Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-05-22
gardner AND BOLEN DREW
ROUNDS BEFORE A BIG CROWD
LAST NIGHT
AT THE METROPOLITAN CLUB.
The Prettiest and Squarest Fight
Ever Seen in This City-Both Men
Worked Hard and Were Rather
Tired When the End Came-Eyery
One Pleased With the Exhibition.

14l6AI " DEC J1lC ~ tOQnQ 81 UCtW CSu
Eddie Gardner, of this city, and Sam
Bolen, of New York. 1t was as pref
ty, if not the prettiest, fight ever seen
in that ring There was not the slight
est suspicion of foul throughout.
Both boys fought their hardest and
when it was all over both shook hands
heartily. Eddie did all the leading, go
ing after the New Yorker all the time.
AT several stages of the battle both
men were groggy but each recovered,
after little careful work. From the
start both men fought hard Eddie
showed quite an improvement in his
blocking and ducking Bolen was the
same clean, square fighter that he al
ways has been. 1t is his reputation
for clean work that won half the
crowd over to his side last night He
showed plainly the marks of Gardeners
terrible rights over the heart and kid
neys. Gardeners eyes were swollen,
looking as when he first stepped into
the ring. The fight was a hot one,
and everyone was highly pleased with
the exhibition. At the conclusion of
the twentieth round both men were
on their feet and Referee Murphy de-
cided the contest draw.
The opening event on the programme
was a wrestling match between Hank
Walters, of Akron, o., and Frank
Davey, of Wheeling. 1t was out of the
usual run of preliminaries and proved
very interesting. The rules govern
ing the match were handclinches,
rough and tumble, catch as catch can,
Nelson strangle hold barred, best two
in three Walters won the first fall in
s minutes and 80 seconds. Davey turned
the tables on Walters, winning the
second fall in 6 minutes and "a sec
onds Davey proved the fresher man
in the final bout and won the fall and
match easily in 1 minute and SO sec
onds.
The main bout was started at 1925.
AT p. m. yesterday afternoon when
the men weighed in both were over
weight Gardner went 1912 pounds
and Bolen 131. Eddie followed Oscars
old system and conceded the weight
to his opponent This fact was an
nounced from the ring by Referee Muir
ply In both corners all the seconds
were Wheeling men. The men agreed
on straight Marquis of Queensbury
rules to govern.
Round 1.-The men came to the
center of the ring at the bell, sparring,
Gardner rushed Bolen and swung
right into the heart. Bolen ducked a
left cross and sent right to jaw Eddie
kept after him, forcing the fighting.
Eddie put left lightly to body and the
both h1nnkino claw
erly. Bolen sent right to the neck and
followed a little later with right to
heart In a clinch both reached the
neck with left chops. Gardner sent
right to heart at the bell.
Round Gardner rushed in the OPP
ening and got a stiff right on the jaw.
Gardner sent left to heart. Bolen stag
gered Eddie with a left to the face,
but Gardner came back with a hard
right into the heart. Ed followed with
right and left to the jaw Bolen right
crossed him and then sent right to
heart Bolen chopped rights and lefts
several times to the neck. Ed. clinch-
ed and whipped three rights to heart.
In the break Bolen sent right in a
cross to the jaw. Ed. reached the
heart with right and Bolen sent left to
neck at the bell. Fighting very fast.
Round Gardner opened with a
left to the body and right to the heart,
ducking left and right swings by Bo-
len. Eddie sent right to heart and
neck. A little later Bolen staggered
Ed. with two left jabs to the jaw. Ed.
came back strong and whipped right
to the heart. After Ed. blocked two
left leads for the body, Bolen jalbbed
his left straight to the head, stagger-
ing him, just as the bell hit.
Round 4.-Bolen opened the fighting
with left to neck. Ed countered with
that right to the heart. Bolen reach
ed the jaw lightly with his left. Eddie
clinched and whipped his right to the
heart four times, hard. The round end
ed about even.
Round Ed. sent left to jaw, and
rights to jaw. Ed. ducked left chop
Both exchanged blows, Bolen playing
for the neck, and Gardner for the
heart. Near the closing Bolen lifted
Ed. clear from the floor with right
to the stomach. Eddie came back
strong and handed out stiff right
to the heart at the bell.
In the sixth, after the opening Gard
ner did all the landing, invariably
whipping that right into the heart. At
the close Bolen looked like he was on
the city limits of Groggville and
Gardner stock went up. Bolen came
awfully strong in the seventh, and
for the first time landed his famous
kidney punch. From this point out
to the end of the thirteenth the honors
were even In both the twelfth and
thirteenth Bolen staggered Ed. with
stiff left upper cut and a straight one,
but Gardner seemed to come back all
the stronger.
Round 14.-Ed. opened with a right
to the heart and followed it with a
right to heart and kidneys. The men
mixed lively but both were wild Be-
len crossed left to jaw Ed. sent right
to heart twice Bolen rushed him to
his corner and he slipped to his knees
Bolen stepped back and let him regain
his feet. The round ended fast.
Round 15.-In this round it looked
like Bolen very much. Both fought
very fast After an exchange of heavy
on the jaw. Eddie looked all in and
Bolen went after him furiously. The
white boy came back strong, after
ducking three vicious swings. sending
rights twice to the heart Bolen upper
cut to the jaw and followed with left
swing to the face Ed reached the
heart again before the bell.
Round 16.-All through this round