The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-04-04
BURGE DEFEATS Lewis.
The Longest and the Best Battle
Ever Fought in the North
west
Lewis Did Most OF the Hitting Till
the Last Two
Rounds.
lint Burce Was Able to stand Punish.
msnt and Then Went In aud
Finished His Man.

The fight between Jim Buyge. OF Austria
liza, and Billy Lewis, OF San Francisco,
brought a good crowd 10 the opera house
last night. Lewis was knocked out in
the ffty-ninth round. The mon weighed
In during the afternoon at under lao
pounds. Lewis weighed about 142 pounds
when he stepped into the twenty-four foot
ring, and Burgs about 1888. Jack Hall.
Charley Eyton and Fred Fuller were be-
hind Burge. and Jim Faulkner and Ben
Murphy were in Lewis corner. Danny
Needham was referee, Joe Moore official
time, keeper, Wm. Curtis, Of San Francisco.
holding the watch for BurRe. and Billy
Mayling for Lewis. In the toss mp Lewis
won and took the same corner he occupied
the night he whipped Kid Gallagher. Both
men and the referee were Applaudsd when
they stepped on the stage. BurRe offered
TO bet 800 even that he would win Then
he made odds of 800 to $50, then 800 to
$40 and lastly 800 to $50. When the last
offer was made Lewis teok ID up.
The first round was in Lewis favor.
Buree made him do all the leading. and he
did it to good effect, leading on the Austria
lian's nose and other parts of the head with
0O0Q 6ueCps "Obp "a Az Wy uRboAooo'"N'
He showed himself the best sparrer. while
Burge did some very clever duokinR.
When the round ended Burgess left eye
was badly damaged. The second was q
repetition. Lewis landing on the head fro
auently, but Burge standing the punish
ment in a way to earn him his title OF the
iron man. In the third and fourth Burge
did some landing on his W account,
mostly on Lewis wind, and lodging some
heavy counters. In the fifth and sixth
rounds BurRe got in on the wind and Lewis
on the head, and though the blows made
the Australians face look like . lobster he
seemed to be taking it all right, while Lewis
appeared to suffer no inconvenience.
Al the end Of the fifth Burgess timekeeper
offered 800 to $50 on his man. with no
takers. No very great amount of work was
done in the sixth. seventh and eighth. and
the odds on Burge were increased to 800
to $40. In the ninth it looked as though
BurRe was goue. as Lewis sent in a left up
percut that landed with great force. Tn
tenth found the Australian as fresh as ever.
however.
Most of the fighting from this on was
on was lone by Lewis, who seemed to land
as he pleased on Burgess head, and
the Australians face looked like a
raw steak. Burge contented himself with
duckinp swings and uppercuts when he
could, though he wasn't always successful.
did any very serious fighting. and then be
showed his plan Of battle by going for
Lewis wind. He took punches in ths
mouth and nose without seeming to mind
them much. In the sixteenth Lewis tried
the pivot blow but failed to reach.
In this round he raised his knee during
a clinch. and there were cries of foul"
which Referee Needham did not allow, as
he said the knee did not hit Burge. From
then to the twentieth the story was about
drew first blood by giving a terrific upper
cut in the nose as Burge was ducking.
From the twenty-ftst to the thirtieth Lewis
was doing all the hitting and was upper
cutting to his hearts content.
1t was about the thivty-tirst round that
something seemed to be wrong with Lewis
right hand He used it very little from
then on md when he did it was mostly for
defense. He kept using his left on BurGe's
head. however. and still did most of the
Furnishing. During this time Burgess
friends kept shifting the Odds, and got up
round Lewis sent Burge down with
a blow on the neck. After
that the men got very shifty, and though
there WAS considerable sparrinR and count
ering, no very herd blows were landed IN
til in the forty-third, when Lewis sent in a
straight left hand blow which knocked
Burge on his back. Bnrge's left eye was
slowly closing, but his wind appeared at
this time to be as good as when he started.
Mostly sparrlng and very little land
ing was the rule from this on to the
fifty.eighth round. The men were showing
the effect of about four hours' hard work,
and very few blows were struck. Levi
was laying for an opening, and BurRe was
evidently waiting to tire his opponent out
before starting in to fight in earnest. 1t
~ a q il, %bo fTtp-cjohtb that tho AuatYaIiaD
did begin in earnest. He took the offensive
and rushed Lewis all over the ring. pounding
him as he pleased. Lewis was weak and
was hitting out wildly. Finally he went
down from q terrific blow on the mouth.
and though he got up before be was counted
out. it was only the gong soon after that
saved him.. Burge went right at his man in
the ffty-ninth. fighting him all over the
ring. A heavy swing on Lewis neck set
tied it. He fell and went all to pieces. and
it WAS with some difficulty that he was re-
vived after the fight had been awarded to
Burge.
Lewis was taken to his dressing room
after the fight, and there was seen that
some of the fingers of both hands were in
awful condition. He was n whipped man
shown himself practically incapable OF
being hurt. From the beginning of the
fight up to the last two rounds he
had taken enough punishment to have
made almost anyone but himself quit. Blu
that, according TO his friends, is just wher,
he wins right along. He takes any kind o
hammering. and comes up fresh, and wait
till the other man is worked ont. Then h
starts in to finish. Lewis seeme'
to everybody in the house t.
have the best of it all tn
way up to the last two rounds. Then h
weakened. But by standing up that Ion
he proved he could make a long fight. AM
had his hands and his wind held out Their
is no telling what the result would hav'
been.
The battle WAS the best ever fought 10 tn
northwest. Burre will now meet Georg
Dawson before the Crescent Club of Ne'
Orleans. Among those who witnessed las
nights fight WAS Maber. who rec ntly de
feated Needham.
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