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Show WOLGAST NOT SO GOOD AS FORMERLY San Francisco, May 13. While boxing four rounds with Willie Hitch ie at the Eighth street arena Saturday, Satur-day, Champion Ad Wolgast scored two knockdowns. It was well that ho did so, for had It not been for his success in the direction indicated tho crowd would have felt liko giving Ritchie the credit of a victory over the prince of 133 contenders. This because Ritchie outboxed Wolgast In each of the other three rounds and sent him stasgering repeatedly with hard lefts and rights Jack Welch presided over the bout and performed all tho offices commonly com-monly allotted to a referee with the exception of rendering a decision He was prevonted from making a ruling through an agreement entered into between be-tween tho boxers boforehand It mny be that Welch would havo attached more weight to the two knookdowus than to all the prodding and cutfs Wolgast recoived frojn Ritchie. A knockdown blow, of course, wipes out all the indignities thrust upon a fight-, or by a pestering opponent, and as a knockdown blow Is the nearest thing to a knockout. It stands to reason that a referee would take more hoed than of a number of blowB which not carry knockdown force. On this basis of reasoning It is possiblo pos-siblo that If a decision had been gU'-on gU'-on it would havo been in favor jf Wolgast. If, however, there had beon a decision, and. It had been a draw, the writer belloveu It would have found favor with the majority of tho spectators To judge from Wolgast's shov.ins Saturday, ho is not tho fighter he was before the operation for appondicitiu. -If his contost with that spitfire, Joo -Rivers, were scheduled for a week or two from uow, tho chances are that Rivers would be an even money choice If not Indeed a favorite. One of the most noticeable thingfl about Wolgast's boxing was tho frequency fre-quency with which ho missed. Not one out of every four blows at Novice 1 Ritchie roached tho mark. Ritchie. . on the contrary, lashed out with won- H dorrul precision, and If it had not been 9 for the lad's nervousness Wolgaat would have fared far worse than he did. The chance of the occasion over- , whelmed Ritchie. He was In a flut ! tored condition, but not fear, for he ? is a game lad Tho Idea of hooking up with a world's champion and the possibilities that lay In the mooting wore what unnerved Master Ritchie. I The newspaper decision gave Wolgast I a shade. |