibane knows he has a wallop: he alvo knows that be can deliver de-liver it with the speed of a bolt of lightning, light-ning, and he will make it a point to do his best to ypnly said wallop to t'10 We'shian jaw. Of course, Johnny will he handicapped in weight, but the match k.oks like a good one from where wi sit, and it should be wed worth the price of admission.