Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-07
Weir the Better Man.

be said, because, as far as any definite result
of it is concerned, neither man was awarded
the victory. However, in my way of thinking,
there was sufficient done in the battle to show
that Weir is much superior pugilist to Muir
ply. With the exception of the sixty-seventh
and sixty-eighth rounds the real battle was
confined to the first Is rounds. During that
time Weir knocked Murphy about like prac-
tice ball. Murphy couldn't prevent the on
slaught and his counters counted almost for
nothing. think that if the battle had been
decided on the work of the first Is rounds there
would have been 10 to l on Weir being the
winner. In all respects Weir proved himself
betteRthan Murphy. The latter lacked tactics,
hitting power and defense. Weir dis
HS However, I after the first IS rounds
Weir was practically hors de combat. His
hands were gone and he simply became an or
nament in the ring that Murphy tried to get but
couldn't reach. Murphy's inability to reach
out and settle Weir after the latter's hands
were gone is conclusive proof that he is not
champion. Murphy and his seconds knew what
pSS neE ST sa
course Murphy forced the fighting, but Weir
persistently lodged out of the way and Muir
ply couldn't prevent him. Weir, no doubt,
exercised good judgment in keeping out of the
way when his hands were useless. He now
and again tried to use them, but practical peo-
pie know that to strike with broken hand is
one of the most painful things that human
countered him easily and effectively. Weir
then limited himself to keeping out of harms
way. Altogether, everything goes to show that
Weir is better fighter than Murphy. The
after, doubtless, is one of the pluckiest little
elbows who ever entered a ring, and it was
only his remarkable pluck that kept him going
so long after the early part Of the battle.
The Spiders Weak Point.
Weir, however. has a weak point, and one
hot of fo hic oc
a pugilist. His hands frequently fail him, and
it may be that this is owing to lack of art on
his part. 1t is one of the greatest essentials
of pugilism to know when, where and how
to hit an opponent. First-class men,
as rule seldom break their hands up Jem
Mace faced many good men with the raw
,uns," and Mace never damaged his hands,
He waited patiently on every occasion until he
saw an opportunity to hit his opponent just
where he wanted. Mace also knew how to hit
and as a result he invariably had his man. no
matter how big, at his mercy without getting
scarcely scratched himself. Icontend that SuIli,
van, Dempsey and even Mitchell, almost as much
as Weir, were deficient of that quality Just re-
ferred to in Mace. Sullivan broke his arm on
CardiHs head in the most stupid fashion. The
injury proved thaf Sullivan was attempting a
swinging blow just at a time when he shouldn't
even have dreamt of it. Dempsey acted SIM
ilarly with Gallagher. All this shows that
bad" hands are, as rule, as much the result
of bad judgment as anything else. A bad
workman will spoil the best of tools.
About the Old Timers.
Writing of glove versus bare knuckle fight
ing, Mr. Henry Sampson, of the London Ref
cree, has the following interesting opinions in a
recent issue of his paper: ''In the old sporting
drums there were always to,be found three
sorts of performers-Q) such as Mace, Rrettle,
Langham, Keene, Walker, HOLES, Nolan,
Shaw, Lead, Gallagher, Cannon, and others too
numerous to mention in these limits, who were
as good without the gloves as they were with
them. (2.) Such as Sayers, Madden, Cooley,
Hicks. Travers, Dillon and Reardon, who
showed better form as fighters than as spar
rers. n. B.-And don't you forget it: Some Of
those in this second list, though sparring was
not their forte. could spar better than anyone 1
know now. (3) Such as were as clever with the
gloves as almost any in the first list. and clev-
erer than some. but who had no stomach for
the ring itself or whose ways in life did not
permit of their entering it professionally
Among these might be named one Donovan,
who used to show at Shaw's, in Queens Head
court Windmill street. Another was flor a
long while) Jack Drew; it was not until he was
old and stale. and had long been known as one
of the cleverest sparrers in London, that Jack
Drew fought two fights and won them:
he did not long surve the strange effort.
With these were mahy another who would
have made the best performers of now skip
Inougn, ds tney never lougnl, Inelr names nave
long been forgotten, and it is no good trying to
give them a spurious celebrity. Then there
was sort of cross between the three sorts I
have given, as represented by such men as
Crockett, Moss young Dutch Sam the Sec
ond), and Bendoh, cum multis aliis. These
were as clever as cats with the gloves, and
would try their best to fight; but somehow or
other, they always had the worst of luck with
the bare knucl1les, whenever, that is they start
ed on any one who could hit hard and STAY.
1t is not easy to say where a thorough expert in
old-time fighting and sparring would place the
Tylers. Both were as clever without the gloves
as with them, and were up to every dodge that
ring practice permits; but Toms hands were
softer than most prize fighters heads, and Bos,
if his good eye got hit hard. was almost help
less. 1t was not easy to hit that eye hard; still
the task has been accomplished, and must be
reckoned in a summary of this sort. As to
Tom, he would have been absolute champion at
anything near his weight with the new style
two-ounce muf1ers."