Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-08
TRICKS OF THE RING.
Honest and Dishonest Methods That
Help Win the Battles.
NEAT SCHEMES OF HEAD AND HAND
That Are Permissible Under the Modern
Rules of Pugilism.
DRUGGIKG BY MEANS OF THE GLOVES
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.l

WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATCH.1
There are probably hundreds of tricks Of
the ring, by the use OF some of which un-
scrupulous fighters may often turn the tide
of the battle in their favor; and there are
other tricks which may be used to advantage
by honest and square boxers.
If fighter or boxer of school of 80 or 40
years ago were present at contest between
clever boxers of the present day. he could
readily perceive and easily describe all Of
the little tricks of generalship and clever
ness which they would practice. To boxer
of the present day, however, this task be-
comes more difficult, as so many OF these
little tricks have become incorporated into
the ordinary rules for boxing that it is hard
to pick out what is new and has not been
much touched upon by writers of sporting
matters.
Tricks of Inscriptions Pugs.
When a contest is for a large amount of
money there is great temptation to some of
those who have money at stake TO try and
give their favorite the advantage in some
way. Often this is done by tamperIng with
the gloves. One of the commonest methods
of tampering with gloves is what is known
as "wrlnging" them. This is done by
working all of the hair away from the center
and intorhe fingers and back of the glove.
This leaves it so that when the hand is
closed there is very little hair covering the
hitting portion of the hand, If the gloves
are four-ounce ones, and are well "wrung"
there will not be as much hair covering the
knuckles as there would ordinarily be in
two-ounce gloves. Consequently the blows
delivered, not being cushioned, will do
more damage.
/ don't know, however, that there is such
great advantage in "wringing" gloves, as
some boxers think, for the less covering
there is on the hand the more danger there
is Of breaking it, and then again, while
bare fist or skin gloves will cut when they
hit, the blow is not really so bad as that
from big glove, which bruises the flesh,
covers q larger surface and Jars the whole
body so that the effect may be felt for sew
eral days after. Besides this, a man with
big gloves on lets 60 his blows with great
deal more force and confidence than he
would if he were fighting with small ones,
as he knows there is not really so much
danger of breaking his hand.
AHeavy Seal Ring Inside.
Another way of tampering with the gloves
is to have something hard inside OF them.
have known of a case where fellow fought
with a heavy seal ring on his finger inside
OF his lett glove. He kept jabbing away
with his left, and did much more execution
than he would have done otherwise.
have never known of case where brass
knuckles we're used inside of the glove, but
at some fights have witnessed they could
have been worn Just as we'll as not, for the
principals and seconds on both sides were so
interested in themselves that they did not
appear to have much time to watch the op-
posing side and almost anything could have
been done to the gloves without having been
discovered at the time.
Perhaps the easiest, as we'll as the most
dangerous, method of tampering with the
gloves is by placing some sort of drug upon
them which, when placed against either the
eyes or nostrils of the other man will affect
him badly, either deadening him or binding
him for a moment or two, when the man
with the drugged gloves would have time
and the opportunity to either knock his man
out or gain lead which it would be next
to impossible for the drugged man to over
come.
How Gloves Can Be Drugged.
If one is disposed to be unfair it is verv
easy to do so, as when the principal is in his
corner and his seconds are working on him
it would be possible for the second to pour
the contents, or a portion of il. of hall
ounce vial upon the pugilist's side or thigh.
Then what would be more natural than for
the man to rub or scratch his side or thigh
with the END of his glove. Then at might
ing it would be the easiest thing in the
world for the man to hold the glove with the
drug on it, for a moment, to his opponents
nose or eyes and the thing is done. A man
who has put the drug on his glove, however
wants to be very careful not to rub his own
eyes or his nose with that same glove or all
his well-laid plans for cheating the other
man out of the fight would fail hopelessly.
In order to block this trick it is always
we'll ior a second TO take a small bottle of
to the ring side, and If the princi-
pal comes to his corner in a dazed condition
a couple OF good smells of the ammonia will
freshen him up and counteract the effect of
anv drug which he might have inhaled.
The Use of Spiked Shoes.
Oiteh lighters nave oeeh known 10 wear
spiked shoes INTO ring, ana nave USED
. f;gbt This esnecialIv in Iondon nrize
ring rules, where wrestling is allowed. In
reading over something about Dempsev's
record. see that in his fight with Johnny
Reagan the latter wore spiked shoes. and I
cite this as an instance where spikes were
used; whether Intentionally or not can't |
saw. l hardly think. from Reagan's reputa- |
ton as a puqilist that the sinking was IN
tont;onaI and as did NOT see ibs n,ill T |