CHAMPIONS FROM EUROPE
WRESTLE TONIGHT.
Zbyszko, Built Differently
From American Mat
Artists, is Most
Powerful
Athlete.
ZYBSZKO AND KARL ALBERG.
Zbyszko, the Polish wrestler and champion of Europe, and Karl Alberg, French champion, arrived in Kansas City yesterday morning for their bout in Convention hall tonight. Both wrestlers appeared in uniform yesterday for the benefit of their admirers and the Missouri Athletic Club management. They are in excellent condition and a little training was indulged in by Zbyszko, while the Frenchman stated that he had finished his training and would not need any more work before the battle tonight.
This match will give local followers of the mat game a chance to get a line on the ability of the man who expects to defeat Gotch for the world title in the near future. Zbyszko is entirely different from the average foreigner who appears on the mat in this country. He is the most powerful man in all Europe and is built entirely different from Gotch and other top notchers. He is but five feet eight inches tall, and weighs 245 pounds stripped. His arms, legs, neck and chest are larger than any other wrestler in the world. He is built "from the ground up," as wrestlers call it, and it is a difficult matter for any mat artist to take him off his feet. This is why he is a better catch-as-catch-can wrestler than most foreigners and this is the reason also that Gotch will find a hard man to throw when he meets the Polish athlete.
Zbyszko is a gentleman and understands the English language. He is a much finer type of a man than the average foreign grappler. He knows Raicevich well and says that the Italian who showed a "yellow streak" on the mat here not long ago, is not in the championship class and is no good for high class bouts, which corresponds very nicely with the opinion of local followers of the game.
Alberg is one of the best built athletes in France. He is about the same build as Gotch is, is a powerful grappler, although it is not believed that he will be able to throw the Pole. Like Rouel De Rouen, Alberg has the reputation of being a rough wrestler and few Frenchmen have ever given up without a hard battle in the local arena.
The advance sale of seats indicated that there will be a big crowd at the bout tonight. There will be a couple of preliminaries. Dave Porteous will referee.
