The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-06-14
ALMOST HIS MATCH.
An Irish Boy Meets the Cham
pion Slugger,
IN A MATCH OF FIVE ROUNDS,
Which is Decided in sullivan's Favor,
But With Very Little Credit
to Him-Other Notes.
A Plucky Irish Boy.

CHICAGO, June 13.-Thes grand stand
at the driving park, and about one hum
dred and fifty carriages. contained over
twelve thousand persons at s. IA O'Clock
this afternoon, when Jack Burke, 'tthe
Irish lad" weighing ITO pounds, entered
the ring to face John l.. Sullivan, weight
237 pounds, for five rounds, Queensbury
rules. Previous to the event of the day,
mixed programme of wrestling and
sparring had been given and the crowd
was somewhat excited over some blood
easily drawn from a surprised middle
weight from Bloomington, by a wirv
little chap introduced as Tommy War
rem, the ex-feather weight of the Pacific.
coast. The appearance of the champion
was the signal for an exhi-
bition of considerable enthusiasm, but
when the Irish lad'' walked jauntiTy
down the track the crowd rose as one
man and cheered. Some little time was
lost in arranging preliminaries and in
selecting referee, Sherman Thurston.
Meantime the sight of the champion
lounglng indifferently in his corner and
looking like a giant compared to his
adversary, induced a number OF per-
sons to entreat Burke to. Keep up your
heart, my boy, and you'll knock him
out" At 6.23 time was called. The
champion smiled as he shook hands
with the little man in front of him and
looked as though he wanted to laugh
when the latter danced backwards a
step or two and made a feint, suggestive
of meditation lefthander. He became
slightly more serious a moment later
when Burke, cleverly lodging a
dangerous highlander, hit the
champion rafting blow in the
chin with his fist; almost Instantly
Burke was dealt heavy blow in the
back of his neck, which brought him to
his knees and left red mark that is
there yet. Before the close OF the first
round Burke was wildly applauded on
aged to land in the champions face and
neck while in the act of lodging blows
that would have felled anox
! In the second round Sullivan began
| to realize that his adversary possessed
an amount of nerve, dexterity and
science that would make up for a great
deal he lacked in weight, but closed
however without any noticeable advan-
tage having been gained by either, ex-
cept for some more of Burke's left
handed plays in the champions face
during the latter's recovery from several
terrific lunges! ~ ..tsL-g
The third round was uneventful.
At the beginning of the fourth, how
ever it was apparent that the cham
plon had decided fifth round would be
superhuous. Though Burke was never
squarely knocked down he. was four
times forced against the ropes and then
fell on his hands and knees. Sullivan
forced the fighting, and his blows be
came so wicked in their intent that. the
referee and "Parson" Davis, master OF
ceremonies, began to look as though
they smelt blood. When the men again
retired to their corners it was evident
that of the two the champion was the
worst winded.
In the last round Burke got on two OF
his best blows on Sullivan s neck and jaw,
but their effect had scarcely been less
noticeable had they been extended on a
brick wall. The champion forced the
! fighting, as in the fourth round, and
though a number of times he had the
Irishman against the ropes and on his
knees, he was unable to get in single
effective blow, and the match was de-
eided in his favor simply owing to the
fact that all the knock downs, such as
they were, were on his side. Otherwise
the points were equally distributed.
The Irish lad leaped from the ring after
the decision, and walked down the walk
as jauntily as though five rounds with
the champion was hardly worth men
! tiOning