The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-11
SHARKEY WONTHE FIGHT
fITzslMNONs MUST DEFEND CHAMPIONSHIP
sharkey Recognized ms champion
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Wns square
md ON Its Merits.

4 md ON Its Merits.
LenoS Athletic Club, New York, Januar,
IlO--Tom Sharkey, the American sailor
stands tonight the only heavyweight pos
sibility for championship honors and tn
little now held by Robert Fltzsimmons. HI
Whipped Kid Mccoy good and hard in tn,
tenth round OF what was to have been
twenty -round battle and by doing so tn,
ttrish-American puglist forged his way s,
positively to the front rank that Fltzsom
mons must now consider the sailor pugil
lists claim without delay.
sharkey tonight was revelation to thos,
who saw him a couple Of years ago. Hi:
ring work and generalship are so vastl,
superior to his exhibitions when he frs,
came to the East as n fighter that the i'm,
provement is almost Incredible.
Great punches of muscles. with unlim-
tied confidence and cool head, are the
qualifications which have enabled Sharkey
to fight his way to the front rank of heavy
Coy, who suffered defeat at his hands to-
night denies the full measure of praise
! that is due to the Irishnan.
| McCoys marvellous foot work and that
| long left jab with which he has put SO
many of his opponents to sleep are two OF
the factors in his makeup that must al
ways appeal to lovers OF fistic art. He
| used every artiilce known TO advanced
school of pugilism in his contest tonight
and his defeat must not be attributed to
any lack of close study on his part of every
trick In the boxing game.
| Many of his friends feel tonight that he
ought to have gone up against smaller
game than Sharkey.
| When Mccoy first sent Sharkey twice to
the floor in the third round tonight no
one doubted the Kids ability to hit hard
and many thought he had Shaikey at hi,
| mercy. The idea was soon dispelled whom
the Irishman began TO get to his man.
When the doors Of the club were thrown
ed by policemen BY 1890 there were 5000
people In the house and the turnstiies were
clicking merrily, so that by S o'clock the
attendance was nearly as many thousands
as the hour indicated.
The boxes and seats in the vicinity OF the
ring were filled by O'Clock, and from Q
look at the gathering of sports one woud
think that all who are interested in win
ter racing in New Orleans had by some
magical force been shipped suddenly t.
Gotham Bookmakers headed by Joe
Vendig, made the welkin ring with their
shouts of IN bet thousand 10 5000 on
/ Mccoy" Come on with your money. the
ri Kid must win,. Come on with your
money"
Many bets were booked At these odds
and tier the Sharkey money which hove
in sight forced the layers of odds to ofer
nothing better than even money
Can Mccoy VIM was the question
which went the rounds of the boxes, and
the answer to this question was Even
money II the fight is on the level
"Sharkey can do the Kid, but let US
know how they are going to fight.
In reply to these it was generally circu-
lated that there had been no meeting OF
the principals. their manager nor Tim
Hurst this afternoon, and the latter would
use his best judgment in deciding when
and where cllnch occurred in the face OF
the articles of agreement which contained
two, the eighth and the thirteenth, which
seemed to nullify each other.
After the preliminary bouts had been
decided the betting was 100 to so In favor
Of Mccoy. A few minutes later the petting
changed to even money.
There was meeting held at 1920 in tho
office of the club between Mccoy, Tom
ORourke and Referee Tim Hurst. There
were several prominent men present,
among them Jim Kennedy, Eugene
Comisky and McCoy's manager. AT this
conference it was decided that Tim Hurst
should decide as the official referee what
constituted clinch and thus obviate any
difficulty after the men entered the ring.
Sharkey and Mccoy entered the ring SIM
ultaneously at 1923 O'Clock. Both men
wore bath robes.
McCoy's seconds were Doc Payne, Con
Reilly and Frank Erne. Time keeper Nat
Fenton of Buffalo. Toms seconds were
Tom ORourkc, Tommy Ryan of Syracuse,
George Dixon and Jack Dougherty. Time
keeper, Prof. Jimmy De Forest Shar-
keys weight was 172 pounds, McCoy's lss.
Mccoy wore white running trunks with
belt with the Stars and Stripes. Tom wore
green trunks with belt Of American col
ors. They shook hands at lO:40 O'Clock.
Round /. They fddled; Mccoy tried
left for the wind, but missed. Tom swung
a left over the kidneys. Mccoy tried
left hook for the head. landing lightly.
Tom uppercut with right on the cnes,.
Mccoy made a half circle OF the ring size
and then caught Tom on the stomach and
then brought 1t up to the face Sharkey
hacked n light right to the ribs. Both
men were sparring as the gong soundou-
McCoy's round.
Round Q Mccoy made half circuit OF
the ring and left landed lightly on race.
Tom stepped back and Mccoy ran cIose
to him and landed on Toms face, TWO
efforts Of Mccoy to reach his man were
futile, but he caught Tom on the ropes and
caught light left on the nose. Tom came
to the center Of the ring and tried lett
and right without effect and again the Kid
sent his left to the face Mccoy continu-
ally kept side stepping and eyaded Toms
attempts for a left hook or swing very
cIeverly Mccoy put light left on Toms
face when near the ropes on the west end
Of the ring and Sharkey sent a hard left
hook to the ribs Just as the gong sounded.
Round 8. Tom tried to force matters
and Mccoy at close quarters sent his left
to the ear and ducked away from left
swing. Each sent lefts to the head at close
quarters with little effect McCoy's foot
work puzzled Tom. who could not land
until Mccoy stopped after getting left
on the breast. Tom then sent his left to
the neck and Mccoy jabbed hard left
Oh the nose. This seemed TO annoy Tom.
who was unused to such quick work on
foot and Mccoy hit his opponent with an
other auic,, lab on the nose. Twice around
the ring Mccoy side stepped and at each
stcp forcing his left lab. landing lightly.
Suddenly the Kid stood rigid and sent his
right to the face. repeating the blow within
two seconds so hard that Tom fell 10 the
floor. Tom Jumped up like rubber ball
and on tho rebound he again fell II the
floor The gong found them gparriug