St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-14
MURPHY is CHAMPION
The Australian Featherweight
Cleverly Bests the "Bel-
fast Spider.
Weir Had the Best Of 1t Up
to the Twelfth
Round.
Then the Antipodean Drove
Him Through the Ropes
Several Times.
Knocked Down Eight Times,
the Spider Quits in the
Fourteenth.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13.-The fight
to a finish between Ike Weir, the Bel
fast Spider" featherweight champion
of the world, and Billy Murphy, feath-
erweight champion of Australia, for a
purse of 81, $50, took place at the Cali
fornia Athletic club tonight. Before
the fight President Fulda announced
that John l.. Sullivan had agreed
with an accredited representative
of the club on q purse for
which he would meet Peter
jackson in the last fight of his life. The
amount was $4,000, ana jackson has ac-
cepted the terms. By unanimous vote
the club announced its approval Of the
proposition to empower the directors to
make the match. Weir's weight was
announced at 1215 and Murphy's at
11SI5. Time was called at S:35 pm. The
men started in at lively pace. Murphy's
body blows were met by Weir's rapid
upper-cniling. The first round ended
with Weir slipping to the floor from
Murphv'S rally. In the second Murphy
reached Weir'S nose and was caught by
the neck and punished by upper-cuts,
causing his nose to bleed. The APP
plauSe and laughter at the end of each
round was uproariOus. Weir'S
ANTICS CAUSED GREAT AMUSEMENT
from the start, but his clever lighting
and the rapidity of his upper-cutting
surprised both his opponent and the
spectators. Murphy was bleeding free
~ at the nose in the second round, and
beyond few good body blows his
had counted for naught. In the
pItrhih round no TnnUlt
iy, but was nearly knocked out
by right-hander on the chin.
From the eighth to the twelfth round
little effective fighting was done. In
the twelfth the Spider" swung his
right with telling effect on Murphy's
left ear and jaw, again planting right
and leftin the Australians eye, as he
came on fercely. MuTphy's left eye
was bleeding freely in the twelfth. He
fought desperately and drove Weir
through the ropes and around the ring.
The thirteenth round was one of the
greatest surprises ever seen in the club
rooms. Murphy came up almost hope
less, but fought tiercely. He landed
right-hander on Weir'S head that stag
gered him and IN minute was upon
him swinging and upper-cutting with
his right hand, sending the Spider down
eight times in rapid succession. Twice
the latter was nearly counted out, but
rose within the last second and with
COURAGE BORN OF DESPERATION
plaEted his right feebly on Murphy's
ear,onIy to go down. In the fourteenth
round both men, though apparently too
groggy to and, came promptly up for
the last round. 1t was short one.
Murphy again led; Weir countered,
and in a second received another blow
that sent him down and decided his fate.
He wrthed i'll agony for ten seconds.
and when he rose at the call of time he
was holding his wrist painfully with
his left hand, claiming to have broken
1t. Murphy, though showing more signs
OF punishment than Weir, and though
at one time almost knocked out, fresh
ened wonderfully in the last, and
jumped lightly from the ring at the end
of the fight.
Weir's hand proves to be only
Sprained. He cannot account for losing
the fight, except on the ground that in
the thirteenth round he received blow
in the wind which made him sick and
weak.