The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-28
THE. RING

Nose La Fontise of Anaconda, Mont,
one of the most clever welterweights
in the country, arrived in the city, says
the Denver News, yesterday morning
from San Francisco, and is anxious to
meet Kid Parker Billy Layton or Jack
Grace before any club in Colorado La
Fontise wants a match at 1873 pounds,
though he is willing to concede two or
three pounds to any fighter in the state,
and will take on Layton at AS
La Fontise has a long string of VIC
tories to his credit. and the man who
bests him will deserve to stand in the
front rank. He is "a years old and in
splendid condition. In form and APP
pearance he is a small edition of George
La Blanche, the marine. He began
ring work when but II years old, his
first meet with man of any import
ance being Chicago Jimmy Murphy,
who undertook to knock out La Fontise
in eight rounds, but failed to do so. He
met Murphy later, when Murphy was
to put him out in 10 rounds. He again
failed to knock the boy out, and a third
meeting was arranged in which Muir
ply was to do the business in 20 rounds.
He not only failed to put the youngster
out, but Murphy was himself beaten in
II rounds. Following this La Fontise
had a number of unimportant engage
ments. his next mill of any prominence
Kid, in Duluth in 1895. He had three
goes with Finick, the first two being
four-round bouts both of which were
draws. The third fight was to finish,
La Fontse being the winner in nine
rounds. Then he met and whipped Ed
| Wheeler the champion lightweight of
| the Northwest. in 10 rounds, Billy
Hefron of Buffalo in nine rounds, Tom
my Cavanaugh of Buffalo in IA rounds
and Charlie Wheeler, the colored mid
| dleweight of Chicago, in 10 rounds. All
| of these fights were in 1895 and 1896.
June, 1897. he beat Jack Grady OF
| Dallas. Texas, at Butte, Mont. in nine
rounds, and in July, 1888, knocked out
| Biddy Bishop in three rounds. The
hardest fight in his career was at
| Butte in September of last year, when
he went against "Scaldy" Bill Quinn,
| the coorpd middleweight of Boston,
conCeding Quinn Is rounds. La Fon-
tise was knocked down eight times in
the first six rounds, and then went
in and knocked Quinn out in the 18th
! round
Since last October he has fought
ninr battles in California, winning all
but one, which was declared draw
| withstanding that his opponent
Martin Denny of Australia, refused
to go on after the 10th round. Mike
| Egan he knocked out in six rounds
| oill ltuutI SdSl III II i'tHSSs an
Harry Pidgeon of Chicago in eight
rounds.
La Fontise is solid built man and
stands feet in the ring. He weighs
at present about las, but fights best
at 1873, though he has trained down &c
| 1913. He will add a reasonable side bel
| to any purse offered, and any deposit
of challenge sent to the News will be-
| promptly covered.
A dispatch from New York says
There was quite lull in the betting
on the result of the battle between Bot
Fitzsimmons ard Jim Jeffries. Thi:
is not strange, in view of the fact thai
the champion is such hot faVorlte
Those who have followed Fitzsimmons
record think he can't lose. In some in
stances this belief is shared by the ad
mirers of Jeffries, and this alone keep!
the betting fraternity from coming t.
the front Commissions, however. arr
arriving daily from out-of-toWn sports
In the West Jeffries seems to have tn
call, but the amounts to wager on MN
are surprisingly small. Billy Edwards