The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-12-30
GIBBONS THE VICTOR.
The Battle Between Lightweights
at New Orleans.
FOUGHT FoRTY-EIGHT ROUNDS.
The Honors Were Nearly Evenly
When Gibbons Forced the Rush.
ing and Held the Vantage-Mc-
AuliR Defeats Candiff.

ing and Held the Vantage-Mc-
AuliT Defeats Candif.
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. .30.-The fight last
night between Andy Bowen and Austin
Gibbons was the first of any promi-
nence that has been fought in the arena
of the new Metropolitan club, which is
a bitter rival Of the famous Olympic for
pugilistic favor, and was witnessed by
about $500 people. The crowd was a
representative one. The contest was for
apurse Of $2,500-$500 to the loser. The
fight was under the club rules, and the
fighting weight limit 1888 pounds. Glib
bons trained at Bay st. Louis. When
he came here from the lake coast he
went at once to the st. Charles hotel.
When he reached the city he was slightly
under weight, and expressed himself as
being in good condition and confident
of winning. Bowen did all his train
ing with his brother and another friend
at West End, on the outskirts of the
city. He remained at the lake until
o'clock yesterday afternoon, when he
was driven to the city, and after short
visit home came down to the Metropol-
itan club with Tommy Warren and Jim
Sweeney, his seconds, going at once into
dressing room. When he came into
the ring a couple of hours before the
fight he looked in his very best trim,
and said he would make the fight of his
life.
Professor John Duffy, who refereed
the Myer-C Carroll fight, was announced
as referee Bowen was the first to enter
the ring, coming in with his seconds.
Gibbons came Immediately after with
Jim Gibbons, johnny Griffin and Jimmy
Carroll.
In the. first round the men spared for
an opening, but neither got it. Only
one blow was struck, and that by Bowen.
The second round was very light. Bowen
landed twice on Gibbons neck, but did
little damage No blows in the third
round. Bowen rushed in the fourth,
and got the best of some awkward fight
ing. Bowen led in the fifth, and landed
heavily on Gibbons neck. Gibbons was
more aggressive in the sixth. Bowen
also did some execution with his right.
Gibbons retaliated, smashing Bowen
hard in the face. In the seventh Glib
bons sent home one blow on Bowen's
face. In the eighth Gibbons hit Bowen
twice heavily on the face with his right.
Bowen had the best of the fighting in
the ninth, smashing Gibbons in the ribs
were not hard. Both fought hard i'll the
tenth, and punished each other about
the body.
There was some hard fighting in the
twelfth and thirteenth, Bowen playing
with his right on Gibbons neck. In the
fourteenth round there was hard fight
ing, both men jabbing each other in the
body and on the neck. Bowen played
always for Gibbons face.
In the fifteenth Bowen did most of
the rushing and punished Gibbons Sc
verely, crowding him against the ropes
and landing repeatedly on his face. First
blood for Bowen in the fifteenth round.
Il was very tame in the sixteenth and
seventeenth, and little fighting of conse-
quence i'll the eighteenth. Bowen did
most of the fighting in the nineteenth
round, and some blows on the nose and
neck wereSery hard. Bowen did the
leading in the twentieth, and his blows
were hard. He landed often.
Then the battle wus comparatively
tame until the thirtieth round, when
both men gave and took some hard
blows. Bowen got all the best of the
very savage fighting in the thirty ty-second,
rushing Gibbons round the ring and
against the ropes, and punching him
often on the body, until Gibbons ribs
were reuueneu.
Gibbons landed several times on the
jaws and in the stomach in the thirty
fifth and thirty-sixth, and had the best
of the rounds. In the thirty-seventh and
thirty-eighth rounds both men fought
warily, Gibbons striking for Bowens
body and Bowen leading for the neck.
Little punishment was administered by
either. There was but little fighting in
the thirty-ninth, fortieth and forty-tirst
rounds. Gibbons had little the worst
of the fight, but was still fighting gamely.
In the forty-tirst round Gibbons rushed
in and caught Bowen's left full in the
mouth, putting the nose and lips. In the
fortieth round Gibbons crowded Bowen
againt the ropes, beat him numerically,
and had him practically knocked out
when the round ended.
From that ON to the forty-eighth round
Gibbons had things his own way though
Bowen came forward bravely but
weakly for each round. In the forty
eighth, however, Gibbons, by a well
directed blow, foored his adversary,
who was unable to respond when time
was called. The fight was, therefore,
awarded to Gibbons.