The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-07
A WHIRLWIND FIGHT.
Johnny Griffin Knocks Out Billy
Murphy at Coney Island.
SEVEN SAVAGE. BLOODY ROUNDS
Murphy Breaks His Wrist Early in the
Fight-Choynski Gives an Ex-
hibition 1t Portland.

| enthusiastic crowd of sporting men at the
| Coney Island Athletic Club tonight to see
| Johnny Griffin, of Brantree. Mass. and
the Australian. Billy Murphy, tight for
the teatherweignt championship and q
purse OF 81, 0O0 In addition there was a
twenty-round contest between Kid
Hogan, of Brooklyn, and Dolly Lyons,
OF New York. tor a purse of $1,000.
Lyons won alter hot scrap. Then
came the fight. Murphy was accompanied
by his seconds. Martin Murphy, Charley
Koran and A. F. Murphy. with Snap
per" Garrison as the timer. The seconds
of Johnny Griffin were Jimmy Carroll,
Phil Conway and Jack McGee, with John
McGrath, of Boston, as timer.
Inc lrst round, which was of the hur-
ricane order, made it plain that Griffin
had more science, but when Murphy hit,
it was for keeps
In the second Griffin forced the fighting,
and the iiveIiest kind of smuggling followed.
Murphy in one rush knocked Griffin clear
through the 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 a stinglng
lett In the nose which started
blood. The fight was bulldog-like
during the balance of the round.
They clinched. punched while locked to-
gether, and did everything but kick and
bite. Murphy, instead OF lighting squarely,
would run his head into Griffins chest.
Griffin stopped that by an uppercut.
Murphy was bleeding from the nose.
In the fourth the game was a trifle hot
for Murphy and he adopted shifty tactics,
only Closing in when he got good open
ing. Griffin forced the fighting hard.
In the nth round Griffin gave Murphy
some terrible jabs and had him groggy,
forcing him to the door four times MUIR
ply would take blow after blow square in
the face and wait an oppo rtunity TO get in
his right, but Griffin was equally sharp
and did not get in its way. The round
was not fair, Murphy was continually
fouiing with his head.
sixth Murphy tried for a knock out blow
with his right, out in doing so received
many left hand uppercuts that made him
bleed profusely. He had his nose knocked
out OF shape and was pounded so hard he
Vas groggy at the call of time. 1t was the
most rapid kind Of fighting Murphy
landed couple of right hand swings with
out much apparent effect.
In the seventh Murphy started in to do
some heavy work. but Griffin met him
with hard left on the mouth and landed
on his nose with his right. They came
together like mad bulls and Murphy forced
Griffin to the floor. He arose and Murphy
went at him, sending his arms like
windmills. They rushed each other
like demons. When Griffin shot out his
left, which settled in the pit of
Murphy's stomach, down he went groan-
| ing, completely knocked out. When MUIR
| ply was carried to his chair he fell off, and
was held in position until The recovered
| his senses. When the Knockout blow was
| received the round had lasted fifteen Sec
| onds Murphy broke his wrist early in the
| fight.
| Johnny Griffin was born at Braintree Mass,
| June Is, 1863. He began his sporting career as
| baseball player, and was at one time catcher of
| the famous Brockton, Mass, nine. In 1887 he
| became professional boxer and defeated all
| corners, including Tommy Danforth, Jack Har-
lin and Jimmy Larkins. Three times Griffin
| whipped Ike Weir, the Belfast Spider. Unable
| to secure match in the East, he
| went to San Francisco to meet Tommy
Warren, who wished to fake fight and victim
| IL. the public. Griffin would not agree to any
sum oCnenie, nho WARREN ior1eiteu sJJV Iatner
| than face the little Tartar OF Braintree Griffin
su.tained his only real defeat at San
| Francisco in 1890, at the hands of Aus.
| tralian Billy Murphy. whom he has now beaten.
| He had the Antipodean all but out and lost the
| battle by a chance blow. The twain had
| clinched. and upon tho order of the referee to
| break Griffin threw down his hands and received
| fearful smas from the tricky Australian upon
! the point of the jaw and was completely knocked
| outGrtin sustained another reverse at the hands
! OF Frank Murphy. 1t was in fifteen round go
| al Boston. As neither man was knocked out
| three extra rounds were ordered. Griffin had
| far and away the best of the encounter all
| through, but the referee, for reasons best known
10 himself. and to the disgust OF all the specta-
| tors, awarded the fight to Murphy. The i'm
| portsnce OF last nights battle lies in the fact
| that some club Will probably offer big purse
| for the winner and George Dixon TO fight for, in
| addition to the worlds cham pionship