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Show Ketchel Willing to Fight Johnson New York. March 19. Stanley Ketchel. Ket-chel. middleweight champion of tho world, said today that if Jim Jeffries finds after a course, of training that ho cannot restore himself to tho proper prop-er lighting condition to cross arms with Jack Johnson, heavyweight champion cham-pion of the world, he, Ketchel, will take on the. colored champion himself after be has had a year In which to train and take on necessary weight to meet Johnson on something approaching approach-ing even terms, so far as weight Is concerned, "Of course." said Ketchel, "my aim is to become heavyweight champion of the world, and I mean to attain that honor even if I have to fight a colored man to win the title. I realize that I Jeffries is the logical man to fight Johnson, and I shall withhold a formal challenge until Jeffries announces whether he will ho able to fight John-eon John-eon or not. I think that Jeffries will slaughter Johnson if he can manage to retain the form that made him such a marvel when he met Jim Corbett tho second time. However, when a man has been out of the fighting game for four years, and when he takes on weight as Jeffries has, it is no easy matter to reduco himself to a weight that will enable him to put up a grueling gruel-ing bailie. "I am afraid of no man In the world today, and If my manager, Wlllus Britt, arranges a match with any one, white or black, I'll take him on. I confidently confident-ly believe that with a year's preparation prepara-tion I will be able to defeat Johnson. I am much stronger than he is and I can hit a harder blow. True, he 13 far cleverer, but in a finish fight, the man with the punch will win out. "I'd prefer to meet Johnson in a finish battle, as"a limited round bout would not settle the question of superiority super-iority 'between ns. My tnptfession, however, is that Jeffries will announce shortly that he will return to the ring. If he does, goodby Johnson. The negro will not stand a "chance against him." |