The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-01
AFTERTHOUGHTs ABOUT
RUHLIs-SHARKEy FIGHT.
NOT ALWAYS EASY TO PICK A PUGI-
LISTIC WINNER CORBEI~T'S
SHAME IN AKRON GIANTS.
yICTORY-GOSSIP ABOUT
OTHER BOXERS.
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.

New York, Juns Gin big cities you
can't pretty much sometimes always tel
how the pugilistic cat is going to jump
When / addressed you last week l was Of
the opinion that Tom Sharkey's chances
of having the best of his flstic argument
with big Gus Rubin THE Akron Giant"
were fully to 4 In his favor. and 80 said.
had gone over the fstic dope book
carefully and had talked about the bout
with many thought to be excellent Judges
of puyilistic matters. and that mine was a
conservative estimate OF the sailor boy
chances was shown by the fact that It was
almost as difficult. early on Tuesday night,
TO get any one TO bet that Rubin would
win as it IS to extract blood from a turnip.
The believers in Sharkey freely offered
to on his winning. and eventually 100 to
IS. and they didn't place much Of their
wealth at that 1t was a very light betting
fight. and most OF the money that was
wagered was placed even up" on Ruhlin's
staying ten rounds.
Jim Corbett alone seemed to be perfectly
confident that the Buckeye boy would win.
and he pocketed over a thousand dollars.
backing him a; l 10 to down the ex-ma-
rine I was mistaken in numerous and good
company.
The fight was a great surprise. as rnu1h.
! opine, 10 the victor as to the victim.
When ! entered the arena l met Ruhlin's
manager. Billy Madden, in one OF the lob
bies, looking very serious ard very solemn.
l said well. Billy. this Is the night that
makes Rubin or unmakes him quite" He
smiled in a slckly kind OF way as he re-
piled: Eyes. II he don't win tonight he'll
have to go back and begin all over again"
Madden didn't act at all like man SAN
suine OF success.
Well as to the fight Itself From start
TO finish there never were two consecutive
minutes of It that Sharkey looked to be d
winner. There wasn't one round Of the if
teen that could lie fairly and honestly ac-
corded to Sharkey, had the referees de-
cision been made on points ard yet up
to the end Of the twelfth round Ruhln's
style Of lighting wasn't OF character to
enthuse his warmest adnirer outside Of his
seconds.
At least ten times before the fifteenth
round he had Sharkey dazed, sroEgy, and
al his mercy. and friends shouted and
called TO him: Hit him. you big chump."
why don't you go In and ightf What's
the matter with you, anyway
Gus paid little or no heed to these abju-
ratiOus. He had height reach and ski! in
his favor. He could hit Sharkey every time
he made an offer at him. but he seemed
afraid to let himself out. In short, 10 U.s.
term mechanics will understand he
fought at half stroke as Il were. Most
OF his hits were jabs. rather than jolts or
blows.
Though he cut Sharkey up fearfully. and
finally beat him into utter helplessness and
almost into insensbility. not once in all the
fifteen rounds did he ''let himself loose f,r
ali tina; was IN him Never did he deliver
q blow that was backed By all his strength
and impelled with all his speed.
SO confident were Sharkey's admirers that
he would get there" with his right. and
knock Rubin out that 20 1 on Sharkey
was offered around the ring without a SOL
itary acceptOr.
And yet Rubin won almost without a
mark on his face and with but few on his
BODY. After the contest was over. and
while the men were still In the ring. | said
to Madden: IT that big fellow OF yours
only had proper pluck, and the right kind
OF sand In his craw, he could lick any man
living"
Coed heavens he calculated, don't
you think he's got courago:''
Not the courage that Sharkey has, or Z
champion should have l responded. Billy
was furious. and, running over TO Ruhlln's
corner, he caught Jim Corbett by the arm
and. half dragging him across the ring 10
where ! stood. said: Jim. what do YOU
proper courage because he didn't win
quicker than he did
You're dead wrong, John" explained
Corbett. Gus fought this battle exactly
according to my plan and direction. !
didn't want him to take any chance with
Shark.y. | told him not To mix It up with
nm any more than he could help. To keep
him at long range and 10 jab him until he
got hin; weak. Half a dozen times he
wanted to go in and fight. but / said. NO;
Keep on Just as you're doing. You are wear
inG him out round by round. He's licking
himself. and by and by he'll be as easy 10
put out as child II came out just as I
thought il would"
While l am confident that Rubin owes a ;
much TO Corbett's tuition and advice for his
present position IN pugilism as he does al
most to old Mother Nature, who gave him
the physique and the strength which Jim
has taught him to utilize ] am still OF thu
opinion that he lacks ferocity that is needed
to make the perfect pugiiist.
Gus is a gOod-natured. big fe low, who is
too fun Of the milk of human nature 10
ever he the gladiator that John L. Sullivan
was. IN his prime. or that Terry McGovern
Is to-day. Whether thar lacking feroci.y
can be developed, as his fstic skill has
been, remains to be seen. Time alone can |
tell this.
Sharkey never fought more deterrnined,y |
IN al his lie, or less effectively. He eX-
pected to be able TO rush I'm on Rubin. 10 |
lail him with left and right swings. and |
10 smash him IN the body. at close RANCE.
With short-arm punches. Ruhiu's clever |
ness at side-stepping and IN ''ducking his |
mt" enab ed him 10 battle most OF he |
Sailors swings. His left-han1 jabs soon rat |
He'd Toms think tank, while his SkilIfIl !
blocking saved his ribs from many Il sore !
hump.
His long-range left and rIght-hand labs
old fearfully on Sharkey's face and Jaws
IND a dozen times made him reel and stag
yer about the ring ike a veritah.e drunken
tailor Tom. when he found himself N
roube. fought rather regardless of the
'uies laid down for his kind by the sapient |
Marquis of Queensberry, and had CHARLEY.
md not John. White been refereeing the
flair there is a probability that the
sailor might have been disqualified for
'fouling."
Perhaps this ending would have plea sed
lin better than the actual one. He was
'autioned several times for holding ard I
blowing, but none of his trough house"
work had any effect on the result. Both he
md Rubin several times called the refer
e's attention to alleged FOULS but his die
ion was invariably fight on"
A gamer man than the Sailor never was
cen in the ring. He seems almost insensi-
lie TO pain. though his face was evidently
s. sore a boil. He was the ageressor at !
Unable to get his legs under him. at the
lnish, he was doing his best to rise TO his |
eet. and when the referee mercfu! |
topped what was no longer q contest bur
One-sided mallyrueing. there wasn't ,
nan in the house who wasn't glad that the
rave fellow was spared further punish
nent.
Sharkey was badly cut up and got plenty
4 hard body blows. but there was no ex- |
use for the lying reports that he had died |
rom the effects of his punishment which |
we're circulated the day after the contest |
lie claims that the injury he received to his
Eft shoulder blade in his fight with yeffrie. |
othered Him after the fifth round and
roy atad i'm, in;n lie Iz.. sft- 1