1906-08-09 Harry Lewis L-DQ6 Maurice Sayers (Grand Rapids, MI, USA)

1906-08-10 The Evening Press (Grand Rapids, MI) (page 6)

SAYERS ON A FOUL
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In a Bout in Which Lewis Was Leading.
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BLOW AN ACCIDENT
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Elbow Caught the Milwaukeean Very Low.
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It Was a Great Battle While It Lasted--Troy Won on a Foul Also.
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In the sixth round, after one minute and thirty-five seconds of battling, Maurice Sayers was declared the winner over Harry Lewis on a foul in the main bout of the boxing show last night. Sayers went to the floor apparently in great agony and was carried to his corner, where Dr. De Cou, the club physician, made an examination and declared that he was suffering from a blow in the groin.

The blow was delivered as the men came together after a rapid fire exchange in which Lewis had all the best of it. The Philadelphian while crouched aimed for the stomach and as the blow glanced off his elbow caught Sayers. The blow did not seem to have great damaging force behind it, but was clearly a foul and Referee Lynch did what any competent referee would do under the circumstances--award the bout to Sayers. It was plainly accidental.

Lewis had all the best of the bout with the exception of the third round, when Sayers landed a good right and left to the jaw. In this round they stood breast to breast, exchanging blow for blow, and the crowd went wild with excitement.

It was a splendid bout while it lasted. Sayers was not the punching bag mark that Briggs proved to be, but showed good defensive ability and cleverness at infighting. His blows, however, lacked steam. Several landed on spots where they might have landed the money with a little more power behind them.

Lewis Was Leading Two to One.

Lewis fought better than he ever fought before in this city and his shifts, cleverness at infighting and hitting power surprised even those who had seen him in action before. He used a left jab and right cross that was so fast that Sayers could not stop it and was leading at least two to one when the end came. It is doubtful whether Sayers could have stayed the ten rounds.

After the foul blow was delivered Referee Lynch counted seven and then stopped, seeing that the Milwaukee man was in a bad way.

Manager Robinson, for Harry Lewis, demanded another examination of Sayers today and it was agreed to. The purse was withheld pending the examination. Sayers refused last night to allow more than the hasty ring examination, but changed his mind when Matchmaker Lynch demanded it before a payment of money was due.

The sudden and unexpected ending caused much discussion and fully half the crowd stayed long after the theater closed and argued the pros and cons. The crowd was pretty well satisfied when it was all over that Lewis was on the road to victory, but had accidently landed a blow which may or may not have hurt badly, but which was without question landed with the elbow below the belt.

The Preliminaries.

Young Wolgast, formerly of Cadillac, was given the decision in a tame four-round preliminary bout because of his aggressiveness and general desire to mix at all times. Ed Smith, his opponent, stalled through the first two rounds and then worked better.

The semi-windup between Young Nelson and Harry Troy was awarded to Troy in the sixth round on a foul, a hit in a clinch, in a bout fought under clean break rules. Young Nelson had been cautioned three times before after hitting the same kind of blows. While the bout lasted it was a warm affair. Nelson led on points, but Troy evened up with a clean knockdown with a left hook to the jaw in the second round.

HE DID NOT WAIT
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Sayers Goes to Comstock Park and Avoids Another Examination.

Instead of waiting this morning for the examination by three local physicians of the injury occasioned by the foul in the main bout of last night's show, Maurice Sayers and his trainers went to Comstock Park, and were not on hand as ordered by Referee Lynch. The purse money is still held by the club and Manager Lynch declares that it will continue to be held. If Sayers was hurt as badly as he made pretense of being last night, he need not fear the result of an examination.