[Cap]

From the morning edition of The Barnsley Earwigger January 7th, 1905...Few if any of the thousands who witnessed the battle for the Empire heavyweight title last night expected the shocking outcome when referee Eugene Corri halted the action in the 9th round and awarded the victory to the Australian "Bill" Lang over the diminutive Canadian Tommy Burns...The now former champion and his seconds were stunned when Corri called a halt because of a seeping wound over the eye and most of the assembled boxing cognoscenti felt Burns had been comfortably ahead at the time of the stoppage, and none saw the need...Imagine their surprise when Corri's scorecard revealed he had Lang ahead on points...However, due to his exemplary reputation, Mister Corri's decision was beyond questioning...Just a few days before, a similar shock was delivered when the young unbeaten Irishman Jim Coffey was knocked out cold inside the first round by the aging Norwegian plodder Bjarni Thorsen...After a brief spar Coffey landed two good ones to the head, then paused to admire his work, at which point Thorsen crashed an overhand right to the younger man's temple sprawling him full on his face for ten and then some...Tom Cowler and his new manager former world champion James J Corbett are said to be mulling over a cabled offer by Sydney promoters Ed Hall and Silver Jack Matthews to tour Australia and New Zealand instead of a potential European championship shot in May at White City Stadium...Meanwhile visiting American heavyweights Jim Stewart, Soldier Kearns and Alf Langford are considering a return to the States after a marginally profitable European engagement despite offers from Parisian impresarios to headline at two of the better venues in the City of Light...