The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-12-03
But the Referee Awarded It 10 tbs
Sailor on the Ground of "A Foul
with the Knee I'm the Groin.
DECISION Unsatisfactory
THE ANNOUNCEMENT GREETED
WITH GROANs AND Kisses.
Eight Furious Rounds, i'm Which Fits
Showed His Superiority as "a Fair,
Scientific Fighter.

SAN FRANCISCO. Dec. Thomas
Sharkey and Robert Fitzsimmons fought
their much-advertised battle tonight, and
the honors were awarded Sharkey on a
foul, though Fitz knocked his man out in
the eighth round and seemed TO have fairly
won the fight The last round was furious.
Fitz soon had his man going, and went at
him ferociously. A right hand swing stag
gered the sailor, and then came left
hand swing, and a left-arm punch
under the chin that sent Sharkey
over with thud While Sharkey was fall
ing the referee claims that Fitz struck
him i'm the groin with his knee. thus COM
mitting a foul. Sharkey undoubtedly
badly hurt. He was unable TO move his
legs, though he cIutched spasmodically at
his groin with his gloved hand. His Sec
onds rushed into the ring and raised him
up, but he tainted away and was borne
from the ring unconscious. Hardly anyone
among the spectators the foul, and
| the decision was received with Kisses ana
groans. AS far as the art OF lighting goes,
| Sharkey is not in the same class with Fltz-
simmons He is a willing. strong man. but
| has little science A clever man like Fftz
| had no trouble in avoiding his rushes. and
| he continually left himself open to damage
| ing blows.
Between fifteen thousand and twenty
! thousand people occupied all the available
| space in the big Mechanics pavilion and
watched the contest which every one re-
garded as practically deciding the cham
pionship of the world. The long. lean New
| Zealander who had had a succession OK
victories i'm the United States for the last
| five or six years entered the ring tonight
with almost every apparent advantage i'm
Ia IIa
and science, his height and reach and every
| other quality which enters into the making
| of the successful prize fighter. Against him
| was the sailor lad who was unknown six
| months ago. but who rose to fame recently
| when he came perilously near trailing in
| the dust the colors of California's idol.
| James j. Corbett. Against the science and
| experience and the superior height and
| reach OF Fitzsimmons was Sharkey, with
| his youth and strength probably one OF
the greatest examples of muscular develop
ment hat the prize ring has produced. A
man not accredited with the science OF a
/ Fitzsimmons or Corbett, but who had
proved that he would be a 'chopping
block for no one, and who was known TO
| possess most remarkable strength and en-
durance and to fear nothing that ever
| stepped into prize ring. Both men had
Trained HdIu anu Nen lof several weeks
before the contest and particularly during
the last few days and each had expressed
| the utmost confidence i'm his ability TO gain
a victory and the $4,000 purse which the
| National Athletic Club offered the victor.
BOTH MEN WERE CONFIDENT.
| Although the contest was limited to ten
| rounds there was hardly a spectator I'm the
| pavilion tonight who did not expect to
| see one or the other of the lighters go down
TO defeat before the full limit of the fight
had been reached. The men themselves ev-
identity expected the same. Fitzsimmons
| and his trainers were confident that
| Sharkey would be put out in from one to
| five rounds and Sharkey expressed every
confidence that he would defeat Fitzsim-
mons within seven rounds.
| The betting public naturally leaned to-
ward the man of experience and the odds
| in Fitzsmmonss favor averaged about PA
| to l, i'm some cases going as high as {
| to /. Just before the fight started the pre-
| vailing odds were about 20 to 2. There was
no lack Of Sharkey money at these figures
and many bets were offered at even money
and accepted that Fitzsimmons would put
| his out within six rounds.
The National Club had made most elab-
crate preparations for the fight and IL is
! probable that similar contest was never
witnessed by many people. The twen-
| ty-four-foot ring was located in the CEN
| ter of the pavilion. the largest building OF
| its kind in San Francisco and over 150
| boxes, accommodating from six TO ten per-
sons each, surrounded the ring and beyond
| the boxes and on all four sides OF the
| building were row after row of chairs Ev-
| cry seat in the building was occupied and
| thousands of men stood ZAP back of the
| rows of chairs.
One unique feature of the night was the
| fact that for the first time in the history
| Of pugilism the management OF the club
| threw open the doors to women and sew
eral hundred were in attendance tonight.
some of them gray-haired matrons whose
enthusiasm on the subject led them to ven
ture beyond the bounds OF conventionality.
! One hundred police and many moro spe-
| cial officers were in attendance and hum
dred ushers. all In evening dress. escorted
| the spectators to their seats.
Long before the fighters appeared in the
ring solid mass of humanity was banked
in from one end OF the pavilion TO the
other. There was no lack OF enthusiasm
at any stage Of the fight and notwith-
standing the long delay before the actual
event OF the evening occurred, there was
nothing but the greatest good nature pre-
yailing everywhere and there was not the
slightest sign of disturbance. Several pre-
| limlnary events preceded the chief event.
and it was very late when Fitzsimmons
and Sharkey appeared in the ring.
One of the most noticeable differences I'm
| the men was in regard To height. the New
Zealander being five feet eleven and
| Sharkey five feet eight and oae-Quar-fer
inches. Each OF the men weighed about
1T5. The seconds for Fftzsimmcns were
| Martin Julian. Dan Hickey and Jack Stelz-
ner. For Sharkey George Allen. Australian
Billy Smith and Danny Needham. Wyatt
carp, the famous Arizona stage driver
who has figured in many a gun fight on
the border, was chosen referee late this
afternoon.
1t was fully 9 o'clock before the great
crowd began TO make an impression on the
vast number of vacant seats. Outside OF
the pavilion stood crowd estimated at
ten thousand which commenced TO assem-
BILE as early as o'clock. Ii Is estimated
that the National Club took I'm at least
$40 900 at the box Office.
At o'clock. before three-fourths OF the
seats were filled. the prelminaries were
called and number OF local celebrities ex-
hibited their prowess. Harry Stefford. OF
New Orleans. and John Howard OF San
Francisco came up for a three-round go.
Lon Agnew. of Chicago. and Fred Muller.
of San Francisco. lightweights. i'm n ten-
round contest. were the next attractions.
1t was rattling good fight from the call
Of time. Muller made good showing un-
| I'll the fifth round when Agnew knocked
| him down several times The call OF time
saved him. but he lasted only about r half