The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-05
BATTLE OF THE GIANTS
BOB FITZSIMMONs AND GUS RUHLIN
TO MEET IN MADISON SQUARE
GARDEN
FRIDAY NEXT THE NIGHT
Upon the Result VIII Hinge Future
7MeetInGs Between the Famous
HeaVyVvefEhts of the
Ring.

Ring.
On next Friday night Robert Fitzsim-
mons and Gus Rubin will meet in the
ring, In Madison Square Garden. New
York. to battle for supremacy in the
heavyweight division. Upon the out
come OF that meeting will certainly hinge
many of the future contests that must
follow between the half-dozen aspirants
for tho championship now before the
public. 1t Is that fact, almost as much
as the knowledge that Fitz will make the
fight OF his career when he faces Rubin,
that leads general interest TO the meeting
between the crafty Cornishman and the
burly Swiss. OF the many who aspire to
the premiership in the heavyweight class
there are none who can lay claim to
greater achievements than can Bob Fitz-
simmons. Rubin is yet an unknown
quantity. His true caliber Will be known
after he has finished with the best man
he has yet faced In the squared circle
Fitzsimmons Should the Akron giant
triumph over the man from Timaru then
must the champion face him or get out
of the business-glass or iron arm cut
ting no figure with the public in such an
eventuauty.
RUHLIN'S DIFFICULT TASK.
Because Gus Rubin administered a
clean defeat to Tom Sharkey 1t does not
follow that he can master the hard-hit--
ting Cornishman. Fitzsimmons has lost
but one fight in his career in the ring
barring the barney with Jim Hail. IN
his early days. The DECISION given to
Sharkey over Fitzsimmons has never
been regarded as meaning more than a
plot to defeat the Cornishman in a game
in which he was a nOvice-ably manipu-
lated by the notorious Wyatt carp, who
was In the business of refereeing for
revenue only. Jim Jeffries was the vic
tor in the battle for the championship
in which he and Fitzsimmons met, and
his victory was clean and unquestion-
able. Yet that cuts little figure in the
Fitzsimmons-Ruhlin match. Jeffries has
also defeated Sharkey, and Rubin is no
better off from a record standpoint than
is the champion And as for Rubin, he
has suffered far more defeats than have
many Of the most promising heavy
weights now clamoring for shy at the
belt He is big and strong-but so Is
met Fitzsimmons. and yet Fitz made
them look like selling platers in a stake
race. Rubin has the task of his career
before him. and should he win will stand
out as one Of the greatest Of the big
boxers. .,,..-..s ....s...r....
.as RUHLIN,S RECORD.
Prior TO attracting attention as g light
er. Ruklin won a few battles from Ordi-
nary men, such as jim Wood, Con Tobin.
DCmintck Kane and Steve O'Donneu and
was defeated in sixteen rounds at Balh-
more by that very ordinary trial horse, i
Yank Kenny. Then came a twenty-round
draw with Jim Jeffries, in San Francisco;
defeat OF Tut Ryan, in ten rounds, at
New Orleans, and walkover with Bill
Smith, Of Texas, in two rounds, at Hot
Springs. He next knocked out Woolf
BendOff. in two rounds, and lost to Kid
Mccoy. on points, in twenty rounds
Then Tom Sharkey stopped Rubin in
round. at COney Island, and the Akron
giant knocked out Tom Mccormick in
eight rounds, in Brooklyn. Ruhlin's next
victory was over Ed Dunllhurst, the hut
man freight car" in twenty-five rounds.
He then defeated old Joe Goddard. in
five rounds; drew with Peter Maher, in
twenty rounds, and then lost to Joe Ken
aedy. Of San Francisco. In twenty rounds.
He knocked out George Lawler, In nine
ROUNDS.
Jim JeffoTds, in five, and Jack McCor-
mick. in six rounds, and finally became
suddenly famous and supposedly formid-
able by defeating Tom Sharkey in their
recent meeting. which achievement made
Rubin eligible to the lists Of first-class
fighters. The record speaks for itself,
1t is not brilliant. And yet it is not lad.
WHAT FITz HAS DONE.
Ruhlin's opponent has a record that
shines His fighting career has been
most brilliant. The record of ring bat
Hes begins back in 1882 when Fitzsim-
mons defeated Dick Ellis, in Sydney.
Australia Fitz had fought before but
that was his first record battle. Then
came the Jim Hall affair, of four rounds,
in which Hall got the decision. That
was on Feb 10, 1890 The barney" oc-
Cured in Sydney. Fitz was broke" and
needed the money-at least that is the
claim made by the Cornishman, and
backed up by his friends and admirers
That he was Halls master Fltz showed
m later occasion, of which mention will
ne made. FitZsimmCnS came over in a
lreighter, and met and defeated Billy Me-
earthly, in San Francisco, in nine rounds.
1t Is related that Fitz awaited square
meal on that occasion until after the bat
tie. because he lacked the price before it.
He next knocked out Arthur Upham in
New Orleans, In five rounds. Then, on
Jan H. 1871, came the memora BILE four
teen-round battle with Jack Dempsey, in
which Fftzsimmons so clearly demons
trated his superiority in the middleweight
class that all admitted there were none
to dispute the title with him. Fitz next
met Abe COngle, in Chicago, and won in
two rounds Then he DEBATED the BLACK
Pearl" in Minneapolis. in four rounds.
On March q 1892, Fitzsimmons met and
defeated Peter Maher, in New Orleans,
In thirteen rounds. this being his first de-
parture in America from the middle
weight division. Fitz then won number
of easy battles from such men as James
Farrell Joe Godfrey, Jerry Slattery and
Willard Gender.
DEFEAT OF JIM HALL.
On March 8, $685. Fitzsimmons wiped
out the one blot upon his record by de-
feating jim Hall, in New Orleans, in
four rounds. Hall seemed to be doing
famously up to the fateful round, when
he was so completely knocked out that
he was oblivious of what was going on
in the world for so polonged a period as
10 alarm his handlers. F'itz next defeat
ed Phil Mayo, one Warner, and Jack
Hickey. Then came his battle with Joe
Choynsld, in which joe sought to take
advantage of Bob. ard the police inter
fered while FitZsimmons was tossing
ChoynSki about like a child. Two rounds
was all that were needed to convince
Frank Kellar that Fitz was his master,
and in two rounds Fitz blotted out Dan
Creedon's aspirations for middleweight
hcnOrs. Al Allish was stepped in three