The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-12-19
GIBBONS'S NINTH BATTLE.
An Unwhipped Prize Fighter Knocks Out Mike
Cushing, Who Was Too Confident of Victory.

NEW YORK, Dec. 1S.-The m~uch-talked-of
kid-glove fight to a finish, between Mike
Cushing and Austin Gibbons. took place
early this morning, near Stamford. Conn.
Fully 800 persons witnessed the contest,
among the number being John L. Sullivan.
Gibbons was in the pink of condition. but
Cushing was far from it. Cushing imagined
that he was going to have a walk-over, and
was SO confident of it that he drank q great
deal of wine up to within al hour or so of
the fight. 1t proved costly experiment.. as
Cushing got pounded all over the ring, and
was almost at the mercy of Gibbons from
start to finish. AS soon as Cushing discov-
cred his mistake he commenced fouling his
man. and tried to lose the fight through a
foul; but Dominick McCaffery, who was ref
cree, would not allow any of the fouls. He was
determined to see the men fight to q finish,
and even when Cushing used his head as q
battering ram and deliberately butted Glib
bOns in the face, four or five times he SIM
ply separated them and told Cushing to be
a man and fight fair.
In the first four rounds Gibbons had the
best of it, but during the next four Cush-
ing rallied and did most of the leading, but
Gibbons avoided punishment. The next
nine rounds were pretty evenly fought,
both men realizing that they had no easy
task to perform. .Cushing's left eye was
badly cut and bled freely. When Gibbons
zenith round Cushing lost his head and
while they were clinched, Cushing butted
Gibbons in the face a dozen or more times.
Cushing got in sOmes telling ri~ght-handed
upper-cuts in the nineteenth and twentieth
rounds.
The twenty-second round was the most
exciting of the fight. Cushing saw that he
was beaten, and preferring to lose the bat
tie on a foul to being knocked out. SO he
fouled Gibbons eight or mine times; but
forced Gushing to the ropes in the
~latter's corner and held him there
with one hand. while he leaned
over the ropes and smashed
other. Gibbons's brother Jim came to the
| rescue, and there was some lively punching
down on the outside for q few seconds.
Cushing was too far gone to TAX advantage
of his opponent.
Gibbons did all the fighting in the twenty.
third round, punching Cushing whenever
| and wherever he chose. and driving him all
over the ring. He took particular delight
in landing on Mikes damaged eye. and had
him covered with blood. The twenty.
fourth and last round was of short 6ura
ton. Gibbons forced the fighting. He
knocked Gushing down twice, but eact
time Mike recovered before the ten seconds
were up. The third time he knocked him
down, however, and finished the fight, al
he put a swinging right-hander in the pit
of Cushing's stomach.
This was Gibbons's ninth battle, and he
has yet to meet his first defeat. Cushing
has had quite a number of fights. AmOns
his most prominent was his thirty-two
round battle with Jack Hopper. which III
lost through breaking his wrist in tn.
thirty-first round. He defeated Dan O'Hars
twice. Jim Liddy twice, and his last fghr
previous to meeting Gibbons was Will
Bartlett, the English pugilist. whom he dc
feated.