1902-02-25 Tommy Ryan W-KO8 Tim Draffin Murphy [Strope’s hall, Kansas City, MO, USA]

1902-02-26 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO) (page 3)

RYAN WON IN EIGHT ROUNDS
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"AUSTRALIAN TIM" MURPHY ONLY A PUNCHING BAG FOR TOMMY.
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A Big Crowd of Sports Saw the Bout at Strope's Hall, and Murphy's Stamina Made a Hit With Them--General Sporting News.
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Tommy Ryan, Kansas City's claimant for the middleweight championship of the world, knocked out Australian Tim Murphy in the eighth round of what was to have been a ten-round bout at Strope's hall last night, before a goodly crowd of patrons of boxing. The audience included business and professional men and the best of order was observed throughout. It was a thoroughly good natured crowd of followers of fistiana and the bout generally was satisfactory.

The Australian's principal quality was his ability to stand punishment, but he was clearly outclassed and was simply a punching bag for the fast and clever local fighter. Ryan punched him all over the ring when he assumed the aggressive, forcing Murphy to break ground continually and resort to clinching and holding to save himself.

Murphy had the best of height, reach and weight, but with all these natural advantages he never had a look in, and Ryan could have put him out handily inside of four rounds had he cared to rush the Australian to close quarters and try for a knockout. He ripped Murphy in the slats, around the solar plexus spot and under the heart whenever he pleased and Murphy's body must be a very sore one today. Then occasionally Ryan would land a vicious short hook alongside Murphy's jaw or neck and the Australian's head would go back or he would stagger away towards the ropes.

This continual battering took the steam out of the visitor, but he was game to the core and took his medicine. He knew he was up against it, but he never once refused to toe the scratch, and while he might possibly have arisen before Referee Perry called off the fatal ten he was a thoroughly beaten man, and was in such a defenseless condition that every real lover of the sport would have been satisfied had his seconds thrown up the sponge in the seventh round.

At the close of that round he was all but out, the gong alone saving him from the count, as Ryan had floored him eight seconds before the end of the round. He revived somewhat, but Ryan went after him in earnest in the eighth, and with such telling effect that Murphy went down in a neutral corner from a left hook to the jaw that put him entirely out of the running after thirty-five seconds of fast milling by Ryan.

Ryan has had several easy bouts lately, but when he runs up against Rube Ferns in their coming battle about a month hence he will at least find a fighter who can hit hard enough should he be able to find the shifty Ryan to put him off watch, and should Tommy win from Ferns and later on take on Jack Root, he would meet a man who would give him a harder battle than he has had for many months. The only objection to Root is that Ryan would be giving away a ton of weight to Jack, and he is too shrewd a matchmaker to battle with Root unless the financial conditions should be very enticing and a satisfactory weight limit agreed on.

THE FIGHT BY ROUNDS.

Round 1--There was little fighting in this round, both fighters resorting to the feeling out game. They fiddled for a minute before either tried to land. Finally Ryan landed a right light on the body and they clinched. Murphy sent in a few light body blows. After the break Ryan landed a right in the wind and then put in a right and left on the wind as they clinched. Murphy again pumped in a few body blows in the clinch but they were not damaging. The Australian tried a right for the jaw in the clinch but it went around Tommy's neck. There was much clinching and wrestling, but little fighting in this round.

Round 2--Ryan went out with a rush and Murphy began breaking ground rapidly. Tommy sent a light left to the body and catching the Australian in a corner they mixed up fast. Ryan sent a left to the wind and a right to the head and a right to the body was followed up with two lefts in the face. Ryan pumped two lefts in the wind and sent a left to the head. Murphy worked in a left to the face and Ryan gave him back the same medicine. This blow put the Australian in queer street for a moment but he soon recovered. Murphy went to the floor from a hard left in the stomach but was up without delay. In a clinch Murphy put a right over the heart but Ryan gave him a left in the face and another in the wind which caused him to grunt and break ground. Murphy made practically no effort to fight in this round and Ryan had him bellowing and blowing after each pass at him.

Round 3--This one was tame. Murphy broke ground continuously. Cornered, he landed a light left on the head but got a right on the side of the face in return. Ryan sent two lefts to the face and another to the wind and Murphy jabbed his right into Tommy's face. Ryan landed a left in the face and as the gong sounded he put a hard left in the wind.

Round 4--Murphy continued to break ground. Ryan sent a left to the wind and the Australian fairly raced to keep out of his way. Ryan sent a right and left to the face and put another left to the face. Murphy came back with a good right straight arm punch in the face, but Tommy gave him a left on the jaw and two lefts in the wind in return. They exchanged lefts to the face and Murphy was sprinting when the round ended.

Round 5--Ryan went out after him in cyclone fashion. After a clinch Tommy whipped a right over on the jaw and then sent another right to the body and Tommy missed a right swing and fell sprawling on the canvas. Murphy became a little more inclined to mix it and sent in a couple of body blows. Ryan kept after him and put him on the ropes with a rain of punches in the wind and on the head. Murphy ducked two vicious rights but ran into a left uppercut which caused him to wobble. He clinched and held on at every mixup, but Tommy finally threw him off. Murphy to the face but for this Ryan made a punching bag of him and had him down under two or three swings to the head.

Round 6--Murphy resorted to clinching and holding on again. Ryan sent two lefts to the face and Murphy missed a left swing. They exchanged lefts to the face and Ryan sent a light left to the face and a right to the wind. Tommy got in two more rights on the jaw and Murphy was clinching and holding to save himself when the gong sounded.

Round 7--Ryan went in to finish him and came near doing the trick, the gong being all that saved him. Murphy got in a light left to the face and in a mixup Ryan slipped and fell. He came up smiling and cut loose at a terrific pace. He sent a right to the body and Murphy punched him a few in the clinch. Tom handed him two rights on the head and then Ryan missed another swing and fell. Up again he sent a right to the jaw which staggered Tim and he started breaking ground. A left in the wind put Murphy down for the count and he wobbled under a stinging right and left on the jaw. Ryan put him down again for the count with a right on the jaw and he got up pretty helpless. Ryan pounded him all over the ring but he guarded the vital points and the local man could not get in the finishing punch. Finally a left in the wind caused Murphy to drop his guards and Ryan shot in a right to the face that sent him to his corner wobbly as the gong sounded.

Round 8--This round was short. A left in the face and a right to the jaw put Murphy down for the count and after pounding him around a few seconds more Tommy shot a left to the jaw that put the Australian down and in such a helpless condition that he could not continue further.

On the whole the fight was a very satisfactory one, and it was witnessed by the largest crowd that ever attended a battle in Slope's hall. In addition to the main go Emmet Mellody and Ed Courtney boxed four hot rounds as a preliminary, and the newsboy team did their pleasing four round stunt.

Mellody and Courtney mixed it up in great style, both punching hard, and, taken all in all, their was about the best preliminary seen hereabouts in several seasons. Before the main bout was put on Tom Minogue, the announced, read a telegram from Mysterious Billy Smith, challenging the winner.