Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-12-03
HE'SA WIN NER.
W. C. KeIly's Opinion
Of Akron's Candidate For
Ring Honors.
Special Train Will Take
Akron Men
To Simms-Finnerty Contest at
Canton.
Sharkey Determined to Fight Rubin
Local Sporting News.


Art Simms, the Akron lightweight,
VINO got the decision over Joe Leon
ard at Erie, Thursday night, will bear
watching, says w. G. Kelly, in the
Buffalo Courier. He is an ideal,
modern champion in appearance. He
is put up on the lines of Kid Mccoy,
and looks even stronger aud more rug
bed in proportion to weight. Simms
has two great hands. His left is as
good as an ordinary fighters two
hands, and he uses it much after Nc
Coy's style. His most effective blow
with his left is u straight jolt to the
face, which Is frequently followed by
u swift right for the jaw. Simms
does not feint much, but just let's go
that left with lightninglike speed.
He is a stiff, furnishing hitter, very
strong, quick with hands and feet,
n superb ring general and game,
cool fighter. Simms stands an excel
lent chance of beating any man in
the business at 130 pounds. He has
been fighting great deal of late, hav-
ing within a month been victorious
in contests with Jim Popp, Otto Sic
loft, Young Stackhouse, Gus Gardner,
Johnny Whitaker and Joe Leonard.
Simns admitted after his battle with
Leonart Thursday night that the Buff
falo boy had given him his hardest
battle. II was one Of the most desper-
ate!y contested mills that the writer
ever witnessed. Leonard was the ag>
gressor up to the seventeenth round.
He kept Simms dancing around the
ring In every round and despite the
Akron boys superb defense, Leonard's
left found his mouth and nose repeat
edly. In fact, Simms' face was so
CORY for dozenSrounds or so that it
looked as though 1t had been painted
red. At the close Simms showed a
badly bruised and disfgured face
far more so than Leonard's. despite
the contents of Specials" to local pa
pers to the contrary. A large crowd
witnessed the contest, and it was gen.
orally conceded that the battling was
even up to the seventeenth round,
when Simms sneaked that left hook
across to the jaw on breaking from a
clinch. The punch was powerful
one and 1t sent Leonard down for a
count OF nine. He arose wabhly and
soon went down again from right
drive to the jaw. The youngster was
up like gamecocl; and despite his
dazed condition he fought as aggres-
sively AS ever. Simms took no chances
but fought as carefully after having
vious rounds. i He beat Leonard to the
carpet two or three times In the
eighteenth, but could not finish him.
In the twentieth Joe fought Simms
hard and did his share Of the leading,
although both were tired. The fellow
who states that it was one-sided
contest is either bllndly prejudlced or
an ignoramus as far as boxing is con-
cerncd.
There is no denying the fact that
Simms is a neater boxer, and more
sk'ilful ring general than Leonard.
The latter !s stronger, more aggres-
siyn and snn bit harder. Stmms is
like Tommy RyaI and Kid Mccoy
n brainy fellow. student of boxing,
who is constantly trying to improve
his style by picking up all the new
things he car about ;he line points of
the game On the contrary, Leonard
has an idea that gameness strength
and hard Lifting are The qualities that
n fighter needs IN order to win bat
ties. He Is Il headstrong youth who
makes no effort 70 become clever. He
has been led to believe that he does
not need science. The digging i'm
process hns been preached to him so
much that he has got the notion into
his head that he can stack up against
champion aud vanquish him by a
series of rushes without resortlng to
anything like skill. "Dig in, Joe.
Fight your own way and you'll beat
em all. Never mind what Erne and
Callahan and all Of them fellows tried
to tell you. Just dig in"
The above is n sample of the brainy
ADVICE nullutu oNt w NVuhE
That will do very well when he is up
against inferior men, Leonard could
have won his fight from Simms, or
at the worst, have got draw had he
even held his hands up and held his
chin down in breaking away from
clnches. He had Slmms in distress
by his terrific left handlers to face and
jaw in several rounds, but instead OF
being careful and keeping covered he
would rush in with no guard up ano
meet the Akron boys fists with his
Jaw or ribs. Another thing Leonard
has of late refused TO train to proper
weight. He can do 126 handily, bu
insists on matching at 130 and 1873
He seldom punches a bag in training
and spends altogether too much tim'
at the pulley weights and rowing ma
chine. II is the firm belief of th'
writer that II Leonard trained properly
with a good fast boxer for sparrini
- - ~ N