The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-13
WITH THE BOXERS.
Joseph Donovan Writes of the EitZ-
simmnnS 81 nrkcx nOut.

No matter how the Sharkey- Fitzsimmons
affair shall turn out--whe,her it be Job
or not big. luminous point stands high
above the whole thtng--to wit, Tom Shar
key, man of wars-man ard novice at
boxing. has given the Kangaroo the tough
est job he ever had in this country.
For the frs, time in his knockout career
in America Fitzslmmons had a man before
him who proved round after round that he
could take blows and fight back all the time
under them. Sharkey was knocked down in
the first round, but that had no effect ex-
cept to make him more careful. and II the
press reports of the contest by rounds are
reliable. Sharkey landed many clean blows
on his opponent without returns. made Fitz
cllneh more than once to avoid close Gght-
ing. had Fitz groggy once with thump
in the jaw and also knocked him down
with body blow. Really. II the ringside
accounts may be trusted. 1t was anybody's
battle till the end came in the eighth
round, For this go, it is to be remembered.
the Australian primcd himself very care
fully in the California climate and ne
Dragged not a little that he was never so
heavy before and never finer; so confident
was he that Just previously TO the 80 Man
ager Julian telcgrsphed to inquirine sport
Ing columns that the Australian would win
with Knockout inside four rounds.
have just said that Sharkoy put the
hardest problem to Fits he ever had in this
country. IN his battle with Jack Dempsey
tho record shows thirteen rounds before the
finish but any one that knows anything
about that encounter Is aware that Fitz
could have put The 'Nonpareli' out in any
one of those rounds or I'm any part of any
round; he simply toyed with Dempsey good
natredly, amused at the softnoss OF the
thing. Each time he hit Dempsey rather
hard to let up, begging the American to
give 1t up without further injury. In the
hrst contest with Peter Maher the Irish
man stayed twelve rounds-that is, Fitz
after getting an accidentally knock down
and having spraincd or broken right hand.
kept away and let him stay. When good
opportunity presented he jabbed Maher
with long safe left bringing him 20 terms
after awhile that way. But when he met
Maher the second time which was last
February. and the two mixed It from the
start, as Sharkey miASd 1t with him the
other night. Peter lasted just one minute
and thirty nine seconds of the first round
These are some of the reasons that make it
appear that Fifty ran up against his first
good. solid argument in the San Francisco
novice.
Before the contest 1t was set down IN this
column that Fitzsimmons. provided he was
not roughed and hurt through wrestling
tactics. should win In quick order; that
seemed The only way to figure 1t and was
the way everybody was betting who was
building on his knowledge Of ring matters.
II appears a lot OF us were fooled In those
calculations which is. however. no reason
any one should attempt to dctract from the
great performance OF Sailor sharkey. The
manner in which the maYne sayed with
his man. fighting like den on in every
round to the eighth. must have been
gloomy surprise 10 the wiseacres who
squatted about the rirE, having got their
wads OF long green up at and to /; IL
was certainly big surprise to thu ones
lowering about the tickers at this end
OF II,
Whether 1t was cut-an dried affair re-
mains for San Francisco. one OF the fairest
sporting towns In the country. to settle
Those OF Chicago. and their name Is legion.
who have already concluded II was a pro-
arranged affair are wise beyond their day. |
There has been NO evidence. except good |