1891-12-13 Tommy Ryan W-KO14 Frank Howson [skating rink, near Chicago, IL, USA]

1891-12-14 The Chicago Daily Tribune (Chicago, IL) (page 7)

RYAN PROVES TOO MUCH FOR HOUSON.

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After a Clever Fourteen-Round Struggle the Latter Succumbs.

Tom Ryan still remains firmly entrenched in his position as welterweight champion of the United States. He and Frank Houson, the English welterweight, fought early yesterday morning at a point near Chicago and Ryan won in the fourteenth round by knocking out Houson.

The men fought for a purse of $1,000, 75 per cent to the winner and 25 to the loser. The affair was admirably conducted. The special train of five coaches that had been chartered was advertised to leave the Union Depot promptly at midnight Saturday and it was only a few minutes after that when it pulled out, with the coaches filled to overflowing with sports of all grades and sizes. The usual crowd of deadheads who force their way on trains of the kind was missing and the gathering, while a noisy one at times, was always good natured. The journey to the battleground was made without incident. Everybody on the train seemed the proud possessor of a bottle, the emptying of which seemed a matter of conscience to him. As a result before the train drew up at its destination many of the spectators were mellow. It was 2:30 when the train pulled up at its destination. An old skating rink had been hired for the fight. It was only fifty yards distance from the railroad tracks, and when the crowd was under cover it was found that all arrangements for the fight were complete. A ring had been built in the center of the hall and around it two or three rows of benches had been placed. These were quickly appropriated and those not fortunate enough to secure places on them got standing positions of vantage. There was not much delay, and before 3 o'clock the men were in the ring. The manager of the fight cautioned the spectators against making any unnecessary noise and then announced that George Siler had been selected as referee and Malachi Hogan as timekeeper.

Houson was the fist to appear. He was clad in full flesh-colored tights with black stockings. Harry Gilmore and Tommy White looked after him. Ryan wore red trunks. He was handled by Henry Baker, Manning of Buffalo, and Bill Richards. Two-ounce gloves was put on and the men who were to fight to a finish under Queensbury rules were ready.

Round 1--As the men stepped to the center Houson was seen to have a slight advantage in height and reach, but Ryan seemed stronger, more compact, and better conditioned. Houson was the first to lead, but missed, and some pretty work at long range followed. In fact, it was remarkable that most of the fighting was at long range and clinches were few. The fighting was fair all the time, and not a foul was made or claimed during the contest. Ryan led with the left and landed lightly on Houson's chest, receiving a cross-counter in return that did little damage. Houson rushed in and rapid exchanges followed, with honors even, and the round closed with the men sparring at long range.

Round 2--Houson forced the fighting and, swinging his right, landed heavily on Ryan's jaw, jarring the champion, who retaliated with a vicious lefthand jab on the ribs that made Houson wince. The latter, however, continued to force the fighting. He found Ryan's face with his right and got away without a return. This angered the champion and he rushed in, rapid exchanges at close range following, Ryan having slightly the better of it. Houson's blows lacked force and it was evident even this early that he would be beaten by his inability to punish.

Round 3--The work, which had been fast up to this, now grew slower. Both men were cautious, Ryan taking the offensive. He swung his right and landed on Houson's left eye, slightly discoloring it, and followed his advantage with a vicious lefthand jab on the ribs. The round closed with the men well away from each other.

Round 4--The work was fast and furious. Ryan again took the offensive and rushed his man to the ropes, where there was some rapid infighting, the champion having the best of it. Houson clinched, and at the breakaway Ryan again rushed in and the round closed with the men at close quarters.

Ryan Continues to Force the Fighting.

Round 5--Ryan continued to force the fighting. His first rush carried Houson to the ropes and he rained blows on him, Houson clinching to avoid further punishment. At the breakaway Ryan followed his advantage and the round closed with heavy fighting in Houson's corner.

Round 6--Houson's left eye was badly discolored and Ryan continued to play on it with his right. The fighting was all at long range.

Round 7--Both men were still strong. Ryan crossed over into Houson's corner at the call of time and the fighting was all there. The exchanges were even, but Houson's inability to punish grew more apparent as the fight progressed.

Round 8--Houson rallied and forced the fighting, but Ryan had easily the better of the infighting. Houson's face began to puff up, while Ryan was practically unmarked.

Round 9--Houson swung with his right and landed heavily on Ryan's neck, staggering him. He followed up his advantage and put the champion on the defensive during the rest of the round.

Round 10--Houson again started to rush matters, but Ryan met him half way and feinting with the left swung his right and landing on Houson's puffed eye broke the skin. The blood trickled down and first blood was claimed by and allowed to Ryan. He rushed Houson to the ropes and punished him severely. The round ended with Ryan easily the stronger.

Round 11--Ryan continued to play for Houson's injured eye and finding it at will kept a steady stream of blood flowing on the Englishman's chest and dripping to the floor. Ryan rushed his man to the ropes, but generously drew back and was rewarded with the spectators' applause.

Round 12--Ryan started in to finish his man and fought him all over the ring, landing time and again on Houson's swollen face. The latter stood his punishment gamely, however, and rallied towards the close of the round.

Round 13--Houson's face looked like a piece of beef, while Ryan, although tired, was unmarked. He was content to husband his resources and the fighting was not fast. Houson, however, was steadily growing weaker.

Round 14--Ryan waited patiently for a chance to land the knock-out blow, and it was given before many seconds' fighting. He feinted with the left and seeing his opening swung the right, landing on the point of Houson's jaw. The latter went down in a heap and was counted out. He recovered in a few minutes.

The return trip was quickly made and the party landed here in time for breakfast.


1891-12-14 The Chicago Herald (Chicago, IL) (page 6)

KNOCKED OUT BY RYAN

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HOWSON DONE IN FOURTEEN ROUNDS

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The Englishman Proves a Hard Fighter and Gives the Champion the Battle of His Life, but Is Fairly Whipped by the Chicagoan.

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Tommy Ryan landed a knock-out blow on the peak of Frank Howson's left jaw before the fourteenth round was two minutes old. The clever English boxer keeled over on his face on the blood-stained floor. As he lurched forward he fell on Ryan, who stepped aside. Howson threw up his hands convulsively, spun around the floor upon his shoulder, groped blindly for a second or two and then became unconscious. Ten seconds passed and Timekeeper Malachi Hogan yelled "time," and the Ryan-Howson fight, which was fought early Sunday morning for $1,000 was over. Ryan had fought the battle of his life and won it after a most stubborn contest by a square knock-out blow. The round had opened with a rush. Howson, with his left eye closed and his nose laid open, did not appear groggy, but he was nevertheless on his last legs. Ryan fought like a hurricane. He punched the Englishman in his bread basket and rushed him into a corner. Tommy's right landed twice lightly on the Sheffield man's face. Howson tried to stop him and was about to land a blow on Tommy's head. He was slow in execution and left his guard open for an instant. Ryan, who had been watching and waiting for just such an opportunity, drove his left with terrific short arm force into Howson's jaw. His gory two-ounce mitt slammed into the sympathetic nerve with a jar, and the man who had hustled him as no antagonist had ever done before fell to the floor.

It was the cleverest and best managed fight that has taken place in this vicinity for a long time. Not only were the men well matched but the arrangements were perfect and the crowd, as such crowds go, quiet and orderly. There were no interruptions, and from the moment time was called--at 3:28--the fight went on without a break. The principals and their admirers left the city shortly after 1 o'clock. There were three coaches of them, and the fight took place in a roller rink 100 miles out of town. The twenty-four-foot ring was pitched on the second floor of a frame building on the principal business street of a prosperous village. The run was made without accident, and then came a fight and scramble up a long pair of dusky, dark stairs.

The Mayor Welcomes the Boys.

Two lamps swung from the ceiling. Sports from the village and an adjoining town swelled the attendance to perhaps 350. The mayor of the place was there. He was introduced to the crowd. "Speech, speech," yelled a score of voices. The mayor twisted his long, black mustache, and said: "This may be very late or very early for a speech. I was awakened by a man who told me to come here. This is, as far as I can see, an orderly crowd. But, as mayor, I must do my duty. I forbid this fight to go on." There were cheers and cat calls. "He has done his duty," said the manager blandly. Then the little mayor climbed over the ropes and disappeared in the crowd, but not from the hall. About the same time a man cheaply dressed approached a group of sports who were passing around a pint flask. "Gimme me a drink, boys?" he asked. "Not much," replied one of the gang. "I am deputy sheriff," said the man, displaying his badge. He got his drink. Ben Mowatt swung his clubs, and after he had gathered up a shower of silver Referee George Siler skipped into the ring. Howson shied his castor into the inclosure at 3:15 and Ryan followed three minutes later. Harry Gilmore and Tommy White stood behind the Englishman, and Billy Manning, of Buffalo, and Henry Baker, of Chicago, did the honors for Ryan. Malachi Hogan and Charles Calhoun were the timekeepers. Just before the fight George Clark offered to bet $500 to $300 that Ryan would win in twenty rounds, but had no takers. Odds were freely offered on Ryan. At 3:26 the men shook hands and two minutes later the scrap began.

Ryan wore red trunks and Howson white tights. Over the Englishman's chest was spread a porous plaster. He weighed 136 and Ryan 140 pounds. Tommy was in fine fettle and danced around like a sprite. During the entire battle he forced the fighting, except in a few rounds where Howson unwound his right and landed stingers on his face, neck and chest. Ryan was the more cautious. The blows did not mar his beauty, but they shook him up terribly. Sporting men who have seen all of Ryan's fights were of the opinion that he had the closest call in his career. Howson lost strength by the continual play and action of his shoulder and arm muscles, while Ryan was cool and collected as a chunk of ice and made no useless moves. Ryan received more ugly whacks and thumps from the Englishman than Danny Needham was able to get in on him in his long fight at St. Paul. Howson had few if any friends at the start, but he stood punishment nobly and came to the scratch smiling every time. Had he used his right more liberally the result might have been different.

First Blood for Tommy Ryan.

Round the first was characterized by countering and dodging and closed with furious infighting, the honors being about even. In the second Ryan nearly forced Howson over the ropes and both fell sprawling on the floor. Howson stopped some clever blows and got in twice on Ryan's neck in the third. Tommy rushed the Englishman to the ropes in the fourth, and as he was about to keel over picked him up. Howson repaid Ryan's generosity by a vicious short-arm jab in the face.

In the fifth round Howson took the bit in his teeth and a splendid fistic exhibition resulted, the round closing with the odds slightly in his favor. It was now evident that Ryan had no snap. Howson was contesting every inch of the ground. It was here that he began to do business with his strong right arm, and once or twice he had Tommy on the run. Howson was content most of the time, though, to let the other fellow force the fighting. The sixth was a standoff and in the seventh fast infighting was followed by a clinch and a tumble on the floor, Howson getting in the last blow on Ryan's jaw. Ryan rushed things in the eighth, landing some pretty thumps, and began to attack his opponent's wind.

The ninth was tame, but in the tenth Ryan drew first blood by a corking right-arm poke under the left eye and followed it up with a ribroaster and two or three whacks in the face and jaw. The round ended decidedly in his favor. Those who had wagered that Ryan would win in ten rounds lost their bets, but it was evident that Ryan had his man whipped and that a few rounds more would settle the fight. Ryan found the gaping hole under the eye again, and also laid open a section of the Sheffield man's nose. A short time before Howson's mitt had rattled his teeth like castanets, and one had broken squarely off and fell to the floor. Ryan determined to avenge the loss of his molar and hammered and banged Howson in the fast-closing eye, nose, and chest. The Englishman for the first time acted like a man seasick, and was so blinded by blood that he could not ward off his opponent's telling blows.

Ryan sought and found Howson's eye in the twelfth, and also tapped his claret-box. Tommy's mitts looked like huge carnation pinks, and Howson's face was so bloody that Ryan's blows slipped off almost harmlessly. He closed on Howson's jaw first with his right and then with his left, and a shoulder blow sent both to grass. Howson got in his first upper-cut, and Ryan's head began to buzz. Tommy got mad and rushed in long and short arm lunges, and Howson became groggy and reeled like a drunken man. He was as good as whipped, but he pluckily would not give up the fight. There was more hammering in the thirteenth, and Ryan pulled the curtain down over Howson's left peeper. He also whanged him on the neck and jaw, and again tapped his claret-box. Then came the fourteenth and decisive round, with the terrific knock-out blow that settled the fight. The Chicago sports returned to town just as the church bells were calling the faithful. Ryan showed no signs of punishment, and there was not a scratch to indicate that he had engaged in a fight.

The fight lasted exactly fifty-four minutes. And now W. S. Layton wants a go with Tommy Ryan. He writes that he will fight Ryan at 140 pounds before any club for a purse, 75 per cent of the gate to go to the winner and 25 to the loser. He defeated Reddy Gallagher in seventeen rounds at Lima, Ohio; knocked out Joe Tansey in Birmingham, Ala., and fought Frank Griffin in Roanoke, knocking him out in two rounds. Layton is now in Roanoke, Va.


1891-12-14 The Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago, IL) (page 7)

RYAN WHIPS HOWSON

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The Englishman Goes Down Before the American.

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TOMMY IS STILL CHAMPION.

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Scientific Fighting for Fourteen Hotly Contested Rounds.

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Superior Generalship, Force, and Judgment Win the Battle.

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HOWSON DEFEATED.

Tommy Ryan is still the champion welterweight of the world. He stands an unbroken record of victories. Yesterday morning he added Frank Howson, of Sheffield, England, to the list of his victims. The fight was, from a professional and scientific standpoint, a beauty.

Howson is admittedly one of the cleverest men who ever stepped into the ring, and Ryan was his match in this respect. It was a very scientific battle. Parries, ducks, and counters were too thick to cause comment after the first three rounds. Howson was quick as a cat and very shifty on his feet. He lost through his inability to hit hard, though he hit often. Ryan did some great work with his left, and showed altogether the best generalship.

It was nearly 12:30 yesterday morning when the special train, carrying the contestants and nearly 300 spectators at $5 apiece, left the Union Depot. In a few minutes after crossing the line the train stopped and the crowd followed the leaders to a skating rink, where the ring was pitched and all preparations were made. All arrangements were complete and the crowd was happy.

BETS WERE FREELY OFFERED

on all sides on Ryan at odds varying from $100 to $75 to $100 to $50. But little was placed. Even money was laid that Ryan would win in ten rounds; with slight odds that he would win in fifteen rounds.

In a few minutes everything was ready and the contest was announced to be for points for $1,000 and the championship. George Siler was chosen referee and took charge of the stakes. Harry Gilmore, ex-champion light-weight, and Tommy White, the feather-weight, acted as Howson's seconds, while Jim Manning, of Buffalo, and Henry Baker, champion heavy-weight of Michigan, did like service for Ryan. Queensberry rules governed.

Ben Mowatt opened the "athletic entertainment" with a clever exhibition of club swinging and juggling, for which he was rewarded with a shower of silver.

A minute later Howson and his seconds stepped into the ring. Howson was to have had another match a few weeks ago, but it fell through. He kept on training, and overtraining seemed to handicap him, as he looked thin. His weight was 136½.

HE WAS FOLLOWED

by Ryan, looking fresh and springy. Soon both were stripped. Howson's long reach was then apparent, but he did not look as well muscled as his opponent. With him it was only to win by superior skill, a hard thing to do with Ryan as his opponent.

At 3:24 Malachy Hogan, official timer, called "Get ready; time," and the contestants sprang from their corners like cats. A handshake and sparring for an opening began. Both were cautious. Ryan laid well back, while Howson stood rather more erect. Soon followed such a flashing of ducks and dodging as is seldom witnessed. It was no slugging match. It was frequent comment that Howson had been underrated and would make Ryan fight. The contest by rounds was as follows:

First Round--Ryan led with his right, but Howson escaped by an inside parry. Ryan led twice, but failed to land hard, while Howson got in a right-hander on Ryan's neck that jarred him for a moment. Smiling he came up and close infighting ensued, Ryan getting in a left-hand upper cut. Howson showed his great defense in two lightning ducks. Honors even on call of time.

Second Round--A feint, and then Howson led and failed, but caught Ryan's left on the cheek. Ryan led, but caught one on the ribs while Howson ducked. The blow was soon returned by a hard left-hander that jarred the Englishman for a minute. He felt another just as time was called. Howson seemed winded as he took his seat.

Third Round--Clever sparring began this round, but Ryan soon began to get in his left in short-arm work. Howson managed to work his right on Ryan's cheek, but in return caught it with both hands. A little more sparring, a left-hander by Ryan, and then a minute's rest.

Fourth Round--Ryan got a little the best of this round. He was fresh and light as a fairy. He led lightly and on Howson's return got in two corkers left and right handed. The Englishman got in but one blow, a good right-hander, but took another one of Ryan's stock of left-handers. Soon after Ryan did his right-and-left act again, closing the round in his favor.

Fifth Round--For a moment it was a footrace, but as Howson got one below his ribs he sat down on the ropes. Getting up, he came back to get a right, and then a left. Ryan made a swing, but missed, giving Howson a good chance for a La Blanche pivot, which he failed to use. Ryan closed the round after a little sparring with three good blows, having decidedly the best of it.

Sixth Round--Both did good work, but it was evident that Howson was working with his nerve, not his strength. He led off with a left-hander, landing, and followed with a right-hander on Ryan's ribs. Each got in a couple of blows, and sparring followed. As usual, Ryan ended the round in his favor, getting in a good left-hander on Howson's left eye.

Seventh Round--Howson began to show his hard work and breathed hard, but Ryan was fresh. The Englishman got in some light ones, but in return got a hard right-hander and several left-handers.

Eighth Round--Ryan followed up his advantage, and a quick succession of short arm lefts on Howson's game eye began the round. Howson did a couple of good stops and got in a right hand body blow, but went to his seat with several rights and lefts that jarred him.

Ninth Round--Howson rallied again, getting in a left and then a right-hand rib-roaster. Ryan was resting, and let the Englishman waste a good deal of nervous energy in getting in a couple more left and right-hand blows on Ryan's hardy body. Tom was apparently going to do business in the next round.

Tenth Round--Howson evidently thought Ryan was quitting in the last round, and, cheered by his friends, sailed in. But Ryan was on hand. A left, a hard right-hand cross-counter, and a right and left on Howson's ribs made the Englishman cautious. Tom began to urge matters, and cut Howson's cheek for first blood. Howson's great work on his feet saved him some, but it began to be evident that he was not in the fight any more.

Eleventh Round--Ryan followed his advantage and did about all the punishing. He kept hacking at Howson's damaged left eye and worked in his left frequently. Howson kept on the run and was soon forced on the ropes. Ryan backed away and let him come up again when he might have settled it right there.

Twelfth Round--Ryan began business with a body blow, but Howson paid him back with his best blow, a right-hand swing on the ribs. It was only a flash in the pan, for fighting with both hands, Ryan was rapidly finishing him. Twice he drove Howson to the ropes with right and left-handers, the latter seeking only to avoid punishment. He was groggy, and moved with no force. On the call of time he staggered to his seat.

Thirteenth Round--Ryan had his man beaten, but kept at that left eye. He worked in right and left almost at will, simply playing with his man. One hard right-hander on the chin made the Britisher shudder, but as revenge swung his right on Tommy's ribs again. It was weak. When they took their seats Howson had been punished severely and couldn't see out of his left eye, and blood from a cut on his chin ran down over the porous plaster on his breast. He was about done for.

Fourteenth Round--Howson vainly tried to rally and advanced. Ryan began a wind-up series of right and left handers, doing about as he pleased. A couple of right and lefts jarred the Englishman. Ryan feinted with the right, and as Howson turned his face slowly to dodge, Ryan let him have a left-hand swing on the jaw. Howson's eye rolled up, he gasped, sunk to the floor, rolled over and slept.

Howson was not rendered insensible but was so jarred that he couldn't get up or get to his corner. Hard work on him for five minutes brought him around, but he was badly used up.

In the third round betting began to change and Joe Ullman offered $100 to $10 without a taker. Another bet of $300 that Ryan would win in 15 rounds went begging. All kinds of odds were offered thereafter, but no money could be placed except on the result at ten rounds. A little money even was placed that Howson would stay the ten rounds.

The battle was remarkable for its fairness. Not a call of foul was made, not an unfair advantage was taken. Not an angry word was passed between the principals. It was a scientific fight, and the best man won. The common consent was that Howson can beat the best 135-pound man. He is not a hard hitter, but has a good right-hand body blow. Ryan did not use his well-known hard blows with any frequency, doing all his hard work in the last half minute. At the close not a mark appeared on him. The crowd saw a good contest and straggled homeward at about 7:30 o'clock in the morning.

Ryan's next battle will be in California with Danny Needham, whom he whipped in seventy-six rounds for the championship.

Jack Wilkes, the St. Louis welter-weight, was at the ring side, and came prepared to meet the winner for $500 a side.

Wilkes, in a very business-like manner, made a proposition to enter into a contest with Ryan. The latter's manager could not accept the offer because a contemplated return match with Danny Needham in San Francisco, negotiations for which are now pending.

1907-11-12 Sam Langford W-PTS20 Young Peter Jackson [Pacific Athletic Club, Naud Junction, Los Angeles, CA, USA]

1907-11-13 Los Angeles Herald (Los Angeles, CA) (page 8)

LANGFORD-JACKSON FIGHT IS A FARCE
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SHADY MEN GIVE FIASCO
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YELLOW PETER REFUSES TO STAND UP AND SLUG
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SAM RUNS BLACK BALTIMORE JACK RABBIT A RACE
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Boston Negro Gets Decision After Twenty Rounds of Clinching That Disgusts Enormous House
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BY J. G. GRIFFIN

No tragedy, lots of comedy and still more farce marked the initial production of the Jackson-Langford continuous performance company in Los Angeles.

One of the actors, Mistah Langford, is pretty fair, and gained the plaudits of the crowd--as well as Referee Eyton's decision--but as for Mistah Jackson--whew! To the incinerator with such!

Contrary to all expectations a large crowd turned out at Uncle Tom's cabin to see what proved to be one of the rottenest cards, at least so far as the main event went, that has ever been pulled off, even there. The preliminaries, both of them good, saved the day, for the windup was not worth watching.

Peter Holds On

To begin with, Jackson crabbed it for the entire distance. Out of the sixty minutes of action in the ring it's a cinch bet that Young Peter dogged it for fifty-eight of them, and tried with wild and ineffectual swings for the other two.

Langford would stand off at long range and pepper away at Peter's head and body, usually landing. The blows did not hurt Jackson such an awful lot, and he kept in close, endeavoring to wear Sam down with body blows delivered in the clinches.

From beginning to end Pete stalled along and only in the clinches did he make any endeavor to use his arms. A few times he shot out with wild swings which Langford easily evaded, and the half a dozen real clean punches of the battle (?) were for the most part shot in by Samuel.

Just to show how fight hungry the town is, a crowd that packed the big pavilion to the roof turned out and spent the time during the main event in hooting the boxers and yelling for Langford. Peter's several attempts to claim a foul were greeted with more than groans, and ll Eyton had to do at the end of the twentieth round was to grab Langford's mitt in token of victory.

Both Preliminaries Hot

To drop the frosty part of the program for a while, the preliminaries should be mentioned, as both of them were all to the tobasco. Jimmy Royle and Roy Rogers fought a fast six-round go to a draw and Young Terry McGovern upheld Tom McCarey's opinion of his ability by making Harry Dunn stop in the tenth and last round.

The McGov-Dunn contest was one real affair, with honors resting slightly with McGov nearly all the way. Dunn is a good enough boy with a perfect build and a machine-like mouth that chewed gum even up to the time McGov landed him helpless on the ropes. His seconds slipped over a piece of lemon in lieu of a sponge and the show ended right near the close.

Dunn a Whirlwind

Dunn started out like a whirlwind and nearly pushed McGov through the ropes in the second spasm. The newcomer's infighting was all the candy, and he had McGov guessing a little, until the latter warmed up toward the end of the second.

The third was something fierce, both boys going their fastest. Dunn was tired, but awfully willing, and together with McGov he provided the best round of fighting that has been seen here in a long time. Young Terry ripped his glove at the wrist, and every time he sent one over, the ring was strewn with a deluge of hair.

Things began to slow up a little in the fourth, and McGov slipped one over to the beak that opened the member up a bit. The fifth was also a little tame, and in the sixth McGov stalled until almost the end, all of which got him nothing.

Young Terry tincanned a bit in the seventh, but opened up in the spasm following and floored Dunn with a series of punches to the head. Harry was bewildered, but game, and stalled off the inevitable until the bell sent the lads to the corners.

The ninth was fast enough to suit any of them, and Terry shot one over on the jaw that loosened up the gum chewing molars. In the tenth he tore in like a little cyclone, and had Dunn groggy almost at the start.

Asleep on the Ropes

The new boy leaned over on the ropes and didn't know whether he was asleep or on horseback, and his seconds had sense enough to throw in a piece of lemon, which did for a sponge.

Jimmy Royle and Joe Rogers opened the evening's program, and it must have been that sympathy favored the little fellow. Rogers outweighed him at least ten pounds, and had all the best of it in reach, but Jimmy was there to take a beating, even after he had been floored with a bad wallop on the jaw right in the opening round.

Royle came back stronger as the fight progressed, and in the fifth he opened up and had all the best of it. His gameness stood him in good stead, for the last two rounds were all his and Tommy Walsh rendered a draw decision, which was a little to the horseshoe for Jimmy.

Abe Again Advertises

In between the preliminaries and the so called big show the Abe Attell publicity department was put on and gave an exhibition. Kid Farmer crawled into the ring first, and challenged George Memsic (by request), to meet at 138 at 3 o'clock on the day of the fight. Georgie followed and declared his willingness to meet anyone in the business at 133 pounds, and then Attell came along and offered to fight George at 133 if the latter would first meet Farmer at 138. Memsic wisely refrained from biting at the bait, and there was nothing doing along the lines of a match.

Dingles' Fight Rotten

It's a shame to waste paper on the Jackson-Langford farce, so a brief summary will suffice. The mill opened with a rush, Young Peter breaking into a clinch and whanging away with both hands at the kidneys. Sam showed his skill at the long range work, while Peter lined up well in the close stuff.

Sam feinted Peter open in the second, and shot over a right to the bread basket that did Pete no good. A few jabs also helped some, and it was an easy Langford round. In the third Pete broke fast, and swung both arms like a windmill, but the only damage done was a cut on Langford's lip. Sam jabbed back with a will, and there was nothing really exciting recorded.

The fourth and fifth were the same, except that in the latter Pete went wrong again, and Sam was forced to stick around close to keep from falling into a haymaker. Sam kept his opponent open in the sixth and kept his long left going fast, keeping it up in the seventh. Sam's shanty, the foundation for which was laid in the fourth round, rose rapidly in this period, and toward the end his left lamp was nearly closed.

Eyton Interferes

Charlie Eyton had been separating the men without going between them up to the eighth, but at last he was forced to get busy and push the dingles apart in order to let them to break. The crowd began hooting at this stage of the game, for Jackson had developed a lovely case of stall.

More hoots followed in the ninth, and when his seconds began wiping Langford off with the national colors at the end of the round there was a small sized riot under way. The tenth was a good fast round, and Pete was hanging on to keep from being punished too severely in the eleventh.

The covering tactics were resorted to by Jackson again in the twelfth, but along toward the middle of the spasm he tore loose and tried with wild swings. Sam slipped over a hard right to the head, but no real damage was done. Pete started the thirteenth like he meant business, but a few jabs caused him to cover again.

Pete Tries for Knockout

Pete caught Langford under the chin with his elbow in the fourteenth and swung him over to the mat, trying his best to land a knockout as Sam went down.

In the fifteenth, Pete backed into a corner and drew Langford after him, but it got Jackson nothing, as Sam stood off and peppered him. More howls greeted the sixteenth, and Pete kept on trying to finish it with a punch in tho following act. He landed several neat blows, but they did no great amount of damage, and all Langford had to do was to keep on with his long range work, and protect his body in the clinches.

Hosts Greet Stall

Pete's elbow work in the eighteenth was something rich, and when he commenced to stall the hoots from all parts of the house were renewed. In the nineteenth, Langford landed the real punch of the fight, when he feinted Peter opened and shot over a terrific right to the stomach. Sam kept after his man and Pete bent low, trying to make Eyton think that a foul had been committed.

The windup was about the same, with Pete bleeding profusely from the lips. Sam worked his shift to advantage, and Pete was rather the worse for wear at the end of the putrid battle.

The way things came out is no more than was expected. All along The Herald has contended that the fight as a fight would not amount to much, and this opinion was more than justified by the way things went.

Langford a Good Fighter

One thing determined, however, is that Langford is a fighter who can make a whole lot of the white light heavies sit up and take notice. He did not have much chance to display his skill for Jackson stalled too much, but any time Sammy starts he is sure to have a large following among the local sports.


1907-11-13 The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA) (page I6)

BLACK TURNS YELLOW.
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SAM LANGFORD SHOWS CLASS.
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Whips Young Peter Jackson in Twenty Rounds.
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Outboxed and Outfights the Baltimore Negro.
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Young McGovern Meets Tartar, but Finally Wins.
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Sam Langford made Young Peter Jackson “quit” in their twenty-round fight before the Pacific Athletic Club last night, and incidentally showed himself to be one of the classiest all-around fighters in the ring today.

Jackson never had a show, and not once did he deliver a blow that hurt the Boston black. Long before the bout was concluded Peter was stalling and in the last three rounds, he quit dead, and simply stayed the limit because he was able to assimilate all the punishment Langford handed to him.

Langford did all the forcing and showed a willingness to fight at all times. Jackson tried to play foxy through three-fourths of the battle, and while covering up, kept the crowd in expectancy for a rally at the proper time when he should catch the Boston darky off his guard. But Langford was too clever a boxer, and too good a ring general to leave the opening, and meanwhile Jackson took an awful walloping.

Toward the end of the fight the punishment began to tell; and Jackson cast about for some more serviceable way to protect himself than by covering. Langford had found all the holes in his defense, and picked the spots with unerring judgment. Then Peter began to back up and walk away, and force himself into a clinch. He even attempted to induce the referee to believe that some of the hard left swings Langford sent into his stomach landed foul, but the blows were clean and the bluff did not go either with the crowd or the referee.

CLAIMED FOUL.

Eyton cautioned Jackson to do better work and openly laughed at his claims of foul. Jackson attempted several rallies but his stamina was gone, and in the last round Langford had him very weak and bleeding badly at the mouth. Sam did not lose sight of the fact, however, that Jackson is dangerous at all times if an opening shows itself, and played the game safe, being content with a decision.

The crowd did not take kindly to Jackson’s style of fighting in the last half of the battle, and hooted him roundly. Many began to leave the hall, as Langford had such a wide margin that nothing short of a knock-out would have lost him the decision, while Jackson had shown almost certain inability to accomplish the trick.

Langford caught the crowd with his clean, effective work. He is a two-handed fighter, with a punch in either hand and enough cleverness to protect himself in the clinches or at long range. He amply justified Eddie Keevin's efforts for nearly a year to get him on before McCarey's club, and showed that none of the white boys have any business with him.

Jackson's friends claim that it is his style of fighting to continue to cover up and stall until he finds an opening, but Peter carried it to extremes and the majority of those who saw his fight believe that he quit and refused to fight when he was being walloped.

The fight looked to be the last which these two negroes are to have, being their sixth. Jackson is getting too old, and Langford is ready for bigger game in the championship class. Although Jackson proved to be the stronger and possessed of the harder punch when he allowed himself an attempt at delivery, Langford was by far the classier fighter of the two.

MUCH INFIGHTING.

The men got busy at once and began heavy infighting, at which Langford proved the best, as he landed the greater number of blows, although not as strong as his opponent. Langford was better at protecting himself, as he paid more attention to the direction of his opponent's blows, while Jackson blindly covered and thus left occasional openings which Langford was not slow in finding. He would step back and look for these holes while Jackson covered, and when he picked a place to deliver a blow, he was able to hit with either hand at long or short range with plenty of steam behind the blow.

Jackson was game for half the fight and took enough punishment to suffice for putting out half a dozen white boys. Langford slammed the left to the body or head and crossed over to the head or jaw frequently, but Peter came back for more. Only when he saw his task of winning hopeless, did he slow up and retreat before the attack. Often Langford backed him into a corner and feinted him into an opening. After taking a few punches, Jackson would crouch and force himself into a clinch, when he would attempt to hammer Langford's stomach. But the latter would block the most of them and then drive in hard right or left until Jackson held to protect himself.

Jackson at times tried to overpower his opponent by sheer brute strength, but Langford was clever enough to use his lesser strength to better advantage and always staved off harm.

In the eleventh Langford landed a hard right to the jaw, near the ear, and Jackson showed real signs of weakness. From then on Peter doubled up whenever Langford led, and staggered about the ring while Langford danced about and tried to jab his way into an opening. Often Langford found an opportunity to land one on the ear or jaw and then Jackson's staggering was not caused by attempts to cover up.

It was all Langford thereafter, and the crowd became disgusted with Jackson.

DUNN PROVES TARTAR.

Harry Dunn gave Young McGovern the hardest fight of his life in the second preliminary, and it was not until McGovern finally sent across a hard right to the chin in the tenth, which dazed Dunn, that the local boy was able to win. That blow befuddled Dunn and he was soon at the mercy of the "Slugger." Referee Tommy Walsh stopped the fight when Dunn staggered over against the ropes, unable to see in which direction he was fighting.

The battle was the fiercest ever seen in the ring, and one of the hardest hitting contests between little fellows ever fought. Dunn, who hails from Kansas City, and whose real name is Nebergall, was game to the core and never let up in his fighting. Most of the time he carried the battle to McGovern, and in the clinches walloped the kidneys with his right until McGovern had to be content with protecting himself.

Dunn showed little ability to land his blows clean, and had little defense. Had he been able to land his blows so as to count and to avoid McGovern's hard swings, he had an excellent chance to win.

Reports that Abe Attell had bet heavily on McGovern seemed to be confirmed by the interest the featherweight champion took in the fight. He went into McGovern's corner in the seventh and coached him in desperate fashion. McGovern woke up to the fact that he had a hard task before him when his right overhand swings went wild, and he took on a worried look and fought very earnestly.

The chances are that the battle might have been declared a draw had not McGovern been able to slip across that right to the chin, which enabled him to finish the battle in the last round.

These boys ought to be good for another fast ten-round go under the new ordinance.

GOOD DRAW.

Jimmy Royle and Joe Rogers went six rounds to a draw--very fast for preliminary fighters. Rogers looked eight pounds heavier and much stronger, but Royle made up in cleverness and gameness which he lacked in size and punching powers. Rogers scored a clean knockdown in the first round, but Royle came back strong, and by carefully avoiding as many of Rogers's hay-maker swings as possible, sneaked in enough counters to even things at the end.

1911-09-19 Battling Nelson W-TKO10 Billy Nixon [Armory Athletic Association, Boston, MA, USA]

1911-09-20 The Boston Journal (Boston, MA) (page 9)

EX-CHAMPION NELSON OUTCLASSES NIXON

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After Third Round, When Cambridge Boy's Eye Was Closed, the Battler Had Things All His Own Way. Referee Stops It in the Tenth.

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Battling Nelson "came back," in a measure, as Referee Jack Sheehan found it necessary to stop his bout with Billy Nixon in the tenth round at the Armory A. C. last night. Nixon made a game up hill fight after having his left eye closed in the third round, but it was the old story of a fighter against a boxer. Nixon is entitled to considerable credit for his game effort, but he never had a chance against the ex-lightweight champion.

There was an overflow attendance at the Armory A. A., every seat being occupied, and the crowd, while naturally with Nixon, soon realized that it was a question of whether he would stay the limit. Nelson was charitable and clean in his efforts as a boxer and did not rely on butting.

The Battler was a joke, so far as judging distance was concerned, and admitted that fact in his dressing room after the bout. He said that he needed more experience against men who could box him in the open.

To sum the bout up, Billy Nixon made a flash in the first three rounds and was willing enough to mix, but when Nelson started to bore in and rip in his vicious uppercuts and landed a wicked right that closed Nixon's eye the Cambridge boxer was severely handicapped, but did not lose his nerve.

Nelson Had Nixon Helpless.

When the bout was stopped after the tenth round had gone less than a minute, Nixon was helpless and was being pounded unmercifully by the Battler, and it was an act of good judgment upon the part of Referee Sheehan to stop hostilities, as Nixon was hopelessly outclassed.

Nelson took some punishment himself, but did not have a mark as he left the ring. He was apparently perfectly willing to take two blows to deliver one. He is not the same old Dane that sent Joe Gans into oblivion, and at times his wild swings made him look like a novice. Nelson stated in his dressing room after the bout: "I was wild in some of my swings and missed by distance, but I am more than convinced that I am far from a 'has been.' This boy Nixon is about as game as they make them and is a lot better than the boys who are challenging Wolgast for the title."

Nelson showed that he had a good, straight left lead and could also shoot over a right cross while defending himself in a clinch. His footwork was somewhat slovenly. When he found he had missed a lead he fell into his old-time clinch with his head resting on Nixon's shoulder, willing to take a walloping with a chance to deliver a punch that would count twice as much as the one received.

Nelson is far from being "all in" as a fighter, judging from his exhibition last night, but he needs a lot more practice as a boxer. The stamina is there, as he clearly wore down a much more youthful opponent in Nixon, who was trained to the minute, but was like a child in the hands of a bear when the real test came.

There was not a knockdown during the entire bout, and Nixon was not badly distressed after the bout was stopped. He said he had never met a man who could inflict such punishment as Nelson gave him.

In the ninth round it was apparent that the end was near, and Nelson, as he sat in his corner, remarked to his seconds: "I guess that I'll end it in the next round." He did, as Nixon was helpless when the bout was stopped.

Hall Bests Joe Nelson.

The semi-final bout between Henry Hall, the local colored boxer and former A. A. U. middleweight champion, and Joe Nelson of Lawrence was won by Hall. It was a stubbornly fought contest and Nelson fought himself to his limit, but the colored boxer possessed both stamina and science and was clearly entitled to the decision.

In the preliminaries Frankie O'Connor knocked out Young Rodie in one round, and the bout between Bill Corrigan and Cy Goodwin was won by Goodwin, Corrigan being disqualified on a foul in the fourth round.

The program announced for next week is: Buck Crouse v. Young Loughrey, twelve rounds; Jerry Gaines v. Bob Le Favor, eight rounds; Renie Riley of South Boston v. Young Troy of Melville, R. I., six rounds; Tom Flanagan v. Mark Spencer, six rounds.


1911-09-20 The Denver Post (Denver, CO) (page 11)

Nelson Defeats Nixon in Tenth

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Battler Has Opponent Helpless When Referee Stops Contest.

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Boston, Sept. 20.--Battling Nelson, though battling for a dozen years or more, made his initial appearance in a real contest in this city last night. He met and conquered a local lightweight by the name of Billy Nixon, Referee Jack Sheehan stopping the contest and declaring Nelson the winner in the tenth. Nelson only showed fair form, and it is doubted by the majority that he will ever be able to regain his lost laurels. To those who were acquainted with him, the battler appeared to have lost much of the form that had made him famous.

For the first three rounds Nixon held Nelson even, but after that the local boy appeared to fear the ex-champion.

Nelson's judge of distance was poor. In the clinches he was most effective. He knew too much for Nixon when they were in close and his body punching took the starch out of the local boy.

Bat simply put his head down and bored in in the old familiar way, the way that won him a championship. He was given an ovation at the end of the fight, which he finished in good shape, looking fit to go many rounds more.

Nelson closed Nixon's right eye in the third round and that member stayed shut for the remainder of the contest. In the seventh, eighth and ninth rounds the battler pummeled Nixon about the body in a terrific manner and was seldom hit in return.

After they boxed about a half minute in the tenth round the referee saw that Nixon's chances for winning were gone and that it was useless for him to take a licking when he couldn't return one. He then stepped between them while they were clinched and declared the Battler the winner.

Nelson is scheduled to meet James Saylor of Indianapolis and Matty Baldwin of Boston in this city within the next month. Experts who saw him perform tonight figure that he may beat both Saylor and Baldwin.


1911-09-20 The Evening Times (Pawtucket, RI) (page 4)

BATTLING NELSON WINS OVER NIXON

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"Durable Dane" Has Not Lost His Punch--Gives Opponent Bad Beating.

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(Special to the Times.)

BOSTON, Sept. 20.--Battling Nelson, the "durable Dane," has not lost his punching ability, nor his powers of assimilation. Before a crowd that packed the Armory A. A., last night the battler beat Billy Nixon of Cambridge into submission in 10 rounds, Referee Jack Sheehan mercifully stopping the bout 15 seconds after the start of the 10th round to save Nixon, who was staggering around the ring in a helpless condition, from a knock-out.

Nelson showed that there is not much danger of his coming back, but it will take a tough chap with a good rugged punch to beat him, for last night he displayed all of his old bulldog courage and after he had taken the best that Nixon could give him in the first five rounds without at times even attempting to block the blows, Nelson slowly beat down the Cambridge lad until he won the bout.

The Dane's victory was not very popular, for he is one of the roughest customers that fans of the East ever saw. He makes use of his elbows, the heel of his glove and even his head at close quarters, and while at most times he was careful enough not to transgress the rules too openly, Referee Sheehan had to warn him once or twice.

Nixon proved game, but it was plain to see that he had no chance with the veteran lightweight. Nixon had a snappy left hand lead that often went through Nelson's guard, while his right hand punches often staggered Nelson. The crowd always cheered when Nixon made one of these rallies, but they forgot that almost every man Nelson has boxed has found him easy to hit, but hard to hurt. This was the case last evening, for after being on the receiving end for the first part of the round Nelson would get in close and do considerable execution upon Nixon's face and body with short jolts.

The men boxed under straight Queensbury rules, protecting themselves at all times, and of course this was a great help to Nelson. Nixon foolishly tried to meet Nelson halfway at infighting, despite repeated admonitions from his corner, and after the fourth round, when his eye was closed, the Cambridge boy wilted fast.

Nelson, who had been boxing at close quarters, then stood off and tried to put over a knockout, but he showed a lamentable lack of judgment, and his right swings invariably missed the mark. When he found that he could not score at long range, however, Nelson came into clinches, and then the boring boxer had things his own way.

Up to the ninth round, Nixon continued to get weaker, although occasionally he made a spurt and dashed in with a right or left to the face or jaw. He could not stop the Battler, however, who kept forcing him about the ring, sending stiff jabs and swings to the face and jaw. Nixon did more clinching only to get more punishment.

That Nixon was certain to be defeated was evident to the fans, but they figured he would go the limit. Near the close of the ninth round, Nixon went into a clinch, and when the referee ordered them to break Nixon had his left arm around Nelson's neck. He started to pull it away when Nelson whipped over the stiff left hand blow that is claimed to be the low one.

Nixon doubled up for an instant, and as he straightened again Nelson shot another left to the stomach. The round ended before the Battler could follow up his advantage.

The minute's rest in the corner did not help Nixon any and when he answered the sound of the bell for the 10th round he was in a bad way. The Battler started in to finish up the job and was in a fair way of doing so when the referee stopped the contest and declared Nelson the winner. The Battler looked and acted as fresh as when he started and made a short speech.

The men boxed according to straight Queensbury rules, which was a good thing for Nelson. The latter had several pounds on Nixon.

In the preliminary Frankie O'Connor, who boxes like K. O. Brown, stopped Young Roach in the first round. Cy Goodwin, who met Billy Corrigan of Cambridge in the second bout, was lucky to be the winner. In the fourth Corrigan used his elbow and was disqualified.

The semi-final between Henry Hall and Joe Nelson of Lawrence was a warm bout. Hall got the decision.

The programme for the meeting next Tuesday night includes a 12-round bout between Buck Crouse and Young Loughrey. The preliminaries will be between Tommy Flanagan vs. Mark Spencer, R. Riley vs. Young Troy and Jerry Gaines vs. Bob Lefavour.


1911-09-20 The Evening Tribune (Providence, RI) (page 6)

Nelson Batters His Way to Victory in the Tenth

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Gave Billy Nixon Bad Beating in Bout at Boston and Referee Stopped It.

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Boston, Sept. 20.--Battling Nelson, former lightweight champion, defeated Billy Nixon in the 10th round of a scheduled 12-round bout at the Armory A. A. last night. It was one of the most gruelling contests ever witnessed in Boston.

The end virtually came in the ninth round, when Nelson caught Nixon with a full left swing squarely in the pit of the stomach, just before the bell rang announcing the end of the round. Nixon came up for the 10th round, but was in no condition to continue and Jack Sheehan, who refereed the bouts last night, stopped the contest when it was plainly evident that Nixon was hopelessly outclassed.

In all the fast going there was not a knockdown scored by either boxer, although Nelson came very near taking the mat at least three times in the match. Nixon did splendid work against his ever aggressive, hard-headed opponent and for five rounds he could be given the best of the contest.

Nelson assumed the style that made his famous throughout the country, but it failed to create a good impression with the Boston fans. The Battling Dane had everything his own way as far as rules were concerned, Nixon agreeing to box straight Marquis of Queensberry style, which proved a big handicap to him.

NIXON FASTER THAN NELSON.

At clean boxing Nixon was Nelson's master. Nixon was faster than Nelson in every way, but he foolishly allowed himself to be invited into close quarters, where Nelson brought into play his ring experience. Nelson did the forcing, but Nixon could hit the ex-champion almost any time and anywhere he pleased. Nelson missed several blows, while Nixon scored with rights and lefts to the head and jaw. The contest was far from convincing the fans that Nelson can hold his own with a good-seasoned fighter. At roughing and mauling he is a past master, but when it comes to the real art of boxing Nelson does not being to compare with many other fighters who have appeared in the Armory A. A. ring.


1911-09-20 The Evening World (New York, NY) (page 12)

NELSON STOPS BILLY NIXON BY LOW BLOW IN HUB

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Ex-Champion Victor in Ten Rounds, Referee Declaring Punch Fair.

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(Special to The Evening World.)

BOSTON, Sept. 20.--Fifteen seconds after the start of the tenth round in the bout between Battling Nelson, ex-lightweight champion, and Billy Nixon of Cambridge at the Armory A. A. Referee Sheehan parted the boxers and, sending both to their corners, declared Nelson the winner.

Nixon had no chance and would have probably been knocked out before the round ended.

The battle that Nelson put up did not show he was a comeback, but it will take a rugged fellow with a good punch to whip him.

The Battler did not box fair according to the rules. Nixon was examined by a physician after the bout and it was shown that he had been hit low in the ninth round.

The referee declared that the punch referred to was fair. There were those at the ring side who thought otherwise. Nelson, however, had Nixon beaten, but the latter might have gone through the twelve rounds had he not received the punch.

Nixon showed poor judgment in the way he boxed. Instead of stepping around he preferred to take Nelson at his own style, which is at close quarters.

For the first five rounds Nixon outboxed Nelson. Several times he straightened up the Battler with right and left to the jaw. Nixon often sent straight lefts to Nelson's face, hooking the left to the jaw and following it with right to the same place.

Up to the ninth round Nixon continued to get weaker, although he occasionally made a spurt and dashed in with a right or left to the face or jaw. He could not stop the Battler, however, who kept forcing him about the ring, sending stiff jabs and swings to the face and jaw. Nixon did more clinching only to get more punishment.

old-time boxing writers

1913-09-21 The Lexington Herald (Lexington, KY) (page S4)

Great Sport Writers of the Early Days of Boxing Game

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Some of Best Newspaper Men of Europe and America Have Been the "Boys" Who Followed the Celebrities of the Roped Arena.

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(By Jack Skelley in Yonkers Herald.)

In looking back for some thirty years I'm somewhat amazed at the sweeping off of so many noted, able and popular boxing writers, who in their salad days reported and wrote so profusely and proficiently on the fistic battles and champions of the past.

Clever, graphic, hustling, honest, sporting scribes, who never missed a big mill if they had to spend many sleepless nights, put up with all kinds of hardships and traveled many thousands of miles, under all sorts of strenuous conditions to get to a ringside by hook or by crook.

It was no Sunday school picnic in the bare knuckle days to report an important battle. To be chased from one state to another by sheriffs and the police, sleep in barns or any old place; eat whatever they could grab and still be on the alert for every bit of news and more made by the principles of a contest.

Elliott and James.

Sometimes it would be a couple of weeks before a safe battlefield could be found and even then the fight writers were more or less at the mercy of the outlaw mobs that followed up these mills on the turf.

If old Joe Elliott, of the New York Herald, or Ned James, of the Clipper, were alive today they could unfold many gruelling tales of roughing it to and from an important battle. But both these veteran scribes passed away many years ago, after very active, laborious careers. They were really the pioneer boxing journalists of America. "Old Joe," as his friends liked to call him, was a very high class newspaper man, who could write ably on most any subject, but personally he was a great admirer of the manly art and consequently made it his specialty. It was his fad indeed.

Both Elliott and James, with many other American journalists, crossed the Atlantic to report the famous Heenan-Sayers fight in England in 1860, for their respective papers. Ned James especially was a very enthusiastic follower of the ring. He was the recognized fistic authority of his day. He wrote and published many books on boxing that have long been out of print. Among them I remember the lives and battles of John Morrissey, John C. Heenan, Tom Hyer, Yankee Sullivan and numerous others. Poor James went blind long before he died and lived for many years in absolute obscurity up on a farm in Connecticut.

Mark McGuire.

There was old Mark McGuire, of the New York Sun, who died in 1889. Most everybody called him by his pet name, "Toppy." His life was indeed a checkered one. Before the American News Company was established McGuire handled all the newspapers in New York city. He employed some 560 newsboys, among whom were Barney Williams, who became a famous Irish comedian; Judge Dowling, Superintendent of Police Kelso and other men who subsequently attained great prominence. Among his customers were Andrew Jackson, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun and T. A. Benyon. McGuire later ran the "Cayuago" roadhouse, at McComb's Dam, which was a resort for old Commodore Vanderbilt, Robert Bonner and other noted men. Later in life Editor Charles A. Dana, of the Sun, made him the fighting scribe of his paper. "Toppy" never missed an important battle and had a fund of fistic information. He was as honest as the day is long in all fistic writings and doings.

J. B. McCormack.

John B. McCormack, who for many years wrote for the Cincinnati Enquirer and other leading papers under the nom de plume of "Macon," played quite an important part in fistic journalist in his day. In 1880, McCormack matched John L. Sullivan against Prof. John Donaldson. This was Sullivan's first noted battle and he won it with a knockout after twelve rounds. "Macon" reported all the important championship mills for almost the past fifty years. He knew the game from A to Z and was a very prolific writer on his pet subject of boxing. Mr. McCormack passed in after a very active career some seven years ago. His son, George McCormack, who was also a sporting writer, especially on boxing and baseball, died from the white plague about a year ago.

Harry Weldon.

Most every sport knew the genial Harry Weldon who so ably filled the position of sporting editor on the Cincinnati Enquirer for so many years. He was probably the most popular writer of his class in the Middle-West. His sad death a few years ago was not only a great loss to his host of friends in the baseball and pugilistic fields, but a great sorrow. Harry was a kind, whole-souled fellow with a heart as big as an ox.

John Boyle O'Reilly.

This country never had a more brilliant writer on boxing than John Boyle O'Reilly, who at his death was the editor and proprietor of the Boston Pilot. He wrote and published several books on the old game and was already to defend the manly art by his clever pen. He was widely and favorably known throughout the country as a poet and as an all-around literary genius. His name will always be held in honorable regard both because of the work he achieved and because of what his name represented not only to Irishmen, but to Americans in sympathy with the spirit of Home Rule, which is ultimately to triumph in the Emerald Isle. Mr. O'Reilly died in 1890 in Boston.

Nelse Innes.

Speaking of the fistic scribes of Boston, there was Nelse Innes, formerly sporting editor of the Boston Herald, a bright, active, valorous little fellow who made a most gallant fight against consumption until he finally was counted out by old grim death away off on the hot deserts of Arizona. Charles T. Mack, another boxing writer of Boston, better known under the nom de plume of "Bill Blunt," died from the same disease in Cincinnati a few years ago. I also remember Captain A. W. Cooke of the same city who passed in about five years ago.

Peter J. Donahue.

No boxing scribe was better known some twenty years ago in the big metropolis than Peter J. Donahue, the sporting editor of the old Recorder. He wrote snappy, fearless fighting gossip under the signature of "P. Jay." In his younger days he was a fleet foot sprinter of considerable reputation. He wrote fighting for the New York World for many years, but finally went over to the Recorder with Colonel Turner. Donahue was also a very popular referee and matchmaker. He was a thoroughly honest fellow and was indeed very popular with the fans of his day. He also fell a victim to the white plague and passed away before he had reached the prime of his life twenty years ago.

Howard B. Hackett.

Howard B. Hackett was another noted boxing writer of Donahue's time. He was attached to the New York World for many years and covered all the big fights for that paper. I remember him so well at the big fistic carnival at New Orleans, in which Sullivan lost to Corbett, McAuliffe defeated Myers and I met George Dixon. It was at this carnival that Sullivan, McAuliffe and my humble self were dubbed the "Three Fighting Jacks," in 1892. Hackett was certainly a live wire in those days, and I can hardly realize he has passed and gone some fifteen years.

"Big Jim" Kennedy.

There was "big Jim" Kennedy who started out as a pugilistic scribe on the New York Times and afterward ran the Seaside A. C. and other boxing clubs in this section of the country. Kennedy for years was associated with Pat Powers in conducting the big bicycle races at Madison Square Garden and other sporting events. He had many noted fighters under his management and was well known from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts for his fair dealings and many worthy qualifications. Many years ago he ran some walking matches at the big garden with Billy O'Brien, who was also in his day a fighting reporter. Kennedy was only 45 years of age when he dropped dead, a victim of heart disease, in a Brighton Beach train on his way to Manhattan, April 20, 1904. O'Brien passed in many years before him.

Some of the Others.

There was Bayard Braiser of the New York Evening Journal, a very honest and worthy writer of fistic events, and Billy Norr, of the New York World, who, besides writing boxing and baseball was the author of a very realistic, graphic book entitled "Stories of Chinatown," which so interested Hall Caine, the noted English novelist, that he paid many visits to Chinatown to hunt up Norr's unique characters.

Tom Lee (not Chinese), former sporting editor of the Evening World, also passed in quite suddenly. William E. Harding, of the Police Gazette, and "Denver" Smith, a strong and able special fistic writer of the New York World, were others well known.

"Big Tom" Evans traveled over to Chantilly, France, to see the battle between John L. Sullivan and Charley Mitchell, and Bob Turnbull was also at the ringside in France. Turnbull started early in life as a boxer and fought Jack Dempsey and other middleweights. He afterward took to reporting fistic events and became attached to the New York Herald. Later he became interested in the real estate business and died worth a couple of hundred thousand dollars. All these boxing scribes have been swept away and many others I cannot recall, within a few years.

Across the Ocean.

Over in England there has also been quite a sweeping off of the boxing writers. There was George Atkinson, formerly editor of the London Sporting Life. He took a very active interest in the fighting game for many years, but finally joined the church and became a preacher. He died a few years ago. Many of the sports in this part of the country will remember little Ed Plummer, who reported so many skin glove fights for the New York papers. He also refereed many fistic and athletic events for some twenty years in this vicinity. He finally went to England and joined the staff of the Sporting Life, where he did good work until death counted him out some three years ago. I also recall Fred Gallaher, a very capable journalist, who came out to this country with a bunch of Irish and English athletes. Later he made a second trip with Charley Mitchell, then the boxing champion of England. Gallaher was a Dublin man and founded the Dublin Sport, which is still the recognized sporting authority of Ireland. He wrote for many American newspapers, but finally returned to London to write pugilism for several of the leading sporting journals of England and Ireland. Gallaher died suddenly from heart failure in London some four years ago. He had many friends on both sides of the Atlantic and was a very genial, good-natured, companionable man under all conditions and circumstances.

Old grim death has certainly played havoc among the prominent and able boxing writers of the past thirty years. As I look around the press seats nowadays at the ringsides I see but two or three scribes who reported fights in my day. All the others have joined the great majority. Their places are filled by younger men who know little of the hardships, dangers and all night toil of their worthy predecessors. Very few indeed of the leading fighters of the past thirty years have been counted out, but what a sweeping away of the boxing scribes! They were a good, honest, hard-working bunch and their conscientious labors in the interest of the manly art should not be forgotten. They are classed with the champions of their day.

1917-08-21 Pete Herman ND10 Jack Douglas [Tulane Athletic Club, Tulane Arena, New Orleans, LA, USA]

1917-08-22 Evening Tribune (San Diego, CA) (page 9)

HERMAN HAS BOUT ALL HIS OWN WAY

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International News Service

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 22.--Pete Herman, world's bantamweight champion, tonight won easily from Jack Douglas, champion of the Pacific coast, and sent here by Tom Andrews, of Milwaukee, to beat Herman. Herman knocked Douglas down with the first punch in the first round and then started in to cut him to pieces. He succeeded admirably, Douglas looking like a piece of raw beef at the end.


1917-08-22 Morning Tulsa Daily World (Tulsa, OK) (page 1)

Herman First Boxing Champion to Declare War Against Kaiser

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Special to The World.

NEW ORLEANS, La., Aug. 21.--Pete Herman, bantamweight champion of the world, is the first pugilistic title holder to declare war on the kaiser. At the close of his ten-round bout with Jack Douglas of San Francisco here tonight, it was announced that he had been passed as physically fit by the local selection board, would claim no exemption and was ready to go to war. He said his ten-round bout in Tulsa, Okla., Labor day probably would be his last ring engagement until after the war.

Herman never was in danger during tonight's engagement. He knocked his opponent down in the first round and boxing critics were unanimous in the opinion that the champion had won practically every round.


1917-08-22 The Daily States (New Orleans, LA) (page 11)

Herman Beats Douglas Decisively

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Pacific Coast Boy Outclassed, Takes Fearful Lacing From Champion; Result of Scrap Was Hardly Ever In Doubt.

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BY COL. CLUKE.

Pete Herman, 118-pound title-holder, won perhaps the easiest bout of his career last night at the Tulane Athletic Club. Herman decisively beat Jack Douglas, of San Francisco, in a 10-round no-decision bout. From start to finish, Herman's class stood out, and there was seldom a moment during the entire contest where Douglas had the slightest chance.

Herman showed all of his old-time speed and ability. He hit Douglas with every imaginable blow permissible under the Queensberry code. A half dozen different rounds, the second excepted, found Douglas on the verge of a knockout. Herman, however, was unable to slip over the Morpheus kick.

Prior to the bout, 2 to 1 was freely offered that Douglas would stay the limit. There were few takers. It was next to impossible to wager on Herman at all, the odds rising one time to 5 to 1, the champion would win on points.

Herman Tried to Bump off Douglas.

Herman apparently tried all he knew how to stop Douglas. Except in the second round, in which he stepped around the Coast boxer, the champion showered blow after blow upon Douglas. Pete, however, failed to tap the Westerner's weakest spot, the jaw. In the first round, Herman stung Douglas with a left to the jaw and sat him down. The spectators figured the bout wouldn't go the limit. Douglas, however, was evidently determined to stay 10-rounds, for when in close quarters he held on in the clinches, or at long rang, sprinted from one side to the other of the ring.

Douglas took perhaps the most cleancut lacing any boxer has received in a local ring in several years. Punished about the face, which swelled almost again as large as its original size, Douglas gave a splendid exhibition of gameness.

The Coast boxer apparently suffered a painful injury to his nose in the first round and the better part of the remaining nine stanzas, protected the sore spot. Except for a left-hand punch the Coast fighter rarely hit the champion.

Bout One-Sided; Herman too Classy.

The match was uneven from start to finish and probably staged for the purpose of showing Herman, the first New Orleans champion, to the local fans. It was estimated that the contest drew in the neighborhood of $800. Herman, it was said, had a $1,000 guarantee, win, lose or draw. Herman dropped Douglas in the first chapter and probably figured he could afford to give the spectators a run for their money before bumping off the Western boy. When Pete did cut loose in the fourth and every round thereafter, Douglas fought to better advantage, although he was on the receiving end throughout. One round was a repetition of the other, Douglas taking everything Herman aimed at him, spitting blood and retreating, first across the ring and then in and out of the corners.

The preliminary bouts furnished some tame sport. Probably the best looking preliminary boy hereabouts, Young Wolgast, hit Paddy Callahan a wallop in the jaw and dropped him face downwards on the canvas. The first mill went to Sailor Freeman, Young Connolly sinking for the count from a belt on the jaw.

Young Barrera gave Young Corbett about three inches in height and some twenty pounds in weight. In return he received a clout on the jaw and when he revived the bout was over. Laporte and Young Darcy boxed four rounds, the former winning handily.


1917-08-22 The New Orleans Item (New Orleans, LA) (page 9)

HERMAN PROVES BANTAM TITLE IS IN THE HANDS OF BOXING MARVEL

(By Ham)

New Orleanians' first look at Pete Herman as a champion convinced them that the bantam division is headed by one of the best little battlers that ever reigned over that class.

Pete didn't stop Jack Douglas, as a great many enthusiasts wagered as high as 9 to 5 that he would do, but he gave the California veteran an artistic lacing from the first round to the tenth and had Jack almost to the point of the knockout half a dozen times. In fact, if Pete had followed up with very much vigor in the second and third rounds an advantage he took in the first Douglas would have taken the full count. But Pete had the fight so well in hand that he tempered his conquest with a little mercy, evidently thinking he would stow his opponent away later on. Douglas is game and tough and he recuperated, while Pete loafed just a bit, and the last round found him battling away as best he could, though that never was at any time sufficient to cope with the champion.

Herman Never As Good.

To say that Herman loafed in those early rounds would give the wrong impression. He simply let up after fighting the most aggressive first round that he has ever been known to fight. Early in that round he hung a peach of a left hook on the point of Jack's jaw and sent him down. Jack came up with a forced laugh on his face; he had been taken much by surprise and the punch exacted a lot of his strength. But he made very well of a bad situation, and although Pete hit him scores of times on every spot of his body above the belt he managed to stick.

Herman has used a lot of "stuff" at different times and has shown class ever since "Red" Walsh discovered him shining shoes and elevated him to the ranks of preliminary fighters, but never has he shown quite as much as in that first round. His speed and his cleverness with the gloves fairly bewildered Douglas, who is an old head at the game and has met clever men before. The ringsiders who always have been somewhat lukewarm in regard to Pete could not held but break their reserve and start rooting for the native son. He showed them things in the punch line they didn't know he had.

Has Jack On the Run.

After this round you could have written your own ticket in a wager that Douglas would not be knocked out. Before the fight started 2 to 1 was asked that Jack would stay the limit.

Nor were the fans disappointed when Pete didn't show punch enough to stop Douglas. He had the wallop but when Jack got iinto tight places and was in danger of being rocked to sleep he decided that discretion was the better part of valor and he kept on the run. Two or three times he turned his back to Pete and made away as though he intended to hurdle the ropes. But that was not his intention; he didn't lack courage--he simply adopted that as the only means of frustrating the champion in his knockout designs.

Champion Doesn't "Stall"

Because of the palpable one-sidedness of the match and because it was only a 10-round no-decision affair the "house" was not a very large one for a champion, and especially a native son champion, to draw. Doubtless the promoters were heavy losers on the experiment, which does not speak so very well for Herman as a drawing card. But Herman made himself stronger with his home fans than he ever has been. He did not "lay back," as is the custom of champion when there is nothing for them to gain and as has been Herman's practice in a great many of his fights. On the other hand, he started fighting from the tap of the gong and he never stopped. He carried the fight in every round and the few punches that he did not block or parry he took without wincing or slowing up. Douglas' widely reputed punch had no terror at all to the champion.

Jack no doubt has a pretty good punch but we suspect that Pete took it out of him when he slapped him on the jaw in that first round.

Laporte Defeats Darcy.

There were preliminaries galore--too many. The best was between Al Laporte and Young Darcy. The latter gave Laporte a good time of it for a round or two but Laporte, who is developing into a pretty good boy, overcame the lead and won out in four.

The star performers, next to Herman, were Referee Sam Goldman and Joe Fick. Goldman is demonstrating that it is possible for a referee to please the fans. Fick sang a few songs while men well known in the fight game passed around their hats and took up a collection for the widow of Police Captain Garry Mullen. The collection netted $187.85, $50 of which, it is said, was given by G. D. Bryan, owner of the Bowie race track and part owner of the track now being built at Shrewsbury.


1917-08-22 The Saginaw Daily News (Saginaw, MI) (page 1)

BANTAM CHAMP IS WINNER

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(By Associated Press.)

New Orleans, Aug. 22.--Pete Herman, claimant to the bantamweight championship of the world, never was in danger Tuesday night during his ten round no decision bout here with Jack Douglas of San Francisco. Herman knocked his opponent down during the first round. Boxing critics were unanimous in awarding the fight to Herman.


1917-08-22 The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA) (page S8)

PETE HERMAN SEVERELY PUNISHES DOUGLAS BUT FAILS WITH KNOCKOUT

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Nothing but remarkable stamina saved Jack Douglas, Pacific coast bantam champion, from a knockout at the hands of Pete Herman, world's title holder, in their ten-round bout at the Tulane A. C. Tuesday night. Floored by a left hook to the jaw in the first twenty seconds of the bout, Douglas was on the receiving end of the most severe punishment the whole ten rounds but managed to weather the storm and escape going to the floor a second time.

Intended merely to give Herman an opportunity to show his fistic wares, Douglas served the purpose admirably. A hard hitter with a good left, he was dangerous enough to make Herman careful, but at no time was a match for the champion at boxing. As per agreement no decision was given.

The Times-Picayune's score of the rounds gives Herman all but the seventh, which was even, and in at least half the rounds Herman won so decisively as to make it almost no contest.

OVERLOOKED CHANCE

To onlookers it appeared that Herman might have finished Douglas during either the first or second round of the fight, but he slowed up apparently with the idea of giving the spectators more of a run for their money. Then later on in the scrap, when he wanted to put over a sleep-producing punch, he was unable to connect. Douglas, after the early sessions, learned to block Herman sufficiently to avoid going down. He was groggy again and again but always saved himself from the floor.

Odds at the ringside shifted heavily to Herman. Practically no Douglas money was in sight except that there would be no knockout and Herman backers were forced to lay eight and nine to five on a knockout. Since Douglas lasted, the Douglas backers won these wagers.

Herman started off like a flash. After a few seconds' sparring he shot a heavy left hook to Douglas' jaw, which sat the Californian down for the count of five. The champion backed away and gave his opponent a brief breathing spell and then set upon him like a tiger. He drove Douglas from corner to corner and when the latter clinched, Pete's arms, working like a pivot on Douglas' body, drove him free again.

LOOKS LIKE KNOCKOUT

By the time the first round was two-thirds over it looked like a certain knockout. Douglas had not landed a single solid blow on Herman's face or body and had been hit scores of times. The Californian was bleeding from nose and mouth, his eyes were swelling, he was staggering about the ring.

"Have a heart, Pete," yelled the gallery. "Don't make it a slaughter."

And Herman stopped in his tracks and gave his opponent a few seconds' rest. In fact, Herman did little punishing for the remainder of the round.

Douglas looked mighty bad when he went to his corner, however. He was bleeding profusely from mouth and nose, and was plainly groggy. The minute's rest worked wonders, however, and he came up for the second round fresh enough to catch Herman a stinging left flush on the jaw in the opening exchange. A second left on Herman's jaw stirred the champion to action, however, and a series of in-fighting engagements, in which Douglas was literally slaughtered. Fifteen, twenty, thirty trip-hammer blows to the kidneys and abdomen, with practically no return, and then a left or right hook to the jaw, which sent him staggering away--that is the way Herman handled the clinches. At least twice during the session it appeared Douglas was ripe for the count of ten, but Herman seemed in no hurry. The Californian was sent to his corner, however, with his mouth badly cut and his body hammered to a fiery red. Obviously he had assimilated terrific punishment.

HERMAN HIT TWICE

As the third round opened Douglas caught Herman a hook to the abdomen and later got in a left to the champ's jaw. Pete, however, returned the compliment with a series of staggering lefts and rights to the jaw. Douglas' work was a big improvement over the first two sessions, however, although the round was Herman's by a big margin.

In the fourth Douglas' body seemingly was hammered to a jelly by the champ. Breaking away from in-fighting, Herman took Douglas on in toe to toe slugging matches. Douglas fought with all the vigor and steam he possessed, but the speed of the champ was too much. Pete's lightning blows did their work, and Douglas, bleeding, reeled away. Douglas was bleeding freely at the end of the round.

Douglas showed a good flash in the opening of the fifth round, but Herman sent him rocking away with a left to the jaw. Douglas had to break ground fast to escape punishment. Then Douglas sought to clinch, and the cyclone of Herman's piston-like arms tore him loose and sent him reeling away.

Early in the sixth, another series of in-fighting exchanges--if they could be called exchanges--took place. At times Pete's arms hit as often as thirty times before a return blow came. Douglas got in a few good blows, but was badly beaten up during the round.

Douglas showed to far better advantage in the seventh. He adopted boxing tactics, jabbing with his left and getting away from Herman's rushing shower of blows. Giving Douglas full credit for perhaps a dozen squarely placed blows in the first half of the round, the round could be called even. For in the latter half, Herman again cut him to ribbons with the inevitable tattoo on the abdomen and hooks to the face.

HERMAN WADES IN

Herman waded in at the outset of the eighth round after a knockout. He threw boxing caution to the winds and took the best Douglas could send in the hope of getting over the sleep punch. Douglas covered and Herman resorted to footwork and speed, traveling round and round his opponent, hitting with all his strength at every opening. It was a beautiful exhibition of boxing. In the fifty or sixty seconds of this demonstration, Douglas scarcely laid a glove on the champ. The heavy work had the Californian in a bad way at the end, but still on his feet.

The intermissions seemed to help Douglas wonderfully. No matter how worn he seemed at the end of a round, he came up strong and flashy at the sound of the gong for the next session. The ninth was no exception. He set on Herman like a tiger and sent home numerous hefty punches, but the champion shook them off lightly and countered so viciously that Douglas was soon backing up groggily. Douglas always finished second in these exchanges. Running, dodging, blocking as best he could, saved Douglas from the floor as the round neared the end. He seemed ripe, but still alert enough to escape the fatal blow.

TERRIFIC FIGHTING

Herman sailed in at a terrific pace in the final round and beat his opponent severely, but still the knockout was lacking. In this as in the eighth and ninth, the champion was putting every ounce of strength into the effort. Douglas' stamina, however, survived the storm.

Perhaps in another two or three rounds the knockout would have come. Certainly, human flesh could not have weathered such body punishment much longer.

Herman came out of the fight practically unmarked.

Sammy Goldman was the third man in the ring and he gave a faultless exhibition. Happy Littleton refereed the prelims.

One corking good bout was among the four preliminaries. Al Laporte won a decision over Young Darcy after four rounds of real scrapping. They received hearty applause for their efforts.

Pat Callahan took a "Brodle" the first time he was hit by Young Wolgast and Wolgast gets credit for a "K. O." Young Corbett knocked out Young Barrere in the second round. Sailor Friedman disposed of Young Conley in about half a round. It didn't look like Conley was out, but Friedman obviously outclassed him.

A collection taken up for the Gary Mullen fund netted $187.85.

1915-07-16 Sam Langford W-TKO1 Jack Thompson [National Athletic Club, Denver, CO, USA]

1915-07-17 The Denver Post (Denver, CO) (page 6)

Joe Woodman's Bone-Crushing Tar Baby Uses 32 Seconds of His Valuable Time in Leading Jack Thompson of Denver to a Delicate Lacing at the National Athletic Club--Two Thousand Fans See Langford in Brief Action

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TIME-SAVING DEVICE FOR THAM---HIT 'EM BEFORE THE BELL

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BOSTON TAR BABY WALKS IN RING, SMITES, THEN STROLLS OUT AGAIN

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Jack Thompson Lasts Thirty-Two Seconds With Joe Woodman's Fighting Wonder--Left Hook Puts Dream Sign on Local Dusky Glove Wielder.

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CONCERNING THE LANGFORD-THOMPSON GO

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WINNER--Samuel Langford, the Boston Tar Baby.
TIME OF FIGHT--Thity-two seconds.
THE PUNCH THOMPSON CAUGHT--Left hook to jaw, traveling about four inches.
WEIGHT OF LANGFORD--184 pounds.
WEIGHT OF THOMPSON--201 pounds.
SCENE--National Athletic club.
REFEREE--T. J. McDonnell.
NUMBER OF CLEAN BLOWS STRUCK--Langford, 3, Thompson, 1.
FIGHT STOPPED--When Thompson's seconds threw towel in ring after knockdown.
ATTENDANCE--1,980.

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(By GENE FOWLER.)

The Black Bulwark crouched slightly. Beneath his skin of night the huge muscles played rhythmically, like the loosely knotted flesh of a jaguar gathering for the spring. One arm warded off a left swing, wheeled by another man of dark hide.

Scarcely had the blow been blocked when a writhing mass of sinew crumpled to the canvas-covered floor. A left hook had turned the trick. Half a minute had elapsed since they first met man to man. Two seconds later a new towel fluttered over the ropes. The black hulk left the ring and the cheering crowd caught a flash of his teeth as he smiled. The other man--well, he stumbled, staggered to his corner, whipped and dazed.

That was all!

Who can describe a flash of lightning! Who can tell you "when" and "where" and "what" when a bolt from the clouds rends a tree that has stood a moment before, strong, perfect and straight--a blow that scatters a score of years or more at your feet?

Sudden Ending of Fight Dazes Startled Fans.

The blow that felled Jack Thompson last night at the National Athletic club came so suddenly, so swiftly, so remarkably perfect, that had anyone other than Sam Langford, the bone crusher, sent it home, many would have cried "Fake!"

Sam Langford calls it his "Pumphandle punch." It drew water to Thompson's eyes. For fully ten seconds after it had found its mark not a sound went up from the crowd. It had come so unexpectedly. It had crept in so ruinously. It was as if the gorilla-chested black man had struck every one in the audience between the eyes. But when the new towel sailed over the arena ropes the mass cheered. However, they would have preferred seeing the combat go further. It was too quick, was this Langford method of ending the fray.

Langford entered the ring at ten minutes past 9. He wore his customary green kimono. Thompson entered immediately after and the fighters examined the tape on one another's hands.

Referee T. J. McDonnell was introduced after the fans had greeted each fighter with cheers and whistles. There were nearly 2,000 persons who sat numbly as the gong rang, for that same good-natured, gentlemanly Langford is a terrible thing to see crossing the ring to meet the enemy.

Tar Baby Forces His Man to Start Backing.

They touched gloves. Langford feinted, his shoulders swinging slightly from side to side and his forearms raised against his biceps, his thumbs flicking his nose (one of his ring habits).

Thompson backed, expecting a blow. Then Thompson, following out instructions of his seconds to "get close and hold 'im tight," worked to close range, meanwhile trying to land with his right. Langford blocked two attempts to the ear.

Langford pushed Thompson away easily. Thompson towered above the broad-shouldered "Tham," who worked a right cross on Thompson's neck. It stung Thompson, but did no apparent damage. Thompson led with his left. Langford quickly blocked it and in doing so brought his own left into action, snapping his famous hook to Thompson's chin. The blow couldn't have traveled more than four or five inches. It was delivered without apparent effort.

Thompson flopped, face downward, like a man who had been clubbed on the back of his head. He tossed spasmodically and crawled in paralyzed strides four feet from the spot which had caught his fall. He barely reached his feet at the count of ten. He was unconscious even then, his fighting instinct alone pulling him upright.

Langford Refrained From Rough Tactics.

Langford could have put him down again, but was afraid of hurting him, he afterwards said in his dressing room. Thompson reeled against the ropes on the footlights side of the ring, his arms almost dangling and his belly uncovered. Instead of delivering a cruel whip to the stomach, Langford, gentleman and sportsman that he is, hit Jack flush in the body with his right, declining to use his full power in doing so. At this juncture, Thompson's seconds threw in the towel and the fight was over. Thompson half tumbled thru the ropes.

Langford made approximately $1,000 in those 32 seconds of fighting.

"I'm awful glad they threw in that towel," said Sam as he was being rubbed down by his trainer, Kid Goodman. "When he was hanging on the ropes I could have struck him a terrible blow, but I was afraid of killing him, and I know the people out here want to see the game run on a clean basis.

"I could have let him stay a round or two and boxed with him, but I was paid to come here and fight and I merely did my duty. If I had let him go with me, the people would have said I was stalling. They paid to see me fight and I did all I could. And you never can tell about these fights. It looked easy to knock this boy out, but he was a tough fellow and if I had let him stay, he might have walloped me a few, for he can hit and is by no means a dub. A lot of good men have been knocked out in a round, and our little bout tonight can't be knocked because it lasted only half a minute.

Tham Likes Denver and Fans Hereabouts.

"The people of Denver are most mighty fine persons. They have treated me like a gentleman and some time soon I hope to return to fight any man in the world here. I know I will please them for I like them one and all. I like the air here. Some fighters have said the altitude bothers them here but the only way it bothered me was to give me a terrible big appetite."

In the four round preliminary, Kid Estes, with a rugged system of administering punishment, stowed away Young Mandot of New Orleans in the first round. The semi-windup brought Young Hanlon and Wallace Preston together in a scheduled eight round bout. Hanlon lowered Preston's colors in the third round. Preston showed gameness and also hit hard, but could not stand up under the batterings of Hanlon.

The Langford-Thompson fight was to have gone fifteen rounds. Battling Wells, who meets Jack Torres at the National Athletic club in a fifteen-round go July 30 was introduced.


1915-07-17 Colorado Springs Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO) (page 8)

LANGFORD LANDS K. O. IN 30 SECONDS OF SCHEDULED 15 RDS.

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Boston Tar Baby Makes New World's Record for Quietus

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DENVER, July 16.--Sam Langford, Boston negro heavyweight, knocked out Jack Thompson, a local negro boxer, in the first 30 seconds of their scheduled 15-round bout here tonight. A short right punch to the jaw, preceded by a left poke to the face, sent Thompson down for the count.

In disposing of Thompson in what is considered nearly record time, Langford exceeded his previous fast when he knocked out Matt Dewey at Cheyenne, Wyo., in a bout five years ago in less than two minutes. At that time the Boston heavyweight explained that he "had to catch a train."

After tonight's bout, he explained to those about him that he would not leave here until tomorrow, adding:

"If I had been in a hurry, I think I could have broken the world's knockout record."

Thompson was rushed off his guard at the tap of the gong and did not succeed in landing a blow.