BOXING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 31, 5 February 1916, Page 16

BOXING.

Ad Wolgast, who lost the lightweight championship of the world on a fpul to Willie Ritchie three years age, is willing to put up 15,000 dols. of his own money if Freddy Welsh, the present title-holder, would meet him in a twenty-round bout or more for the championship. "I am willing to give Welsh 15,000 dols. if he will meet mc in a decision bout," said Wplgast. "Harry. Ppllpk, the manager of Welsh, has been asking fer that sum pn behalf of Welsh for a bout for th» title, ever since Welsh gained the championship from Ritchie in London. I am willing to gamble with the gate receipts to reimburse mc. But in allowing Welsh 15,000 dols. I restrict him to that amount. ' He must not expect to have any part pf the gate receipts ° r any of the other privileges' in connection with the bout. I thinkl am the pnly boxer to-day Who has held the ! championship title whp is willing tp put up his own mpney in order to• * regain what he has lost." Wheii I'lost' the title the privilege pf boxing''Ritchie" shpuld havie been extended to mc mst'ea'd'of. to Welsh. That has been the procedure in other years— to give the beaten champion an opportunity to regain the title.' Ritchie, however, refused' to meet 'mc again. Now, if "is ■ not a side-stepping champion he will give me I 'a cnahce. lam willing "tp meet Welsh'any'time after my bout'with''Leach &qsi3, : which is to take place'at the Harkni''Sporting Club on' December 17." ""'-'-" : "

It is not; yet eight mqntJSs since Jess Willard bicaine champion by bringing abput'tihe'doxviiiall of Jack Johnson at Havana, biit in those few months' 1 Jess has earned roughly a quarter"'pi'a" mplipn '4bflars, r pV in English money JE6p,OOCI.' It'is : quite a'considerable; fum,' 'even for a "mah pf wealth, tp have in a lump, and on«i can only guess at the way its possession 'would affect a man all accounts had'neyer previously"'had more than tuppence to jingle "on 1 a tombstone. He was" just an odd jobs man, says an exchange, a little" bit here, getting a little, bit the*re,' arid one suspects that he went into %he boxing'game just because it prpmisecl to bring-Mm a barrel of mpney' in cine brewing.' The talk that his friends have given''off to the effect that "when Jptnspn had defeated Jeffries, Jess Willard became fired with the ampitipn to bring back the "title to the white race is just so much tosh. Willard, frq'nj his looks and' actions, has just about as much anihition'as a ham, and althpugh a certain sectien of the Americai-i sporting Prejs affects to be startled by the a-tmpun'cfement that the champion intends to' retire within a year,'one need not be surprised. Willard'§ manager has taken the public into his confidence'bytelHng them that "the •*cal truth is that Jess wpuid rather be doing something else than swapping punches in" a. ring.". '. .'if Jess liked boxing pr its side-lines, such as stage and circus Wprk, he could now he making thousands of' dollars '*every week." Which spunds yery much as if Jess was rather afflicted with the born-tired complaint. But his manager is going to keep him up to the scratch for a bit, and thp'ugh, as he' telhV'the WPrld, Willard will "box only three or four more contests—at the usual"£3,ooo per, of course —he will not have done so badly by having' yielded to his "noble ambition." Not that Willard is getting for himself all the nioney he has earned and will earn. It is estimated that his managers —he indulges in the luxury of more than one—have skimmed GO per cent for division among themselves, but even left with only £25.000, Jess has not done so badly in eight months.