1896-02-22 Joe Gans W-TKO6 Jimmy (St. Paul Kid) Kennard [Suffolk Athletic Club, Boston, MA, USA]

1896-02-23 The Boston Sunday Globe (Boston, MA) (page 2)

GANS WON.
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Other Bouts in Newton St Armory Were Draws.
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Solly Smith and Lavack Put Up a Lively Set-To.
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Smith Would Probably Win in Finish Fight.
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Burley and Strong Simply Tired Themselves Out.
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Neither Could Do Much Execution After Fourth Round.
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The boxing bouts at the West Newton st armory last night were witnessed by over 2000 persons.

Johnny Lavack, the Cleveland featherweight, boxed a 15-round draw with "Solly" Smith of California; Nick Burley and Charley Strong boxed 12 rounds to a draw, and Joe Gans of Baltimore scored a victory over Jimmy Kennard, the "St Paul Kid," in six rounds.

The latter was in no shape, having been substituted for "Spike" Sullivan, who was taken sick late yesterday afternoon.

Lavack is a very clever lad, but he is not a hard hitter. Had the bout been to a finish Smith would have won.

Burley showed that he will never do in the heavyweight class. He is more of a boxer than a fighter, and is something like Steve O'Donnell in style.

Joe Gans is a fairly clever lad, but he is not yet capable of meeting any first-class man.

Capt Bill Daly was referee, and his decisions met with the approval of the spectators.

Kennard, the "St Paul Kid," and Joe Gans of Baltimore were the first pair up. Very little boxing was done in the first two rounds. Gans landed his left just before the second round ended, toppling Kennard over. He was on his feet, however, in a few seconds.

For four more rounds Gans simply toyed with Kennard, landing left jabs, with an occasional right on the face and jaw. In the sixth round referee Daly, seeing Kennard was outclassed, stopped the bout, and decided Gans the winner.

Charles Strong of Newark and Nick Burley of this city met in the second bout. It was their second meeting, Strong having defeated burley last month in one round.

The first round was very tame, but they mixed it up in the second round in good shape. Strong started to cut out the work, but toward the close Burley forced it, and had Strong on the run, landing with both hands on Strong's face and jaw. When the bell rang Strong was very tired. The minute's rest revived him, and in the third he went at Burley, and for a half a minute the air was filled with arms, black and white, circling around.

One of the arms, which proved to be Strong's, stopped on Burley's jaw, and he went down. But only for a moment. He jumped up and continued, but little was done, both being tired. Strong forced the boxing in the fourth round, and Burley was on the defensive. Both men landed several times, but their blows lacked steam.

The next few rounds were even, both men being too tired to do any fast boxing, and they just kept landing occasional jabs or swings. In the ninth Strong started out with a rush, but as usual, it lasted only a minute. Burley then got in some of his jabs, and Strong become rather more tired. Very little effective work was done after this. The bout was called a draw.

"Solly" Smith and Johnny Lavack met in the closing bout, which was set for 15 rounds.

Round 1--Smith came up as if he regarded his job as an easy one. Lavack backed into one of the corners and Smith followed him, feinted a few times and tried for the face with the left, but the blow went over Lavack's shoulder. The latter got right and left in on the head, and then broke ground. Smith rushed, but was met with a left in the face. Smith tried at least four times to get the right on Lavack's jaw, but the latter cleverly avoided them.

Round 2--This opened with a hot mix-up with honours about even. Smith landed a right upper cut on the wind and then swung for the jaw, but the blow landed on Lavack's head. Lavack received a stiff left on the nose, when he started to force Smith, and a second later Smith put the left on the wind and then sent it up on the chin. Lavack received another right on the wind as the round closed.

Round 3. Lavack landed his left back of Smith's ear and put the right on the wind. Smith then hooked Lavack on the ear with the left. Smith again led and was met with a left on the jaw. He got a bit hot and tried again with the left, and was countered on the jaw. Lavack missed with the left, and while breaking ground Smith upper cut him on the nose with the left. Smith tried with the left and received right counter between the eyes.

Round 4. Lavack was the first to lead and he received a right counter back of the ear. After hooking Smith on the forehead with the left Lavack received a stiff jab on the chin. He then tried Walcott's furious double blow. His right fell short, but he caught Smith on the jaw with the left. Twice Smith was jabbed in the face, and then he upper-cut Lavack with the right. Smith tried three times to get the right on the jaw, but failed.

Round 5. Smith reached Lavack's wind, face and ribs three times with both hands, and received light jabs on the chin and wind in return.

Round 6--Smith sent the left on the wind, and in the clinch that followed Lavack landed on the ribs with the right. He missed with the left, and then Smith landed right and left on the neck. They were having a hot mix-up when the round ended.

Round 7--Smith had been using his elbows so often that referee Daly warned him at the opening of the round. Lavack had the best of the round, getting left and right on the ribs and nose a few times. A stiff jab in the mouth was his only return.

Round 8--Smith's left reached Lavack twice, and twice Smith uppercut him with the right.

Rounds 9-10--After falling short with the left, Lavack broke ground. Later he jabbed Smith in the face a few times and then they had a hot mix-up with honours about even. Smith finally got the left on the jaw, and Lavack retaliated with left and right on the face.

Round 11--Smith did all the work in this round, getting the right on Lavack's ear, ribs and face.

Round 12--Smith forced the work, and he kept Lavack continually on the jump. He reached Lavack's jaw with the left and uppercut him with the right in the wind. Lavack reached Smith's chin with the right, but it had no force. An exchange of lefts closed the round.

Round 13--Smith opened with a left on the face, Lavack countering on the ear with his right, and they clinched, Lavack landing his right on the ribs. Smith landed again on the face with his left, receiving two lefts in return on the jaw. Smith got in his right on the ribs, and then Lavack chased him to the ropes, landing his left on the nose. He then scored on the ribs with his right, and Smith missed a right swing for the jaw as the bell rang.

Round 14--Smith landed his right on the ribs, and then sent his left over on the chin. Both got in their rights on the ribs. Smith sent in a right uppercut on the chin, and followed it with a left jab on the face. He landed again with his right on the body, and Lavack countered with a left on the face. Smith got in two uppercuts on the ribs and a left on the face just before the bell rang.

Round 15--After shaking hands, Lavack landed a left jab on the chin, and they mixed it up lively for half a minute, with honours even. Lavack sent over a right, but it landed too far back on the ear. Smith got in a left hook on the ear, and then both landed rights together on jaw. Smith sent his left into the wind, and followed with a right on the chin that brought Lavack to his knees. He was up in a few seconds, and kept out of harm's way until the round ended, and the referee decided it a draw.


1896-02-23 The Sunday Herald (Boston, MA) (page 4)

BURLEY FAILS TO WHIP STRONG.

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An Accident Spoils His Chances--Three Bouts at South End.

A well satisfied crowd of perhaps 2000 left the Newton street armory last night at 11 o'clock, declaring that they had seen "a great show." Of the three boxing bouts but one was not particularly interesting--that between Joe Gans and Jimmy Kennard--but the others more than compensated. "Spike" Sullivan was to have been Gans' opponent, but he was too sick to appear.

The first round of the Gans-Kennard bout was filled with a great deal of posing and bluffs. Gans had his man pretty well measured by the third round. He ended the contest in the sixth, when he scored incessantly, and it was so evident that he was the superior boxer that the referee stopped it and gave Gans the award.

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The return match between Nick Burley and George Strong was the hottest of the night. Burley had many supporters, who felt convinced that he would retrieve his lost laurels by disposing of his colored opponent. It is generally believed that he would have done so had he not injured his right hand. Although a draw was declared, some thought Burley should have had the decision.

Strong went right to work to whip his man again, and it looked as if he would do so by the wicked swings that he sent in. For the whole first round the punching was of the stiffest description, and it appeared that Strong had a little the better of it. Burley closed in, and it was a ding-dong, savage battle for nearly half a minute, with chances about even as to which would go down. Both survived, but Strong appeared all worked out by his efforts.

It looked to be all up with Burley in the third. Strong landed three left swings in quick succession on Burley's face, and the fourth one brought him to the floor. He got up, but was weak and weary. He sought to keep away, but Strong followed him. Burley hit him a terrific punch on the head with the right, injuring the hand so badly that it was of little use to him afterward. In vain did Strong try to get the left on again, and Burley pulled out the round.

Both were so tired in the next round that little more than slapping was indulged in. Burley now had only one hand, the left. From this time on Burley picked away at Strong's nose, hitting it about a dozen times in each one of the remaining rounds. He had the colored man so tired toward the end that Strong's swinging lefts did not have enough steam in them to hurt Burley when they did land on the jaw. It was pretty nearly all Burley from the fourth to the 12th round; then a draw was declared by Referee Daly.

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Solly Smith of New York and Johnny Lavack of Cleveland, O., met at 125 pounds. Smith opened up for business instantly, but Lavack was hard to find. In the second round Lavack landed one good, long left on the face, but for that he was forced to take a right chopper on the jaw, a terrific crack flush on the nose, and a few more of lesser account. The fourth was a busy round. Lavack got in on the nose, and with right and left full swings came within an ace of catching Smith on a vital spot. Lavack stood some stiff punching in the next, but his excellent condition enabled him to withstand it.

The sixth was all in favor of Smith. The referee had to caution Smith for using his elbow in the seventh. Lavack managed to get in three in succession on the face, but they were as flakes of snow. In the eighth, Lavack caught Smith three times in the face, but Smith not only stood them but kept right along after his opponent.

Lavack made a fine showing in the ninth, and it was his round, as was the next also, and Smith's eye showed the effect of Lavack's handiwork. Both men missed many blows, each being clever at ducking. Lavack showed the pace in the 12th, and scored two to one. Smith seemed a bit tired, while Lavack, despite the belly blows he had received, appeared as well as ever. The 13th and 14th were very similar to the others.

In the last, Smith was in the lead, mainly through his superior strength. Lavack stopped many of his terrific right upper cuts on the body. A draw was declared.

1894-03-07 Kid Lavigne D-PTS8 Solly Smith [Arbeiter Hall, Saginaw, MI, USA]

1894-03-08 The Saginaw Evening News (Saginaw, MI) (page 4)

THE KID WINS.
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George Lavigne Proved Too Much for Solly Smith.

Admirers of the fistic art gathered in force at Arbeiter hall last evening to witness the eight round go between Solly Smith, the champion featherweight of the United States, and George Lavigne, of this city, otherwise known as the Kid, whose recent contest with Griffo at Chicago gives him a high place among aspirants for pugilistic honors. Bay City, Flint, Detroit and other places throughout the state were represented, while Chicago also sent a goodly contingent. President Buckhout, of the police board, Chief of Police Kain, Captain Baskins, and a body guard of the finest were on hand to see that nothing in the shape of a knock out occurred while many of Saginaw's capitalists and lumber barons were scattered throughout the audience.

A succession of two and three-minute rounds between such local devotees of the fistic art as Richard Boyle, Wesley Brown, George Johnson, John Tracy, Ollie Freeman, Jack Beadly, Billy Lavigne, Peter Major, Billy Bushy, Billy Skimmons, besides Dick Elliott of Buffalo and Jim Weeden of Pittsburg opened the exhibition. In the bout between Billy Lavigne, the popular welter-weight, Lavigne accidentally gave Major a pivot blow on the jaw which dazed him so that he fell helpless to the floor and was assisted by his opponent to his corner, where he shortly afterwards recovered and went at it again, the claret flowing freely from the effect of the blow. Some phenomenal bag punching was done by William St. Mary, who struck the bag 100 times in a minute. Frank Mostellar also gave a fine exhibition of club swinging and juggling.

When the event of the evening was announced by William E. Gardiner, who acted as master of ceremonies, the applause was uproarious, almost approaching an ovation, and after the "Kid" and Solly Smith went to their corners the former was presented with a handsome training stick, manufactured for him by his friend, E. Grigware, jr. The duties of referee were performed most acceptably by Walter Grimmon, of this city. Smith was seconded by Al Daugherty, of Chicago, Frank Vanderbilt, of Bay City, and Peter Major, of this city. Behind the "Kid" were his brother, Billy Lavigne, William St. Mary and Pat Hogan, of this city. Clin J. Van Scoter, of Bay City, and George Groves, of this city, were time keepers.

Both men were in splendid form, Lavigne stripping at 127 and Smith at 123, the corded muscles of each standing out like ribs of steel.

Lavigne opened the ball in the first round by getting in two blows in rapid succession upon Smith's bugle. After considerable feinting and dodging blows were rapidly exchanged at short range, honors being easy at the close of the round.

The second round opened lively from the start, the men clinching each other continually, giving and exchanging some wicked blows in which each displayed considerable slugging power. When time was called both retired to their corners breathing heavily.

Lavigne got in a stinger on Smith's jaw in the third round which threw his head back with a jerk. Both men confined their attention to the face, but few body blows being delivered. The round closed slightly in favor of Lavigne.

In the fourth round Smith got in some hot ones on the Kid's neck and acted more on the aggressive, and both men displayed wonderful agility and striking power.

Lavigne did some artistic work on Smith's jaw in the fifth round, the latter responding with some good blows on the chest and face, but got one in the neck that made him wince.

In the sixth round Lavigne chased Smith all around the ring, occasionally getting in a blow.

There were some close exchanges made in the seventh round, Smith being apparently on his mettle. The Kid, however, got his work in toward the close and knocked Smith over on the ropes, following him up with several stingers.

Throughout the fight Smith acted more on the defensive and kept up his dodging and feinting throughout. His tactics were the same in the eighth round and amid cries of "knock him out kid," the last round ended, Lavigne having by far the best of it from beginning to finish, showing himself thoroughly scientific and strong on his pins and agile as a panther. The receipts were about $1,000, a goodly portion of which will be divided by the champions. The audience was orderly throughout and the exhibition as a whole was highly creditable.

1899-02-07 Solly Smith L-TKO6 Oscar Gardner (New York, NY, USA)

1899-02-25 The National Police Gazette (New York, NY) (page 10)

OSCAR GARDNER MAKES SMITH QUIT
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Los Angeles Lad Was Never in the Fight.
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WENT ONLY SIX ROUNDS.
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General Opinion Was That the Beaten Man Was Not Knocked Out.
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DICK MOORE WON THE "PRELIM."
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Solly Smith not only lost his fight with Oscar Gardner on February 7 at the Lenox Athletic Club, but he also lost his reputation for gameness, and in doing so became an object of derision to the 4,000 spectators present. In the opinion of many good experts he deliberately quit when he realized that he was up against it. The punch which he took advantage of to feign a knockout landed well up on the side of his head in close proximity to his ear and was not sufficiently hard to do any damage, for Gardner had drawn it back somewhat to avoid delivering it foul, it having been started just as Smith was falling to his knees. There was a cry of "foul," but Referee White decided that Gardner won after counting Smith out.

The fight on the whole was quite the most unsatisfactory that has ever taken place at the Lenox Club, probably because an unusually terrific battle was expected. Both Smith and Gardner were known to be hard fighters and having met before the Omaha lad was eager to retrieve the laurels he lost to Smith on that occasion. He succeeded in not alone demonstrating that he is Smith's master, but that outside of George Dixon he is the best featherweight now before the public. The fight was a one-sided one, Smith appearing not to have a chance. He repeatedly went down to avoid punishment and it looked several times as if he were trying to win on a foul--a most despicable proceeding in itself--but when he realized that this dodge would not work he seemed to deliberately feign a knockout as the most graceful way to evade the consequences of remaining under fire.

Gardner was in splendid form and overwhelmed his opponent from the time the bout began until it ended. He outfought the veteran Californian and never gave him an instant's rest until he had him whipped clean and running about the ring to evade his sturdy punches. Gardner showed wonderful improvement over the form he displayed when he last fought Smith at the Broadway Club, while the latter's pugilistic talents have deteriorated to a corresponding degree.

Smith did not land a dozen blows during the entire fight, and if his energies were not directed toward an effort to win on a foul he gave the best exhibition of a man trying to do so ever seen in the ring.

The men weighed 122 pounds at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Gardner having some difficulty in reaching the weight, while Smith did not scale the limit.

The club house was nearly full when the bout was called. The betting was 10 to 6 in Gardner's favor. The bout was scheduled for twenty five rounds. Both men looked well and came to the centre for instructions at 9:45 o'clock. They agreed to box Queensberry rules and break clean.

Gardner started the battle in his usual crouching and aggressive manner, and soon had Smith on the defensive. Solly went to his knees several times to avoid Gardner's rushes. Once Gardner landed a left on Smith's eye and Solly sprinted hard for the remainder of the round.

Gardner gave Smith a terrific hammering in the second, Solly getting in but one effective blow--a stiff right on the jaw that made the Kid grin his widest.

Gardner usually waited until Smith cut loose with a left or right swing, and then, stepping in, peppered the body and ribs with both hands.

Smith did considerable holding, but he did not stave off the hard wallops that came in clusters.

Smith caught a fierce thumping in the third round, his face puffing up under the hard knocks sent in by the Omaha boy. Smith was compelled to do much sprinting in order to keep out of danger, and his hard swings failed to reach.

Gardner let himself out in the fourth and Smith got a terrific walloping. Once Gardner chased Smith into the corner and pounded him until Smith was glad to wriggle out of danger. Just before the gong sounded Gardner sent Smith to his knees with a fierce left hander on the chin. It was all Gardner's fight.

Smith showed considerable weakness in the fifth, and he flopped about the ring in a wild endeavor to keep out of harm's way. Smith landed one left-hander in this round, but he took more medicine, nevertheless.

Gardner floored Smith twice in the sixth, and once Smith went to the floor after making a hard swing. Then the Omaha boy made a rush and banged Smith on the mouth with the left.

As the Los Angeles boy began falling Gardner walloped him on the jaw with the right, and the jig was up. Smith did not appear to be unconscious, but he lay still until the referee counted him out, when he got up and began to fight with his friends.

George Basselle, of New York, and Dick Moore, of St. Paul, finished the opening chapter of the entertainment. They were scheduled to box ten rounds at catch weights, and Moore seemed to have the advantage by fifteen pounds. After ten rounds of fierce slugging the decision was awarded to Moore. Charley White was the referee.