The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-23
The Nonparsil Admits That at No
Time was Hs Fighting
F~itzsimmons.
Axiom: "A Good Little Man Gan
MOI Whip q Good Big
One.
hut slight Difference In Weight, lint an
Immense Advantage With Isob
In Size.

more than q good ten-stone man, his many
victims were men bigger. stronger and
heavier than himself. and finally deceived
him and his admirers into tho belief that,
barring the champion Of oil champions, no
was virtually ~invincibls. writes Macon in
the Cincinnati; Enquirer.
His defeat by La Blanche did not natur-
nlly change this opinion, for 1t Was looked
upon as mn nnlucky fuke duo TO q chance
blow, but the pitiable exhibition he made
with Bob Fitzsimmons emphasizes in the
most marked manner the old sporting
proverb: IA good little man cannot whip
q good big one."
Now lot me say right hore tnat, though
there was less than fivs pounds difference in
the weight of the Australian and Dempsey,
in reality Jack was at least two sizes smaller
thar his opponent. This difference was 80
apparent when they faced each other for
the first round that q gentleman who sat in
the box immediately behind my seat ex-
claimed: why, this man Fitzsimmons 10
big enough to fight Sullivan!" and so he
was. Dempsey looked like a pigmy in front
OF him,
The Australian is the biggest man for his
W6tRut J. 0VEG bNW y "a OASGRtSSAAt ND~
that was the late Tom Ryan, the sporting
printer Of The Enquirer. Tom was Ave feet
ten inches tall, II / remember rightly, and
could fight we'll and strong at 108 pounds. ]
have seen him spar with doe Coburn, Tom
Allen and Jem Mace, n make g rafting
could do nothing with him as long as they
played lightly. They had 70 put steam to
their blows to keep him from being oil over
them.
Well, Fitzsimmons is better than Jake
Kilrain, Jack Ashton, Joe Lannon or George
Up to the time that he defeated Billy Nc
Carthy in California, he was as poor as q
church mouse. He didn't have the money
to pay for even a steeraRe passage from Mel
bourne to this country. and ne came here as
a stowaway, and worked his way after his
discovery, on the snip ny wasnine Own the
decks and such like employment. Apint of
porter or q dram OF grog was the extent OF
his liquid refreshmsnt q year ago. Now he
is dringking champagne, II by the time
he has deyoured the tenderloins OF a score
Of American Leeyes he will have the meat
on his frame that nature designed II to
carry. Then he will be in his proper class.
and he will have to 40 mp against the Choy-
itiskis and the Peter hollands Of the ring,
and not the 1M Founders.
However it is not his fault that nature has
given him such an advantageous size. He
agreed to meet Dempsey at Ia pounds and
self said after the battle, he was never in it.
In ali his previous fights Dempsey has worn
n pair of full length blue tights. On Wednes-
day night he appeared in a pair of blue cir
Gus trunks and his neither lirnbs were bare
from his thigh bones to his ankles. This in
Dictated that he expected to make a long
fight and wanted his legs bare 30 that they
could be rubbed thoroughly in case they
cramped. Fitzsiinmons wore crimson
trunks for the same purpose.
The long fellow was determined that it
should be a short. sharp and hot battle
from the start, and he made play the in
the first blow, and then followed It up by
going right after Dempsey, who ducked,
and with the agility Of a cet got out OF
reach. He was as graceful as a kitten
as he danced away; and his smile was
round, and though neither inflicted much
damage on the other, l saw with apprehen-
sion that Dempsey's tactics were going to
fail. He WAS trying to tire mis- man out,
but as Fitzsimmons did not run after him
as other men have had to do, but stepped
from right to left, or vice versa, as occas-
ions demanded, and his stride is SO great
that he can cross a ring in about two steps.
I saw that Jack was travelling twice the dis
tanoe that Bob WIS. and was besting him
self at his own game. This fact became so
evident to me during tho second round that
Jack will be licked. He has met his mas
ter"
I'm afraid he has, was his reply.
Fitzsimmons was cock sure that he had
his man when the third round began. and
he went right at him. The r~ight-hander
that caught Jack on the bridge OF the nose
not only foored him, but we'll nigh made
rapid thinking an impossibility; but it was
in the fourth round that the fight was won.
When they toed the scratch. Dempsey ex-
tended his left arm full length toward
Fits face, us if to say: 'see, boys, what
! am mp against. can't reach within Six
inches of his face.
Heretofore. when men have chased Demp-
sey into a corner, he has squared at them
viciousiy, as if about to rush out at them
and demolish them. He tried this manner
on Fitz. but it didn't work worth q cent. |
Bob was ever ready to mix the fighting |
with him, and at such times he would
is twice as hard d hitter his blows were
not only frequenter, but far more eff
feetiye than Jacks. Three times did
he press Dempsey in this round in this
manner. and three times did Dempsey
break out by sheer flight. The last time
of the ring, when he found that Fitzsim-
mons was right on top Of him. He turned
and tried TO clinch, but FitZ caught him |
around the neck with his left arm and then |
gave him two spanking blows with his
right Immediately under the heart. Jack
released his grip and his knees bent.
As ne was sinking through his grasp
Fitzsimmons gave him n terrific |
punch full in the pit of the stomach.
The gong sounded for tho end OF the |
round, and as it did Dempsey sank all
doubled up on the lower rope. He sat there
a moment tefore his seconds could reach |
him, and tho look of anguish, of morti-
fication and of amaZement was piteons 10
behold.
No one could nave blamed him had he
quit at this stage Of the game. bnt there is
not a drop of craven blood in him. His
faithful seconds freshed him up wonderful |
1y, and when the gong sounded
Tor the next round he threw caution
TO the wind and he went mt
with the energy born of
despair. His onslaught was 80 sudden that
he planted two neck blows md one stiff
bodier before Fitzsimmons% conntercd. The
long fellow IS II terrific in-fighter, and he
soon drove Dempsey before him II syou have
often seen n stiff wind blow n frog. In vain
did Dempsey try all the tricks and articles
that had stood him 40 well in previous con-
tests. fItz's great height. reach, strength
md superior hitting power rendered them
almost completely nngatory.
He followed upon Dempsey like mn aveng-
ing Nemesis. and he never gave him n Sec
ond OF respite. In a few minutes Dempsey
was almost helpless. and he could no longer
44~