Thursday, May 2, 2013

1902-05-02 Charles Kid McCoy ND6 Fred Russell [Industrial Athletic Club, Philadelphia, PA, USA]

1902-05-03 The Evening World (New York, NY) (page 4)
M'COY NOT GREAT FIGHTER HE WAS A FEW YEARS AGO.
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Defeated Russell, but Didn't Show Much of His Old Form.
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PHILADELPHIA, May 3.--"Kid" McCoy made his reappearance in the prize ring, after an absence of three years, at the Industrial Club last night, where he met Fred Russell, of Milwaukee. Although the latter had all the advantage of the "Kid," both in height and reach, he was outclassed.

McCoy was in poor condition. He was fat and failed to show his old-time form. Flashes of his former cleverness were displayed at time, but his showing on the whole was disappointing.

For the first three rounds Russell had little difficulty in reaching McCoy's face and stomach and the latter was apparently worried. He was breathing hard. His face showed the effects of the frequent visitations of Russell's padded mits.

Early in the fourth round, McCoy found a couple of openings and used his right and left on Russell's jaw. He sent Russell to the floor with a hard right swing, but the Milwaukee fighter got on his feet quickly and received a couple of uppercuts which shook him up considerably.

Russell went after McCoy in the fifth, but was met with a couple of jolts which set him thinking and caused him to slow down somewhat. The "Kid" tried to end the bout a couple of times, but could not land the blow soporific.

While not in a physical condition to do himself justice, McCoy's showing was far from championship form. He was slow and his blows lacked steam. There was an absence of that shiftiness which made him one of the best men in the business.

His footwork lacked the springiness for which he became famous and on the form he displayed last night he would be an easy mark for Corbett, Fitzsimmons or any of the big clever heavy-weights.


1902-05-03 The Morning Telegraph (New York, NY) (page 12)
M'COY WINS FROM FRED RUSSELL WITH EASE.
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(Special Despatch to The Morning Herald.)

PHILADELPHIA, May 2.--Just how easily a clever, scientific boxer can handle a burly, aggressive fighter was demonstrated here to-night at the Industrial Athletic Club when "Kid" McCoy bested Fred Russell, of Chicago, in six fast rounds.

Russell towered several inches above McCoy and had the advantage of weight by thirty pounds. Both of these advantages, however, were discounted by McCoy's cleverness and good ring generalship. The Chicago heavyweight bothered his clever opponent for the first four rounds. Although he was unable to catch the latter on the lead, his exchanges and infighting were vicious, and several times McCoy narrowly escaped a knockout blow.

In the fifth and sixth rounds McCoy had taken his opponent's measure, and time and again caught him with double left hand blows. Twice in the fifth he landed with swinging right hand leads.

In the sixth round McCoy made it so interesting for Russell that the latter became very tired and was continually forced to save himself from being knocked out.

McCoy was not in good physical condition, while Russell appeared to be trained to the minute. Russell impressed every one as being a good, strong heavyweight, fast on his feet, and with a dangerous left hand swing.

His judgment of distance was poor, and McCoy had no difficulty in ducking, slipping and sidestepping his leads. The main bout was preceded by three minor contests which were of little interest to the 1,500 spectators.


1902-05-03 The Denver Post (Denver, CO) (page 7)
BIG FRED RUSSELL TO GO UP AGAINST M'COY
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Philadelphia, May 3.--Julian has signed McCoy for three straight battles in this city, each successive one, however, conditional upon his showing in its predecessor. "Kid" Carter was to have been McCoy's first opponent, but Carter's fight with Marvin Hart at Louisville tonight prevents his appearance in this city. It was then that Julian obtained Fred Russell, the big fellow from Denver, to take McCoy on at Industrial hall.

Russell is no unknown quantity in pugilism. He is a comer, with an opportunity to reach the top at an age some years younger than most of the champions have been when they stood on the top round. He stands 6 feet 4 inches, and weighs 226 pounds. He put Joe Choynski away in four rounds, and it wasn't the human wreck of a great fighter either, but the Choynski of three years ago. He boxed Tom Sharkey such a hot four rounds in Denver a year ago that the police stepped in and put an end to further business between them. His last fight was with Joe Walcott at Chicago a month ago.


1902-05-03 The Patriot (Harrisburg, PA) (page 5)
M'COY BEATS RUSSELL
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"Kid" Was Trifle Fat But Was Too Much for Chicago Man in Six Round Go.

Philadelphia, May 2.--Kid McCoy and Charlie Russell, of Chicago, fought six rounds to-night at the Industrial athletic club, in which McCoy had the better of the contest.

Russell was in superb condition, while McCoy was a little fat. Russell put up a very fast fight for a big man and during the first four rounds kept McCoy guessing. The latter fought cautiously and it was not until the fifth round that he cut loose.

From that to the finish the fight was all in McCoy's favor. He went at Russell hammer and tongs and in the latter part of the sixth and last round had Russell going. Neither was badly punished but Russell was very tired when the fight ended.


1902-05-03 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) (page 6)
M'COY BESTS RUSSELL
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The Latter a Big, Strong, Rugged Fellow, and That's All

Obviously out of condition, weighing probably twenty pounds more than he ever did, Kid McCoy easily outpointed Fred Russell, of Chicago, at Industrial Hall last night. The fact that the Kid outpointed this Western giant, however, is not an achievement of which he can boast in the future. Russell is a big, strong, rugged chap, but that lets him out. He has no business going up against a boxer of McCoy's class, particularly has he no business of trying to "fight clever," as he did last night. At the same time, he showed that he possessed a wallop which would be dangerous if it landed, but the elusive McCoy was never there to receive it. He did land a couple of punches on McCoy's generous abdomen in the first two rounds, but abandoned that style of attack later on. Russell was very tired at the finish, while McCoy was pretty well winded through his own exertions.

In the fifth round of his bout with Willie Mack, Denny Hall slipped and fell, striking his head heavily on the floor. He was taken to the dressing room, where he speedily recovered. Kid Mooney had a shade on Kid O'Donnell and Kid Williams and John Locksley boxed a fast six round draw.


1902-05-03 The Philadelphia Record (Philadelphia, PA (page 14)
M'COY DEFEATS RUSSELL
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But Fails to Stop the Big Western Boxer in Six Fast Rounds.
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BUT ONE KNOCK DOWN SCORED
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That Was Not Damaging Since Russell Was Caught Off His Balance. Strauss Loses on Foul to Miller.
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"Kid" McCoy bested Fred Russell, the big Western fighter, in six rounds at Industrial Hall last evening, but failed to stop his man. Russell did better with the elusive "Kid" than his best friends had dared hope, and yet the big fellow was holding for dear life at the end of the sixth round. There was but one knockdown, and that was not a damaging one, McCoy catching Russell off his balance in the fourth and sending him sprawling on his face. In the second round McCoy found himself cornered, and to get out went to his hands and knees. McCoy landed some hard blows on Russell's face, but none of them were quite in the right place. Had they been the big Westerner would have been knocked out. Russell did some hitting, too, but missed many more times than he landed. After he found that his only show was to get close to McCoy he tried holding with one hand and punching with the other. In this way he managed to find the feeling of the "Kid's" face.

Neither man did any body fighting, which looked odd, considering the fact that McCoy's stomach rounded out temptingly. The famous Hoosier boxer looked bigger and stronger than ever before, and yet showed that he has lost none of his cleverness. But for that terrible black eye he gave himself by laying down to Jim Corbett he would probably be the most popular fighter in the country, and he certainly would have drawn a better crowd than he did last evening. The hall was only about half filled.

Russell loomed up nearly a head taller than McCoy, and looked in good condition. He got a left in the face and right on the ear while he was sizing up his agile opponent's peculiar position, and after each blow went to a clinch. Then Russell landed a glancing blow with his left and got two or three lefts in return. On the next clinch Russell held McCoy with his right and punched him with his left. McCoy did a lot of feinting, and just before the end of the round caught Russell coming in with a hard straight left in the face.

Russell went after McCoy in the second round, and had no difficulty in finding him, McCoy's right coming hard to the face. Russell let go with two fast lefts, and both landed on McCoy, driving him into a corner. To get out McCoy went to his hands and knees, but was up like a flash. Toward the end of the round McCoy set himself in one of his peculiar positions, with his face apparently unguarded, and when Russell tried to punch him he got two left-hand smashes in the face that would have put him out of business had they landed on the jaw.

Russell tried rushing McCoy in the third round, and for a time got along very well, landing quite a number of glancing blows, but about the time the big fellow was ready to congratulate himself he would get a left or right on the nose that would take all the conceit out of him.

The fourth round was a good one, and was much in McCoy's favor. Russell was knocked down once and jarred a number of times with right uppercuts. McCoy was rushed to the ropes a number of times and made to duck repeatedly to avoid Russell's wicked swings.

In the fifth round McCoy did Russell considerable damage with right and left and barely missed taking a fierce right in the face from the big man. It came inside his guard and was an imitation of what McCoy had just done to Russell.

Russell did a lot of holding in the sixth round and McCoy uppercut him frequently, besides landing many clean lefts in the face.

Willie Mack, the ex-amateur light-weight champion, and Denny Hall met in the semi-wind-up. Up to the middle of the fifth round it was anybody's contest, when Mack forced Hall through the ropes, the latter falling to the floor, injuring himself so badly that he had to be carried to his dressing room.

In the preliminaries "Kid" O'Donnell received a severe drubbing from Billy Mooney in six rounds. "Kid" Williams and Johnny Loxley went the limit to a draw.


1902-05-03 The Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA) (page 8)
LASTED THE LIMIT.
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Kid McCoy Failed to Put Fred Russell Out in Six Rounds.

PHILADELPHIA, May 2.--(Special.)--Kid McCoy made his first appearance in the ring since his return from Europe at Martin Julian's club here tonight. His opponent was Fred Russell of Denver, who managed to remain through the six rounds. McCoy was woefully out of condition when he appeared, but despite his extra pounds of flesh looked to be a feather-weight alongside of the giant from Colorado. The bout attracted only a few hundred people, all of whom expected the "Kid" to land the knock out punch in short order. McCoy had the better of the set-to and would probably have knocked Russell out in a couple of more rounds, for the latter was very tired at the close.

The opening round was tame, McCoy dancing around the big fellow and appearing to be trying him out, while he easily kept away from Fred's rushes. The Kid became more aggressive in the second. After getting Russell to make several wild swings, McCoy sent a right hand swing to the neck which shook the Denverite up.

The Kid followed this up with a few left jabs to the face, Russell becoming so wild in his eagerness to get back that he nearly fell through the ropes. Russell put a worried look on McCoy's face in the third when he twice sent his left hard to the mouth. The Kid got back, however, in good style and his left jabs did considerable damage.

McCoy kept up his pretty defensive work in the fourth. After making a few feints with his left he suddenly whipped over his right and it landed squarely on Russell's jaw. The latter dropped to the floor, but was on his feet in an instant and the men mixed it up in savage fashion. The men took it easy in the fifth. In the sixth McCoy sailed into his opponent for keeps. He jabbed with his left for the face and used his right on the body. His rapid work had Russell completely bewildered, Fred scarcely landing a blow, while the Kid put in telling punches on all parts of his opponent, failing only in his swings for the jaw. Russell was groggy toward the close, but managed to last the limit.

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