Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-11-04
JEFFRIEs THE WINNER.

crowd That ever gathered in the Coney
Island Clubhouse witnessed the des
perate struggle for supremacy.
In FIVE rounds Jtffries had the better
OF the fght-in the first two and in the
last three. During the other twenty
Sbarkey forced the issue, aid like a
bull terrier, was at his man with both
hands increasingly. In those twenty
| rounds Jefries' great weight and Drawn
helped him to hold of the sailor, and
/ in the twenty-second round be swung
in couple of vicious uppercuts that
made Sharkey groggy. Tom came
back again in the twenty-fourth and
| twenty. fifth, but he WAS weakened
greatly by Jefries' vicious blows. Ooe
/ minute before the gong sounded to end
the fight Jeffries' left glove came of,
aud practically, the contest was
over.
The referee motioned to Jeffries'
corner. An American flag was flung
around the champions shoulders, and
the crowd on that side and end of the
| arena cheered wildly. The crowd on
the opposite side and end, 10 Sharkey's
corner, yelled for Sharkey, and the
men were led back to their dressing
rooms.
The thousands of spectators were
banked forty feet high in the building,
l the place being packed from ringside to
, rsfters, and the aisles around the ring
were lined. The tremendous crowd
sweated under the glare of 400 arc
lights fifteen feet or less from the can.
vas of the squared circle. The heat
was intense. The fighters were almost
exhausted, and the spectators shrieked
| themselves hoarse.
1t seemed ct first as if it would he q
| short fight, for in the second round
Jeffries put the sailor to the ropes with
left on the jaw, and the referee began
to call off the seconds as Sharkey
kneeled on the floor. But from the
third round on Sharkey, with his vic.
ous swings TO the ribs and the jaw,
kept the crowd on its feet waiting for a
knockout.
Jeffres stood the terrific punishment,
and, with his eye, nose and ear split,
came back just as viciously in the last
| three ROUNDS and almost retrieved him
self. Then came the unfortunate and
unsatisfactory ending, Jeffries' glove
flying of, bringing the fight to an end,
although the crowd urged Sharkey to
| rush in and end it. This he tried to do,
but Jeffries fought him back and Ref
cree Siler rushed to the rescue. 1t was
| noticeable that Jeffries used his weight
! 70 its best advantage, throwing himself
all over the sailor, but Sharkey did his
share of the huggipg, too, and both
we're warned repeatedly.
Ten thousand spectators gathered
around the ringside. Though Coney
Island was swept by gale, tho crowd.
ed cars came down in swiftly moving
line and the sports waded to the narrow
entrances leading to the arena. At
$50 there were 5000 in the building,
and later. the boxes were filed to over
flowing.
Jeffries weighed 212 pounds and Shar-
ey 1877, but the sailor looked to be in
better condition, the Californian being
sallow and having staring eyes. The
betting at the start was 100 to 70 on
Jeffries.
They shook hands and shaped up
we'll. Jeffries led and then landed
several times, but was generally
over or under. On the other hand,
Sharkey went into the fight
with both hands and swinging wildly.
Again in the second round Shsrkey was
Topping around, and he came in for q
oasty left that rolled him over. 1t
looked then as if Sharkey was out.
classed. O'Rouke, however, gave the
sailor a talking to, and, to the
amazsment of all, Sharkey swur g
home on Jeffries' ribs and jaw almost
at will and there was wild crowd of
observers.
AS the fight went along, round by
round, the sailor fought his way into
the hearts of those who marveled at
Jeffries' capacity for punishment. The
Californian crouched down low, and
though his eyes blazed, be smiled and
generally over at O'Rouke, who was
coaching his mau over the ropes.
Sharkey's vicious punches began to tell,
and at the close of the seventh round it
seemed that Jeffries could hardly walk
to his corner, and it appeared certain
there would be a new champion.
Sharkey's ear was split in the eighth,
and it made him like bull. He rush-
ed, swinging lefts and rights, and land.
ed nearly all of them, with Jeffries
throwing himself over the sailor.
The Californian pushed his man over
the ropes at every opportunity and in
some of the rounds rested bis great
head on Sharkey's shoulder so much
that he was Kissed and jeered. Jeffries
landed terrific uppercut in the tenth
round and Sharkey's eyelid was split,
but in the twelfth Sharkey got back
with half dozen left swings and a
straight right, and it was wonderful
that they did not end the fight.
Jeffries Rugged the sailor hard and
shook his head as he went to bis cor.
ner. Every round carried Sharkey
across the ring at the start and he was
fighting the champion all over the can
vas. In the fifteenth Jeffries made q
bluff al forcing. but Sharkey was at
him again like bulldog and swung
high and low and landed almost every
time he swung. The Californian made
little effort to lead. He preferred the
defensive, and, besides, he was winded.
Sharkey, too, was firing fast, and they
punched and swung and clinched and
staggered all round the ring for the
next few rounds. The crowd shrieked
from the sound of the gong to the close
of each round. Both men were cover
ed with blood and Jeffries was bleeding
badly from his nose, which Sankey's
savage right had split.