The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-03
EYE CLOSING CONTEST
TWENTY-ROUND FIGHT BETWEEN
PETER MAHER AND GUS RUHLIN,
In Which the Pugilists Played for
Each Others Optics, Nose. Jaw and
Neck-Declared q Draw.

NEW YORK. May 2-Peter Maher and
Gus Rubin. the Akron Giant" fought
twenty-round draw before the Lenox Ath-
letic Club tonight. Maher was nine pounds
the lighter of the two. Maher was the odds
on favorite at 100 to 60. Six thousand peo-
pie saw the fight. Maher weighed Isl pounds
and Rubin 100. AS soon as the referee
called them together for instructions. Maher
sized up his opponent and as he retired to
his corner he said I've got an easy thing"
The moment the men shook hands in the
opening round Rubin went right to his man
and landed a right smash on Maher, which
almost closed the optic. A hard right on the
body sent Rubin to the floor and he took
the limit 10 get up. Peter smashed a right
TO the right eye, bleeding it, and each
slugged till the bell rang. In the second
round Rubin had all the better of the argu-
ment. sending straight lefts to the face,
while Peter played for the body. The third
round was of a give-and-take order, but
Maher outpointed his man on leads and
sent in some very hard, damaging blows on
wind and head. Rubin remained the de-
fensive and was looking for an opportunity
20 get in a cross. but Peter was too clever
and crossed his right to the head frequently,
the blows landing too far back Of the mark
to be effective
Maher forced the fighting in the sixth,
senoing left and right to the face and neck
1t looked for moment that Maher go
ing to knock Rubin into the land of dreams
but Rubin woke up. unexpectedly and
fought back so cleverly that it was any
body's fight at the sound of the gong. Both
or Makers eyes were well bunged up when
he toed the mark for the seventh round,
during which he failed to make any visible
impression on Ruhlin's countenance. In the
eighth. after a long spell Of sparring. RUN
lin onf n 10 fcHt Mob obi I,,t
but there was not sufficient force in the
blow TO count. Towards the end of this
a round Rubin Sc. sent a hard left to Peters
went back with both hands, swinging on
neck and body. Maher was the stronger
when the bell rang. A straight left to the
jaw from Rubin In the ninth round stag
gered Maher
Ruhlin's eyes were in mourning when he
came up for the tenth round and Peter sent
let's and rights TO the optics In quick sue
cession. Gus was equally ambitious and
went all over his man. LANDING on body and
straight left jab to the face in the eleventh
round and sent another to the mouth, max
ing the Irishman stagger. Makers strength
seemed to give out, while Rubin held his
own and when the bell rang Rubin had
the call on points and endurance. Rubin
forced the fight in the twelfth round, land
ing both hands on face and chest with vigor.
while Maher played for the body with
lookout for possible cross on the jaw. AT
the beginning of the next round Rubin was
by far the stronger but he was very careful.
He was fooled by feint for the jaw and
ducked into clean left uppercut on the
chin. but Makers blow lacked steam.
Maher had the call at the bell
A right swing on the face at the beginning
of the fourteenth round from Rubin almost
put Maher through the ropes, but the Irish
man was game and came back without a
right to the body and an occasional left
to the neck and wind, but Rubin was also
very much alive and gave an account of
himself. rapid exchange of rights on the
head opened the fifteenth round, and Maher
hooked his left three times on the face and
sent his right hand to the kidneys. Maher
had all the better of this round. In the six
teenth the pace which both had maintained
up to this time evidently having a
Maher. contrary 20 all prediction as TO his
staying qualities, came out of the mill at
the close of the round by far the fresher of
the two. Rubin was by far too slow when
the men met In the seventeenth round, and
Maher sent the blood flying from nose and
mouth with leftS and rights on the face.
At the close of the round Maher was still
on the aggressive and had Rubin In a neu-
trail condition At the opening of the nine
teenth round Rubin jumped out of his cor
ner like kangaroo. but Maher evaded his
hook which bled his right eye.
In the twentieth round Maher led. but
failed to land. Rubin landed a right on
the head and Maher countered on the
stomach. Rubin tried a left hand for the
head but missed, and Maher got under
countering on the wind. He was willing to
rush matters. but Rubin stood off his
rushes and the referee declared the bout a
draw.