1897-04-23 Jimmy Barry W-PTS20 Jimmy Anthony [National Athletic Club, Woodward's Pavilion, San Francisco, CA, USA]

1897-04-24 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO) (page 3)

THE CHICAGO BANTAM WON
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JIMMY BARRY CLEARLY OUTBOXED THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMPION.
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Anthony Was Still on His Feet at the Close of the Twentieth Round, but Barry got the Decision.
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"Parson" Davies's bantam weight pugilist, little Jimmy Barry of Chicago, clearly demonstrated his superiority over Australia's champion, Jimmy Anthony, in a twenty-round bout at San Francisco last night. He did not knock out the Australian, but Barry had all the best of it and the decision in his favor met with general approval. The Woodward pavilion, in which the National Athletic club of 'Frisco pulled off the fight, was crowded and the programme, which included a rattling four-round bout between Rubenstein and Cooney, in which the former got the verdict; the bantam championship event, and Bob Armstrong's smothering of Sam Pruitt, a California heavyweight, furnished a good evening's sport. Hiram Cook acted as referee and was roundly hissed for his decision in the first fight between Rubenstein and Cooney, which was awarded to the former. It was all Rubenstein's fight up to the last half of the last round, and though Cooney had the better of it after that, Cook's decision was proper under the rules.

The event of the evening was the twenty-round contest between Jimmy Barry of Chicago and Jimmy Anthony of Australia. A clever fight was put up by the bantams and though it was Barry's all the way through, Anthony seemed dangerous in every round, as he finished practically as strong as he began, while Barry was noticeably tiring, though he made a lively finish. The Chicagoan got the decision. Barry was entirely too quick for Anthony and the Australian did not get in a single effective blow. On the other hand, Barry frequently rained swing after swing on the Australian's jaw, but the blows either had no force in them, or Anthony is a wonder to stand punishment.

It is certain that there was no steam behind many of Barry's blows. He is the perfection of activity, and had no trouble in finding Anthony's jaw, but that is all he good it did him. In a boxing contest that was all that was necessary and the fact that Anthony kept forcing Barry to walk backward around the ring counted but little in his favor. Anthony had but one mark on him at the end of the fight, a cut back of the left eye, while Barry had red spots and scrapes all over his body.

In the beginning of the fight Anthony tried to rush Barry, and the latter cleverly ducked or swung his left on Anthony's jaw. Many of the rounds were uneventful, but Barry was clearly outpointing his man all the time. In the last four rounds Anthony tried to rush Barry and ran against a rain of blows that stopped his aggressive work. Barry's remarkable agility saved him and he reached Anthony's face whenever there was a mix up.

THE BATTLE IN DETAIL.

The men were well trained and Barry set the pace. It was evident that Barry was the cleverer man of the two, but his blows did not seem to hurt the Australian. In the third round, after Barry had landed several right jabs without return, Anthony became aggressive, whereupon Barry swung viciously, but missed, and fell to the floor. In the fourth Barry led with his right, but was hotly countered. He then landed with both hands without return, and the round closed with Anthony swinging wildly.

Barry was confident that he had sized his man up when the fifth opened, and landed a stiff right on the Australian's face, and followed it up with right and left on Anthony's jaw. Both came up smiling for the sixth. Anthony rushed, but was cleverly stopped by a left on the nose. Anthony poked his left into his opponent's stomach, and received a right in the face as a return. Barry led several times, but his blows seemed to lack steam.

In the seventh Anthony cleverly stopped a lead, and the round closed with Anthony fighting hard. Little or no fighting was done in the eighth, but in the ninth Anthony showed signs of improvement, for he stopped all his opponent's blows, and landed several times on the Chicago boy's stomach. In the tenth both fought very hard, but Barry was evidently taking no chances. He rushed, but was stopped. In the eleventh Barry landed a right and tried again with a left swing, but Anthony made a quick duck, and got out of the way. The fighting was slow during the rest of the round. Barry went after his man in the twelfth and landed whenever and wherever he pleased, but he could not put the little man from Australian out.

BARRY LANDS AT WILL.

In the thirteenth Barry landed twice on Anthony's nose without return and pushed him hard. Anthony rallied, however, and rushed the Chicagoan all over the ring. In the fourteenth Barry poked Anthony's sore nose again, and as the gong sounded punched him on the neck. This was decidedly Barry's round.

In the fifteenth Barry did all the fighting, landing rights and left on Anthony's head, jaw and stomach. In the fifteenth Anthony came up with a black eye, but was strong. Barry, just as the round closed, swung his left on the Australian's jaw and the latter went to his corner in a groggy condition.

Anthony came up fresh for the seventeenth and stopped a left lead for the face. Barry then jabbed him several times on the nose and then slipped to the floor. He got up quickly and received a light counter on the jaw. Anthony's eyes were in mourning in the eighteenth, but he was still strong. The only important blows struck in this round were a right on the foreigner's jaw and a stiff left on his nose. Barry plainly outclassed him as far as cleverness was concerned.

In the nineteenth Barry was much the stronger of the two, and countered his opponent on the jaw. Anthony landed a right hook, but there was no force to the blow and Barry uppercut him savagely.

The twentieth and last round was all Barry's, as he smashed his opponent on the eye and jaw repeatedly. Although Anthony was still on his feet when the round closed, the referee announced that as the contest was for points, Barry was clearly entitled to the decision and the big end of the $2,000 purse, and was the champion bantam weight of the world.

BOB ARMSTRONG'S EASY MARK.

The ten round go between "Parson" Davies's black fighter, Bob Armstrong, and a California colored bruiser named Sam Pruitt was a howling farce. Armstrong is supposed to possess championship metal, but there was no opportunity of sizing him up last night. Pruitt seemed to be full of sorrow or something else as he came forward. His legs and shoulders were bare and his skin shone like that of a Samoan chief after a cocoanut oil bath.

When he toed the scratch Armstrong struck him several lefts in the face and on the body, and Pruitt looked reproachfully at the "Parson's" novice. Another left hand stomach punch settled it, for Pruitt walked to his corner and told the referee that the thing had gone far enough.

The exhibition, which lasted about five seconds, was of such a comical nature that the spectators roared with laughter. Only a handful of enthusiasts who took pugilism seriously at all times got mad.


1897-04-24 The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, CA) (page 7)

JIMMY ANTHONY WAS OUTCLASSED
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Barry, the Champion Bantam, Won a Well-Merited Decision.
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Twenty Rounds of Scientific Fighting in Woodward's Pavilion.
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Armstrong Whipped Pruit in a Punch, and Rubenstein Defeated Cooney.
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"Good laws me, Mr. Armstrong, don't hit me any more. I'se stopped now."

This is what Sam Pruit, a big, husky, colored man said to Bob Armstrong, his opponent, last evening at Woodward's Pavilion after he had received a few left-hand jabs in the mouth.

It was the last event on the National Club's programme, and it ended in a dismal failure.

Pruit and Armstrong were to have had a ten-round bout, but Pruit was not a "dead game" pug, and he quit early in the game.

The first event was a four-round contest between Ike Rubenstein of Sacramento and Joe Cooney of Chicago. Referee Cook gave a decision in favor of Rubenstein, and the announcement was received with hoots and catcalls. Rubenstein had certainly the better of the first two rounds, but in the last rounds of the fight Cooney scored a strong lead and had his opponent on "queer street" when the contest finished. Rubenstein did not by any means prove that he was a game fighter, as he withered in the last part of the game and looked beseechingly at his seconds, as if he wanted them to throw up the sponge.

The event of the evening was a 20-round contest between Jimmy Anthony of Australia and Jimmy Barry, the champion bantam of this country. The fighters, who scaled in at 115 pounds, could not have been in better trim for a long race. The betting was strongly in favor of Barry, who sold for $10 as against $6 on Anthony.

The contest was not for the championship of the two countries as many people supposed, as championship battles are to a finish only. The fight was very interesting because of the science and generalship displayed by the contestants.

Anthony was the aggressor from start to finish, but he was outclassed by a more clever man, who, by cunning moves and pretty arm work, drew the Australian's fire, which spent itself on the atmosphere.

Anthony tried time and again to get within close range of his game, but instead of sending out straight left leads, he swung at Barry's head or body and fell short almost invariably only to receive a clip under the ear or a straight left on the eye, which medicine, however, was taken by Anthony with apparent relish.

The rounds were pretty much the same up to within the last six or seven, when Anthony, finding that he was outpointed in straight-hitting and ducking, made some desperate attempts to land a right swing or left hook on some vulnerable spot. Barry was careful not to mix too often with his powerful opponent, anticipating that a chance blow might send him to dreamland.

However, when the little fellow did get to close quarters and an exchange of compliments resulted, the American champion proved to the satisfaction of the referee and spectators that he was pretty good at a mixture himself, as he landed at least two blows to the one he received. Anthony's stopping was very clever, but each time he essayed to land a right hook or attempted to cross his opponent, he fell short and clinched to avoid a return.

There were many opportunities which he missed taking advantage of for a good stiff uppercut and as a consequence he lost what might have resulted in a victory to him. The Australian's leads were generally short. He calculated distance badly and several times he left openings after missing wild swings which Barry should have taken advantage of, but the American was not there to take a chance of being knocked out.

Barry's figuring on distance was excellent, and when it came to in-fighting he proved himself the master of the man who was supposed to be a crackerjack at that game.

Neither man was punished to any extent, as the contest was a clever exhibition of good sparring instead of slogging, which the spectators are more accustomed to see. The bantams gave general satisfaction, and Barry was richly entitled to the decision in his favor.

The new master of ceremonies of the National Club is a most remarkable spieler, who surpassed the great master of ceremonies, Billy Jordan, in all particulars. He announced that a dispatch was received yesterday from McKeever, which stated that he (McKeever) was ready to sign articles with George Green to fight under the auspices of the National Club.