The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-17
Cleveland Sports Greatly Agi-
tated Over TOnight's Event.
BOTH MEN In FINE FETTLE
Each Has Supreme Confidence in
His Ability to Down the Other
FeIIow-Luvigne's Friends Less
betting About Even
Blunt In Al Quandary.

the Daly-Lavigne fight which takes place
tonight 1t is said there that no glove
contest has ever been arranged in that
section of the country that has aroused
so much interest. Delegations of sports
from all of the larger cities will be at
the ring side, and beside these a big
crowd from the immediate vicinity will
be there. The Central Armory, where
the fight will occur, will seat 10000 peo-
pie. The contest is to be one of twenty
rounds at 137 pounds. for the lightweight
championship of the world Both con-
testants have trained faithfully for the
battle and are below weight.
Sam Fitzpatrick assisted by Tony
Stanard. has put Daily in fine condition
DAILY is about five feet nine inches in
height and is patterned very much after
Bob FitZsimmons. He has an extremely
long reach, is fast on his feet and ter
rife hitter.
Before Daily went to Cleveland, Lavigne
was a big favorite in the betting. but
since the local sports have watched DAILY
train and looked over his remarkable
record carefully, they have hammered the
! odds down until they are almost
| quoted at eVenS.
Bill Blunt. the boxing critic. who has
! always been a strong supporter of Law
! igne, is in Cleveland, and seems to be
/ all mixed up over the outcome of this
/ battle. II have been asked several times
; about that affair. Really, / don't care to
( go on record as trying to pick the winner.
/ II puzzles the closest observer. At first
it looked ike the Kid had shade, but
I il looks up sticks to me now. and | am
not touting either one to win. | have
-
/ ly for several days They work as hard
and faithfully as two men could work,
and if it doesn't look like an even thing 1
/ never saw one. When ! pick q winner in
print it must be when | think one boxer
| has some advantage over his opponent.
| but in this case, everything considered.
| there is little choice. Daly is taller longer
| in the reach and a shade heavier while l
| thing Lavigne is more rugged and more
! of a breakup hitter. Where one has a
| Slight advantage in a certain way, the
other eyenS up matters by having a
| bunch in another. I've seen them both
! go, and to tell you the truth | don't care
! about even guessing whether il will be a
| long fight or a short one Both boys are
! what are called ding dongers' and they
/ box fast and furious from bell tap to
bell tap. Neither one has ever been de-
/ feated, nor has either one ever been
( knocked down, so how is a person to
/ guide himself in picking a winner? They
! both have wonderful records and have
probably over sixty winning fights to
their credit. No two gamer men ever lived
/ They have both been tried out severely
and not found wanting. Neither one, as
! far as is known has ever avoided or re-
/ fused a match to any lightweight who
was considered by the public to be emit
! tied to one. No. sir; I've looked in vain
over the records and habits of both IN the
hope of finding flaw which might guide
me in placing a few short bets but | have
made up my mind not to bet q dollar.
/ 1t Will be great contest mn
That Tom Sharkey is fast approaching
/ the end of the string as a drawing card
at a boxing show is becoming quite ap-
/ parent. There is hardly sporting writer
( in the country who is not calling on all
decent clubs TO bar him. The Referee is
/ particularly severe on him. He says:
/ Sharkey is not a boxer; he is n brawler
/ AS a ough and tumble fighter the
chances are he is one of the very best in
this country. But under Queensbury
rules he is a disgrace to pugilism. Shar-
/ key should be barred from competition
4 in all decent clubs. 1t is rather late TO
do so now, but better late than never
He has had referees who closed their ewes
/ to his foul work from the time he out
rageously fouled Bob Fitzsimmons and
won decision which gave him nothing
but a reputation for foulness and bru-
tally. Sharkey is all right as a brawler,
but he should be forever barred by reput-
/ able boxing clubs.
But for having had the bad luck to be
! foaled in the same year as Salvador.
d. T. Pulsifer's great colt Tenny would
have gone into history as the champion
/ of the American turf in 1890 AS ii was
his racing career in 1889, 1890 and 1891
| was a notable one. Few will forget his
/ tremendous feat in winning the Brooklyn
/ Handicap of 1891, with 12S pounds while
his second to Tristan conceding fifteen
! pounds in the phenomenal Metropolitan
! Handicap al Morris Park fortnight
later, was no less remarkable. Tristan,
ia pounds, ran the nine fUrlongs in the
unprecedented and since unequaled time
OF l:5l -, but Tenny, 120 pounds, was
beaten less than a length. Tenny is by
imp. Rayon dor, 3, out of Belle of May
wood, she by Hunters Lexington, out Of
Julia Mattingly, she by John Morgan
The first middle distance race of the
season, in all probability will take place
between Linton and Taylor the colored
rider. The contest will doubtless be held
at the Manhattan Beach track, New
York Both men will have the advantage
of well drilled and expensive pacemaking
outfits. Linton's first public appearance
this year will be at Madison Square Gar
den, New York, March %. That night he
| will ride an exhibition at d benefit, the
proceeds of which will be given to the
families of victims of the Maine battle
ship disaster.
The Referee is rather severe on Kid
| Mccoy. He says: There is not an intel
ligent writer on sporting matters in the
world, nor Is there an intelligent patron
Of sports on the face Of the globe, who
will for one moment give any credence
to the preposterous young man, Kid Nc
Coy, that he is the champion of the
world. OF all the claims that have ever
been made this is the most absurd and by
all means the most bare-faced piece Of
taking"
Jack Bolan, who, a couple of years ago,
cut something of figure among the box
ers in this city, Is at Louisville trying to
get on Il match.
Arthur Irwin will have bicycle meets as
n side show TO baseball at his grounds in
Toronto next season.
Charles w Miller, the winner of the
six-day race at Madison Square Garden,
demonstrated his sprinting ability when,
last week, he ran away from the field al