1899-10-11 Joe Gans W-PTS20 Martin Judge [Eureka Athletic Club, Germania Maennerchor Hall, Baltimore, MD, USA]

1899-10-12 Morning Herald (Baltimore, MD) (page 8)

A DECISION FOR GANS.
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The Baltimore Lightweight Bests Martin Judge in a Twenty-Round Bout--A Rattling Finish.

Lovers of the manly art of self-defense had a very enjoyable evening at the Germania Maennerchor Hall last night, when the Eureka Athletic Club pulled off two of the greatest bouts ever seen in Baltimore.

The star event of the evening was the meeting between Joe Gans and Martin Judge. For once, at least, the public got its money's worth, and when the bout closed there was a universal shout of satisfaction.

The fight was scheduled for 20 rounds, and it went the limit. Every round was covered with beautiful work and hard fighting and the bout closed with a whirlwind finish, which fairly took the crowd off its feet.

The men had been matched to meet at 135 pounds. Gans was down to weight, but Judge weighed 148 pounds in the afternoon and must have tipped the scales at something over 150 pounds when he went into the ring. It was a light-weight against a middle-weight.

Judge was as strong as an ox and put up a great fight, calling into play all of Gans' skill. The Baltimore lad showed himself a past master, however, and as far as cleverness went laid all over his burly antagonist. His wonderful blocking was the feature and he stood off all the rushes of the big Philadelphian in a wonderful way. Midway of the fight Gans injured his left hand, which had been hurt in his late bout with Spider Kelly, and thereafter was compelled to rely on his right.

Joe did most of the leading and landing. Early in the fight he had Judge bleeding at the nose, but the big fellow minded this very little. In the 15th round Judge began to show the first signs of weakening, and in the 16th only the gong saved him. In the next two rounds Judge rallied, and in the 19th had Gans guessing.

The finish came in the 20th, when Joe started in to do business. Like a flash he was all over Judge, and in a minute had the big fellow on Queer street. Gans fought like a demon and punished his man terribly. He rapped right after right into Judge's ribs, and all that Martin could do was to clinch and hang on to Joe's neck. Judge was beaten to a standstill, and, although when the gong sounded he was on his feet, he was gone beyond a peradventure. It was one of the most rattling finishes ever seen in Baltimore, and the crowd was wild with excitement. Referee Mantz, as a matter of course, gave the decision to Gans.

The preliminary to the main event was a 12-round meeting between George Kunnicker and "Kid" Lackey. This was a corking curtain-raiser, and was a fit prelude to the star bout. Both boys put up a great fight from start to finish and covered themselves all over with glory. "Kid" Lackey appeared to have a little the better of it in cleverness, while Kunnicker was a shade the stronger. In the sixth Lackey knocked his man down and had him going. He also put a mouse under Kunnicker's eye and started his nose bleeding.

It seemed to many that Lackey on points should have had the decision, or at least the verdict should have been a draw, and the crowd generally was disappointed when Referee Mantz decided Kunnicker the winner.


1899-10-12 The Sun (Baltimore, MD) (page 6)

GANS WON AGAIN
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Defeated Martin Judge, Who Was At Middle Weight.
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A HARD AND GAME FIGHT
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Rally By The Philadelphian Which Nearly Finished Him--Kunnicker Got A Decision Over Lackey.

Before the Eureka Athletic Club, at Germania Maennerchor Hall, last night Joseph Gans got a well-deserved decision over Martin Judge, of Philadelphia, in a 20-round fight. Gans won in a positive way in the last round. He had a big shade the better of the contest all through, and the shrewd manager of Judge, H. Walter Schlichter, knew it. He sent Judge in at the beginning of the nineteenth round to do or die.

The fight had been bordering on a draw, and Schlichter was convinced that his man would have to make a pronounced winning to get a verdict. Judge worked according to orders, and in the nineteenth round he made a big showing and insured a verdict of "draw" had he been able to sustain it. He used himself up in this round, however, and Gans got his measure. In the last--the twentieth--round Gans was all over Judge, and the Philadelphian only lasted through the round by clinching and hugging his opponent.

It was a great fight. According to the original conditions Judge and Gans were to weigh in at 3 P. M. at 135 pounds, give or take 2 pounds. Gans only weighed 143½ pounds with his clothes on, and stripped he only weighed 134 pounds. Judge weighed 148½ pounds stripped. Schlichter, who was backing Judge, forfeited $150 to Al. Herford, who was backing Gans, because of Judge's overweight. Many persons thought Herford was foolish to let Gans fight Judge, who must have weighed 152 pounds by the time he entered the ring. He takes on flesh quickly, Mr. Schlichter being the authority for a statement that Judge gained a pound in Philadelphia during the time he was in a Turkish bath.

The match was a case of a small man with superior science up against a big man with much strength and some science, too. The cleverer of the two won. The work was clean, the men breaking at the command of Referee Mantz, except in the last round, when Judge was too far gone to trust himself to get away and face Gans.

This was the third time Judge and Gans had met in the fistic arena, and each time the decision was given to Gans. A provision was made in the articles governing last night's fight which stipulated that in case of police or other interference Judge was to get the entire fighters' end of the box receipts. He was also to get all if Gans failed to stop him, but this part was changed to the regular division of 75 and 25 per cent., owing to Judge's overweight being an infraction of the agreement. There was no interference. The big weight of Judge kept Gans from being as aggressive as he otherwise would have been. He was up against a middleweight and knew it.

Though Gans outfought his man from a scientific standpoint all through the twenty rounds, Judge was always dangerous until he started in to do or die in the nineteenth round and "died." Here he fought hard and viciously, but Gans was out of reach, and between Judge's work and the clever counters Gans gave him the Quaker City man was virtually at a standstill. He was not knocked out, but he had so little fight left in him that he could not have been patched up to stand another round. Doses of brandy were given to nerve him for the two final rounds.

Gans did not escape unhurt. He received a number of body and face blows during the 20 rounds. His nose was bleeding and his eyes bruised. Judge proved to be a second Smyrna for taking punishment. His nose bled and his face was "done up" pugilistically. He won the admiration of the spectators who crowded the house by his plucky work. He lost because he was simply outclassed in the science.

There were no slow rounds, but there was little choice up to nearly the end of the fight.

After the boxing Mr. Walter Schlichter, sporting editor of the Philadelphia Item, matched an unknown to wrestle William C. Hart, of Baltimore. The match is to be for $250 a side, and is for two falls in three--first Greco-Roman, second catch-as-catch-can, and the winner of a previous fall in the least time is to decide the style of a third fall, if one is necessary. The men are limited to 158 pounds weight at 3 P. M. the day of the match. The wrestling is to be done on a night named between now and Saturday week. It will probably be decided October 21. The Philadelphia unknown is said to be much smaller in weight than Hart, who has proved himself a good local man.

The first preliminary boxing bout last night was between George Kunnicker and "Kid" Lackey, both of Baltimore. Lackey had the advantage of about four pounds in weight. They fought in hurricane style. In the sixth round, when he seemed to be nearly gone, Lackey crossed his right and put Kunnicker down. Kunnicker got up and went to a clinch. They fought hard to the twelfth round, and referee Mantz gave Kunnicker the decision.