BOXING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1097, 20 April 1911, Page 11

BOXING

IS CARL MORRIS THE COMING WORLD S CHAMPION?

OKLAHOMA GIANT SHOWN GREAT FORM.

There is an old saying to the effect that—“ Every cock fights best on his own dung-hill,” which appears to carry considerable weight with one Carl Morri's, the Oklahoma “hope” who has been giving spectacular exhibitions of pugilistic pyrotechnics around his natwe staite. In other words, Morris has deftly avoided the lure of every promoter of fistic events, who has tried to sign him up for fights outside of his own baliwick.

Eddie Robinson. matchmaker of the Sapulpa (Okla.) Athletic club is now the guide of Carl’s destinies and announces that the state in question, where Morris has won all his battles up to date, will continue to be the sphere of the big chap’s scrapping activities for some time to come. Sapulpa people are proud of Morris, and well they may pe, for since the new “hope” appeared on the scene, persons who never were aware of the existence of such a burg on the map, now speak of it in familiar accents. Advertise a true Westerner’s home town, and you win his heart right off the reel. Who ever paid any attention to Goldfield, Nevada until Gans and Nelson made it famous? The case of Reno doesn’t count for so much, because Reno had won a more or less enviable reputation as a haven for seekers after divorce before the pugilistic crime of the century was committed there.

Morn’s probably knows his own business best and his claim that he can get as high as £2,500 for a purse in the native diggings whenever he wants to fight is a reasonably good argument why he should remain at home and force challengers to come to him instead of prowling abroad in search of opponents. Nevertheless, the majority of fight fans would have preferred to see him come out in the open and give them a taste of his quality. There is no denying that Morris has done all that has been asked of him by his home admirers. But it must be remembered that, with the exception of Marv n Hart,, who is a physical wreck in a sense, none of the men who went down before the giant’s punches were known to fame in the slugging business. It reminds one rather of the many youths who take part in “bush battles ” fights pulled off in private, and the like; score up a long Ist of knockouts to their credit—and then fall down miserably when pitted for the first time against some ringster of proven quality before a. bona-fide athletic club. Tins does not necessarily mean that Morris belongs in the four-flush category. He may be all that is l claimed for him, and more, but the public likes “to be shown.” Booming a coming cham= pion .Is all very well, but there comes a day when the long advertised pudding is put to the eating proof. A case in point recently occurred in New York A fellow named Louis Williams, who had never participated in a ring encounter in his life, broke into print in the Gotham papers as a challenger of Jack Johnson. He was a big, finely proportioned animal, and on the strength of his challenge to the champ on obtained an extended vaudeville engagement. He was featured on the bills as “The Masked Marvel,” and went through his athletic stunts wearing a crepe mask which concealed the upper portion of his face.

Finally the “Marvel” yielded to the entreaties of his admrers to show them that he w'ais capable of better things than punching the bag, or busting through an exhibition bout. Tom O’Rourke matched him with a negro named Bob Scanlon. The latter’s pugilistic prowess was nothing to brag about, but —“t’was enough, it served,” for the challenger of the king-pin of fistiana was hopelessly outclassed and stopped in the third round. The only marvellous thing about the masked scrapper appears to have oeen the facility with which he bamboozled the press. None of the “hopes ’ have succeeded in puttng over anything quite so crude as the Williams fiiasco, up to date.

It may be noted that Joe Choynski has given up the management of Miles McLeod, the Missouri giant, who has been appearing in vaude-

ville with ’the veteran. Choynski has accepted a position as instructor of the Pittsburg Athletic Club, and McLeod will have to paddle his own canoe in the future, unless some short-sighted enthusiast sees fit to encumber h mself with him. If there had really been anything to McLeod, any chance of pushing him to the front, it is a safe bet that ChoynskiH would not have dropped him.

WILL GET AWFUL BEATING.

McLeod may or may not continue to pose as a future wonder of the ring; but the first time he puts his theories into practrce, he is due for an awful trimming. When Choynski first took him in hand he didn’t even know how to assume the correct boxJng position, but stood with his right arm extended, and left foot back of him. Choynski moulded him into the proper attitude, but outside of gaining this useful piece of knowledge McLeod is probably as raw a novice as ever. He is a big, soft fellow, slow in his movements, and by no means a promising lump of material for the shaping forth of a finished boxer. But he served Choynski’s purpose while the veteran needed his services, and the wise ones didn’t knock, because they liked to see Joseph get the money. Carl Morris belongs in an altogether different class from that of the posers, Williams, McLeod, etc. No matter what the cal bre of his victims may have been, he made no bones about going out to fight them, and slammed them into oblivion with a rapidity which proved him to be possessed of at least one very im-

portant thing in the composition of a pugilist—the punch that wins. Also he doesn’t proclaim through the press a burning desire to encounter and knock the head off Jack Johnson. On the contrary, when a. fake interview with Morris was recently printed, in which the Oklahoma man was quoted as saying that he would stop both Tony Ross and Jim Barry on the same n ight, the pride of Sapulpa at once wired a denial of the statement, and furthermore said that he was willing to go along quietly under the guidance of hiis present manager, meeting boxers of lesser degree, until he had worked his way toward the topi.

Joe Woodman, manager of Sam Langford, offered to take Morris into his stable and bring him abroad, but the latter declined promptly. It is easy to understand why Woodman should be anxious to get hold of any big fellow with a white skin, who showed signs of “having the makings.” Langford’s colour is a great drawback to him. Had Sammy been a blonde, Woodmlatn’s chase of Johnson’s goat would have resulted in a capture of that elusive creature long ago. Can you picture what a tremendous demand there would be for the services of a white man who had lost a narrow margin decision to the black star, and had every other heavyweight in the game buffaloed? As the matter stands no one feels particularly interested in the question of whether Johnson can defeat Langford, or vice versa.

MUST FIGHT TO A FINISH.

Langford had another turn-up with Joe Jeannette quite recently, and bested him, as he usually does, but failed to stop him. Langford is a bettei' performer than Joe, but until he settles Jeannette’s account with a knockout, Joe will serve as a buffer between the champion and Langford. Langford and Jeannette have met so often that they knew each other’s style thoroughly, and it will probably take one of these long drawn out 45round or finish contests so poplar in Paris to decide the question of supremacy for good. Morris missed a golden chance to make an international reputation by his refusal to tie up with Woodman. The latter is a past-master in the art of handling fighters, and would have matched Morris with exceeding care in England. It is certain that Morriss can hardly find easier game among the fistic aspirants of his own state than would have awaited him on British soil.. Everybody knows what a wretched bunch of heavyweights are at present to be found at Home. If Morris is anything like as good as he is claimed to ’be, he would whip all the Wells, Moirs and Hagues that might be matched with him, and gain a lot of useful ring experience while doing so, to say nothing of the notoriety such exploits would give him. It is reported, however, that Morris expects to try conclusions with Langford one of these days, when he has become a bit more conversant with the finer points of the game. If this is the case, his refusal to join hands with Woodman can be eas’ly understood.

AWAITING PAPKE’S HOME-

COMING. After his defeat of Dave Smith at the Sydney Stadium Billy Papke, the American boxer, left, as is generally known, for England, where he will probably take part in several battles before returning to the States. It is to be hoped that Papke’s fighting spirit returns by the time he reaches home, for there is a peck of trouble brewing for him there in the shape of numerous challengers. Jack '(Twin) Sullivan, Frank Klaus, Frank Mantle, Eddie McGoorty and last, but not least, Hugo Kelly, are all of them anxious to get a chance at Papke and the middleweight title. Of all the challengers Kelly is the most likely. Sam Summerfield, whose long experience in ring matters gives considerable weight to his opinion, saw the second last battle 'between Papke and Kelly, which took place at Los Angeles in 1908, and declares that a worse punished man than Papke never left a ring; although Jim Jeffries, who officiated as referee, announced his verdict as a draw at the end of the 25 rounds of battling. “ There was one point about that fight which has always made roe doubt Papke’s gameness,” says Summerfield. He started from his corner at the beginning of every round with a terrific rush and Kelly never failed to meet him with a sort of half-hook, half-jab that shook him to his heels. Every time Papke ran into that punch he backed up and discontinued his rushing; it seemed

to take all the heart out of him Now a fighter such as the late Stanley Ketchell was couldn’t be compelled to break ground that way. The harder Ketchell got it the more determined became his efforts to get at his man. He was one of those fighters that are never whipped until stretched out cold. “ You can’t say as much for Papke. He showed a strong inclination to ‘dog” it with Kelly, nad it was the same • old story when he fought Ketchell the last time at Colma. Anybody who saw the fight will admit that Papke fought in a faint-hearted way. As to the last bout between Kelly and Papke, when the latter was knocked out in the first round, practically the first punch—that was the biggest fluke that ever happened. If Kelly is as good to-day as they tell me he is he ought to whip Papke with out much trouble.” Kelly has recovered from the injury to his arm sustained in his last battle and is now back into fighting harness. A number of contests have been arranged for him, and a boxing campaign of this sort is just the thing to put him on edge for a meeting with his old rival —Papke, and a couple of the Gotham clubs are already negotiating with Sylvia Ferretti, manager of Kelly, regarding such a match.