The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-30


Greater Thnn That OF Ryan
Famous 'NOnpareiI" Heav-
Her Than IL WeIter-Met and De-
feated Half a Hundred Men of
the Middle and Heavy Divisions.
The decisive victory achieved by
Tommy Ryan in the twenty round bout
with Jack Bonner, at Coney Island last
week stamps him as a second Demp-
sey. The famous "Nonpareil" in his
prime was never better than a welter-
weight, and could hardly reach lao
pounds at any stage of his active ring
career. True, when Dempsey was de-
feated by Fizsimmons he was the heav-
Ter of the two, tipping the beam at a
little above 154, while the Australian
weighed in at below 152. Despite the
disparity in avoirdupois Fitz lowered
above his opponent and appeared the
larger man. Dempsey was not at his
best at the weight named, While Fitz-
simmons was hard as nails, and could
not have taken off another pound had
he tried. Jimmy Carroll, who handled
~Fitzsimmons on that memorable occa-
3, sion, is authority for the statement that
" F1tz was so hungry on the night he de-
feated Dempsey that immediately after
ard ate, or devoured, steak that
would have fed family. He had alb
stained from food for many hours prior
TO the meeting in order to keep within
the limit, and was as eager as a wild
beast that hes just scented it's quarry
after fast of weeks
DEMPSEY UNAPPROACHABLE
When Jack Dempsey was at his best
there was not boxer in the world IN
any class who had license to say that
he coHld defeat the 'NonpareiT" be-
cause of superior weight Dempsey
asked no odds on that score. He took
on all corners, without asking that they
train down to his pounds, and he de-
feated all he met until, by sheer acct
dent, he sustained his first reverse at
the hands Of George La Blanche, "the
Marine" And in that battle Dempsey
showed how skill masters brute
strength, for he landed at will upon his
bury opponent, receiving but one effect
i've blow in return, save when La
Blanche struck Dempsey foul after the
gong had sounded. and would have
thus lost the contest had Dempsey been
willing to have a claim of foul entered.
The blow that won the battle for 1.-The
Marine" reached its mark when least
expected by either Dempsey or La
Blanche, and was admitted to be SIM
ply q chance that would not have been
successful once in d dozen battles.
Prior to that cruching defeat Dempsey
had been regarded as inVincible He
had been urged to take on John L. Sui
Ivan, but the friendship between the
two 2reat boxers prevented such trial
Of Denlpsey's ability, hence it cannot
be said that he was the equal of the
champion Of champions, though there
was 10 other living boxer against
t0fN=1N
backing in any sum.
RYAN'S ONE DEFEAT.
Tommy Ryan has a record that is
second alone to that Of Dempsey He
has met and defeated all the best men
in the country in the Welterweight di-
vision, and was at all times willing to
give away pounds. Ryan's most stub
born contests were with Mysterious"
Billy Smith, who made the successor
OF Dempsey hUSAle to retain his laure,s
His sole defeat However, was admins
tered by Kid Mccoy, and Ryan has
himself to blame for that. Ryan had
worked with Mccoy, and had the ut
most contempt for the 'Hoosier" box
err PIE lost sight Of the fact that Nc
Coy was a youngster, and seemed to
have entirely forgotten that he was
growing better as he grew older, and
manhood. 1t was for that reason alone
that Ryan went into the ring with
Mccoy in no condition, and tasted for
the first time the sting Of defeat. In
the econd meeting between Ryan and
Mccoy the police stopped the contest,
hence it cannot be even sur1nised which
would have won, but the record shows
that Ryan had the better of the eX-
changes UP to the final blow.
RYAN'S CONFIDENCE.
Ryan. like Dempsey, is afraid Of no
boxer living. For years he tried to
set on with Dan Creedon, at a time
when Creedon was looked upon as the
coming middleweight. Experts re-
garded Ryan's ambition as piece OF
folly that ought to be discountenanced,
but the results have shown that Ryan
was probably correct in his presump-
ton that he was CreedOn's master.
Bonner beat CreedOn and Ryan beat
Bonner That is the crucial test. All
talk Of Creedon's misfortune" is bosh
when it comes to figuring form in box
ing. There is no middleWeight in the
world today, who has license to wrest
the championship from Tommy Ryan.
He is unquestionably the premier in
that division, and will so remain until
some youngster developes and wrests
the title from the older man. That Is
the way of all champions. Sullivan
lDEd the STORY at new orleans when,
after his defeat by Corbett, he said:
81 am older than [ thought. 1 have
fought once too often. This is the last.
The old man has retired
THOSE PRODIGAL FIGHTERS.
1 have a letter from Twin City ring
devotee, asking why kid" Mccoy,
Jack McAuliffe and few other ring
celebrities were omitted from the story
of the rise and fall Of prominent pu-
gilistic heroes in a financial way. The
prodigaIity Of McAuliffe is SO well
known that it was scarcely necessary
to speak of it. The Brooklyn cooper
has been rich half a dozen times in
his career in the ring. He has won as
much as $4,000 on a single battle, and
kept it less than a month. AS to Nc
Coy. he is just entering upon his ca
reer, and, while he has money, there
is nothing upon which to base a guess
as to how long he will keep it. Cor
bett was rich until he lost his head
and went bllndly against fate to finan-
cial destruction. Who knows but Nc
Coy may do the same? All the sue
cessful fighters of modern times have
had money, and the majority have
failed to hold onto it. Mccoy might
Eu0I IITlNi