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Show SPORTS 1 (By W, W. Nau'ghton.) San Francisco, Feb. 12 Jack Johnson John-son will soon be homeward bound from Australia.' He leaves Hrlsbano on February 17 and will arrive at Vancouver. B. C, a good week betore St. Patrick's day. This surely-means that Johnson will be brought Into the ring at Cof-froth's Cof-froth's holiday show on the afternoon of March 17 and Introduced as "the real, live champion of the world, and the only negro that has won that distinction dis-tinction Jack Johnson." What Johnson will have to say on that occasion will have considerable bearing on the Jeff-Johnson tight which we arc all trying to provoke. Unless Johnson has changed his sentiment sen-timent since he pulled the toga from Tommy Burns' shoulders In Sydney, his utterances will be both pat and pertinent. I know that there was always ' a thorough understanding between Johnson John-son and Manager Sam Fitzpatrlck and I have Just come across a six months old letter in which Sam talks flippantly flippant-ly of Jeff's distaste for a tost of lighting light-ing ability with Johnson. Among other oth-er things, Fitz said: "If Jeff is aa good as his word, though, there is Just one chance that there may be a day of reckoning between him and Jack. JelT at the time of his retirement said that it ever a foreigner won the championship cham-pionship he would climb right back Into the ring and try and prevent the title from leaving the country. Well, the title will become Jack Johnson's as sure as the sun shines, and then maybe, the question will arise, 'Is a negro a foreigner?" We surely hope that Jeffries will regard Jack as such." Now, if Johnson takes up that line of. talk when he gets back here, does anyone suppose Jeff will remain as placid as a Jelly fish? Perish the thought. If he did, his show business would dwindle, for every gallery god In the land would yell. "What right has he to be getting big chunks ot monoy for acting when he has no notion no-tion of boxing Johnson?" Here seems to be the thing in a nut-shell. If Johnson Is as eager to box Jeff as he was three months ago there will be a fight. Either that or Jeff will be forced to say: "I have tested myself and am satisfied I cannot can-not get into proper condition to reenter re-enter the prize ring." Otherwise flesh and blood could hardly withstand the pressure and the slurs Jeff will be subjected to. While trying to force Jeff Into fighting, fight-ing, or declaring his inability to do so, Johnson will have as good a chance of making money as Jeff has right now. He could follow Jeff from town to town and appear at opposition theaters, the-aters, giving point to each appearance appear-ance by "panning" lympathlc Mr. Jet fries from the stage. Think of the furore and the packed houses that would attach to a situation of that ' kind. A6 a dollar-garnering proposition, it would pay Johnson Immeasurably Im-measurably better than going to England Eng-land to box Sam Langford, the more especially as hard headed, thick bodied bod-ied Langford is nobody's fool at the slugging game. |