[Cap]

From the pages of the December 1908 Christmas issue of Mitt Slingers Magazine...Sam Langford has been named the IBU's premier contender for the world title currently held by America's Luther McCarty...McCarty has yet to catch on with the public in any meaningful way, largely perhaps because of his defensive style and his lack of a strong personality...Langford doubtlessly owes his prestigious position to his defeat of Harry Wills "The Black Panther", not once, but twice. As for Wills, he slides in behind the Canadian thanks to his wins over both Fred Fulton and Billy Miske...The question on the minds of many US promoters regards the Manassa Mauler Jack Dempsey and his cunning manager Doc Kearns. Will they challenge Wills for his American heavyweight title or stay in California and bide their time until they get a crack at the world championship...Fulton, the Minnesota Giant, wants another shot at McCarty but he has already been told he needs a big win or two before that door opens up...Gunboat Smith clings to a spot in the top ten and has signed with a promoter to fight Billy Miske in January or February...Tom Cowler was pondering a return to Merry Old England until someone suggested he might get a sizeable purse headlining a card in Toronto with the Canadian heavyweight champion Charlie Gage. His manager Jim Corbett was interested enough to travel there and seek an audience with Tom Flanagan...As for Gage, he was exploring his options. He could fight someone like Cowler or New York's John Lester Johnson, or defend his Canadian title belt against Tommy Burns when Burns had restored himself as a real gate attraction...Ern Waddy found himself floundering despite having sent Jack Johnson back into retirement. Offers to his manager were small potatoes, a few hundred dollars to fight men like Bud Gorman, Kid Norfolk and Bill Brennan. Cables from Hugh Mcintosh back home in Australia proffered princely sums to return and fight Albert Kid Lloyd at Rushcutters Bay. So Waddy was leaning towards going home...In Europe, promoter Ray Charrington was angling to get a match made between his latest star Dave Hawkes of Australia and EU champion Colin Morrison of Scotland, but the British boxing board was pressuring the National Sporting Club to force Morrison to defend his title against Bombardier Billy Wells first. Morrison ignored both parties and signed with a promoter in Scotland to meet Edinburgh's 15th ranked Rab Dickson, as was his right in his first title defence...