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Show Sporting Life. Local sports are at last to be given a chance to witness a few battles with the big mits. There has not been a fight here for, so long that the game will be quite a novelty and a large crowd will probably witness the carnival, particularly Jn view of the fact that the funds secured will be utilized in a charitable way. No one will expect anything very sensational from the battles and consequently there will probably be no fear of a repetition of the fluke performances which have crippled the game here during the past few months. No ban will be placed on legitmate prize-fighting locally, unless some palpably crooked mill is negotiated. In that case the bruising bruis-ing business should be stopped indefinitely. At the same time a capably managed club should be in a position to make a good harvest during the coming year, if they will taboo the fourth-rate heathens, who are willing to lay down for an umbrella um-brella check and only book first-class and decent performers t t The battle between Young Corbett and Hanlon was probably the most spectacular struggle that has been seen in the prize ring for many months, but even that should be eclipsed by the coming fray between the featherweight champion and "Chames" Edward Britt. No one has sJ.vived a fiercer fusilade from the knockers than this same Britt and among all class fighters he is probably prob-ably the most unpopular, chiefly on account of hi3 dilletantish ways and overwhelming conceit. At the same time his fighting abilities cannot be overlooked, and Corbett himself confesses that when he faces Britt he will probably go against the hardest fighting machine he has ever met. It Is generally believed among the sports the odds on the fight will probably favor Britt at the rate of about 10 to 8. This will be due to Britt's superiority super-iority in height and reach, and the fact that, like Young Corbett, he has a championship punch concealed under his dexter glove. Corbett will argue fistlcally with the white lightweight champion with his usual confidence. He saw the mill a few weeks ago. between Britt and Canole, and states that Britt at that time showed all the tricks in the fighting trade that he was familiar with. As a result of his observation observa-tion of Britt's methods, he says he is confident that he is the master of the Californian. It is stated that Britt will be considerably weakened in making the weight, as he normally moves the scales at about 140 pounds. Britt's supporters, though, are confident that he will be in perfect fettle at 130 poundB at six o'clock which gives leaway for about 134 pounds at the ringside. Corbett has some difficulty in making the weight in his flght with Hanlon, and the talent thinks that he will be in his best possible form at weight required in the coming battle. 2fi tv i There is still much discussion in sporting circles cir-cles regarding what weight should be required In the featherweight and lightweight divisions. Terry McGovern's contention that he is the featherweight feath-erweight champion because he was not whipped at 122 pounds is ridiculous, says a well-known ring follower. Young Corbett knocked him out twice at weights that McGovern readily agreed to. Mc-Govern Mc-Govern won his old title from Dixon at 118 pounds, or four pounds under the so-called limit. If 122 is the arbitrary featherweight limit, then George Dixon was never champion. He won his title from Cal McCarthy at 115 pounds, and defended it up to 128 with Frank Erne. It would be better if champions would all conform to the so called limits of 11G, 122, 133, 145 and 158 pounds, but they don't. Jack McAuliffe defended his title at 133 to 138; Erne beat Lavigne at 135, weigh-in at 3 o'clock; Gans beat Erne at 136, weigh-in at 7 o'clock. If Langford had weighed 138, the stipulated stipu-lated limit, when he defeated Gans recently, he would have been over the lightweight title, but he tipped the scales atl40. Young Corbett is dangerously dan-gerously near the 133 mark, but just so long as he can induce any one to fight him inside that limit of featherweight championship, just so long will he hold it." |