The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-02-07
Hottest Scrap in Many Months Be-
tween Griffin and Australian
Billy Murphy.
Won by the Former In the Seventh
After u Hard and Bloody
Struggle.
Tho Kangaroo Continually F0uled the
Hraintrce Lad. But the Spectators
Got Their Moneys Worth.

CoNEY IsnANp. Feb. 6.-Despite stormy
weather there was largo and enthusiastic
crowd OF sporting men at the Consy Island
Athletic club to sse Johny Griffin. of Brain
tree, Mass. and Australian Billy Murphy,
fight for the featherweight championahip
and a purse of $4,000. In addition there
WAS o twenty-round contest between Kid
Hogan. OF Brooklyn, and Dolly Lyons. OF
New York, for purse Of $1,000. Lyons
won after a hot scrap. Then came the
fight. Murphy was accompanied by his
seconds. Martin Murphy. Charley Horan
Charley Hogan and A. L. Murphy, with
Snapper Garrison as timer. The seconds
of Johnny Griffin were Jimmy Carroll, Phil.
Conway and Jack McGee, with John Nc
Grath, of Boston. as timer, The first
round. which was of the hurricane order,
made it plain that Griffin had more
science. but when Murphy hit il WAS for
keeps. In the second Griffin forced the
fighting and the liveliest kind of slu1ging
followed. Murphy, in ono rush, knocked
Griffin clear through tho ropes with his
shoulder, and on another occasion knocked
him to the floor with his body.
In the third Griffin forced Murphy to his
knees and when he got up began pounding
him, but got q stinRng left in tho nose,
which started blood. The fight was bull
dog-like during the rest Of the round. They
cinched. punched while locked together,
and did everything bat kick and bite.
Murphy. instead of fighting squarely, would
run his head into Grifin's chest. Griffin
stopped that by an upper out. Murphy
was now bleeding from the nose. In the
fourth the game was q tritle hot for Muir
ply. and he adopted shifty tactics, only
closing in when he got q good opening.
Griffin forced the fighting hard.
In the fifth Griffin gave Murphy some
terrible jabs and had him RroRgy, forcing
him TO the floor four times. Murphy was
groggy. He would take blow after blow
square in the face and wait an opportunity
to get in his right, but Griffin was equally
sharp and did not get in its way. The
round was not fair, Murphy continually
fouling with his head.
In the sixth Murphy tried for knock
out blow with his right, but in doing SO
received many left-hand uppercuts that
made him bleed profusely. He had hs
nose knocked all out of shape and was
pounded 80 hard that he was groggy at the
call Of time. 1t was the most rapid kind of
fighting Murphy landed couple of right
hand swings without much apparent effect.
In the seventh Murphy started in to do
some heavy work, but Griffin met him with
a hard left on the mouth and landed ON his
nose with right. They came together
like mad bulls and Murphy forced Griffin
to the floor. When lie arose Murphy went
at him swinging his arms like windmlls.
They rushed each other like demons when
Griffin shot out left which settled in the
pit of Murphy's stomach. Down he went
groaning, completely knocked out. When
cred his senses. When the Knockout
blow was recei ,ed the round had lasted
fifteen seconds Murphy broke his wrist
early in the fight.