The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-07-02
ARcnaissancc of Fighters.


be pounded with the fist OF wickedness
done up in q slightly padded kid glove.
The unhappy stranger to the joys OF
boxing sees only two men, whom he
believes to be crazy but dosn't dare to
say so, hopping around with the en-
thusiasm OF young and misguided
samecocks, battering each others
faces out OF shape and indulging in
variagated assault and battery. But
the boxer, especially the amateur box
er, is i'll state OF rapture as long as
the gloves are on his fists, modified
only when hot cross-counter under
the ear OF an upper cut full OF sweet
ness and light that lifts his nose far
toward heaven reminds him that he is
only mortal after all.
Yet every man VINO learns the art OF
using his fists instead OF the sword and
shield soon finds out that the punish
ment is not SO hald to take after all.
Hundreds of young men who shine in
New York society have developed a
strong liking for the fstie science OF
late years, and the fever OF punching
heads with a care is rapidly growing.
Very few men who looked on the old
time prize fights ever cared to try their
own hands at that sort of thing. The
spectacle OF u broken ia wed giant stag
gered to his corner with his shapeless
face dripping blood wasnot calculated
to attract man toward learning how
to get himself in the same fix. But in
1878 arose Prof. c. Mcclellan, a good
man, and true, OF middle weight, with
a great and level head. The noble and
truly good Marquis of Queensbury
had formulated code of benefcent
rules for head and rib banging a few
years before this, in which he sternly
forbade back-heeling, whereby the sim
pie minded slugger is easily made to
stand on his head in the midst OF a
round, or any sort OF wrestling,
which always gave the heavy
man the advantage. 1t struck Prof.
Mcclellan that it would he a beauti-
full thing to see a pair OF e, :uly match.
ed boxers pound each other with thin.
ly stuffed boxing gloves on the Queens.
berrian plan. He believed that people
would come miles to see such a'set.to,
SO he matched himself against hand,
some Michael Donovan. and gave the
tip to scores OF young men about
town. They paid fabulous sums Of
money for ticketsito witness the scrim.
mage, and they We're happy when they
saw a beautiful fight, with lots Of
science. it and no raw and bleeding
faces. The professor knew more
about the Marquis than Mr.. Dono van
did, and he got the best OF him; but
handsome Mike went home aud stud
led up. Before the end OF the year
the pair came together again in the
presence of 100 wealthy young men
and Donovan had the pleasure of scien,
titically pounding the professor twice
as hard as the professor pounded him
All this was done in the most grace.
full and pleasing way, and the Young
men said to themselves that it must
be fine fun, and that boxing was not
such q deadly thing after all. So they
began taking lessons from both oI
the fighters, and thus came about tht
renaissance of fisticuh in New York
The more the young men knew about
sparring, the more they wanted tc
see glove fights. Therefore, it was
that they tlocked by thousands to
Madison Square garden to watch the
immortalJohn OF Boston, dapper
Charles Mitchell OF England and
youthful Dominick McCatfrey O
Pitusburg watt one another about g
high platform with beautiful, pillow
like, white kid gloves. Thus the ex
hibitions and the progress OF the fs
tic science fourished together, until
now New York society is dotted with
sturdy, graceful boxers as the plains
OF Lomb,.rdy are studded with pop
lars and Parkrow with peanu.
stands.
Stand on upper Fifth avenue any
fine Sunday afternoon. You will SEE
scores OF clear-skinned, quiet young
fellows i'll the promenading throng
faltlessly dressed and almost as list
less as the dudes whose elbows rut
theirs. You would not at the first
glance think there was q good fight IL
a dozen OF them. but drop in at New
York athletic club twenty-four hours
later and will see how they can spar
that four three-minute rounds apiece
with two or three Of them, send hin
home fit to sleep for n week. And yet
he is a strong, game fighter, and has
battled with his own bare knucks il
the prize ring for hours at a time, anC
beaten men whose names are honoreG
in the world OF sport.
"There are no quicker, stronger OF
cleveIer sparring men in the world
than New Workers." said n retired
fighter, land can't understand how
they have all sprung up so quickly
When began to fight for a living
fifteen years ago, you could count or
one hand all the amateurs in this city
who were worth naming; now you
can't throw a stone on Fifth avenue
without hitting first class heavy
middle or light weight. I'm teaching
them by the dozen, and only wish
there were twice as many hours in the
day 40 that / could handle more O
'em."
"How do you train them? Well
that's hard question. No two are
worked alike, and course OF sprouts
that would just take the surplus
flesh of q burly, heavy fellow, would
half kill q weaker man. It's hard tc
keep young and enthusiastic me-,
from OVERRIDING their training.
know very promising young amateur
who was putting himself in fettle q
weeks ago to contest the biggest event
of his life. He ran ten miles day
as hard as he could go, punched tn,
bag and put up dumbbells. He filled
in the spare time on pulley weights
What was the result? He came u,
at he call OF time with his face
pale and thin ard his legs wobbling
Why? Because he had overdone it; b,
was overtrained. If a man wants tc
make a good boxer OF himselfhe ough,
to 60 first to his physician and max,
sure that his heart and lungs and 9th