BOXING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3172, 24 April 1909, Page 3

BOXING.

J£lt is stated that Jim Jeffries, the world's undefeated heavy-weight, is being sadly harassed in New York by a constant succession of challenges from the negro Johnson, writes a London corrernspondent under dite, March 12th. The latter arrived at Vancouver, 8.C.,'0n his return from Australia, a few days ago, and ever since landing has been hurling challenges by means of post ana telegraph, and even special messengers. Jeffries has succeeded in reducing his weighs sufficiently to undertake most lucrative music-hall engagements worth £SOO per weeks, but he is still m"ch too fat for a fight to the finish with the black pugilist. Boy messengers tiring Johnson's, challenges, couched in slighting terms, to Jeffries at all hours of the day and night, and Jeffries, if he is to retain the respect of American sportsment, must either meet Johnson or allow judgment to go by default. Meanwhile the big negro is greatly Worried because the hotelkeepers, despite his pugilistic laurels, persistently draw the "colour line," and refuse him admission. Johnson feels this discrimination very bitterly, all the more, we are told, because while in Australia he married a white woman. The latter was an American girl from Philadelphia, who said she would marry Johnson on condition that he "licked" Tommy Burns. Johnson's feelings are shared by / 10,000,000 other American citizens of African descent, who declare that he should also draw the colour line, and refuse to meet white men desirous of wresting the championship from him. Johnson goes to New York shortly to see Jeffries personally, and possibly there will be some hot words, bince leaving Australia, Johnson announces that he has become a Bible Christian. He has been booked already to preach in a suburban chapel to a negro congregation.