The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-13
KELLY The WINNER
HE TOOK THE FIGHT FROM MORAN
ON POINTS.
TWENTY-FIVE FAST ROUNDS.
SHOWED THAT THERE WAS NO
FAKE ABOUT THE FIGHT.

Knockers Hurt the House, but Those
Who Took Chance and Paid
Their Money Saw Neat Article in
the Fight Line-Men Were in
Prime COnditiOn-BOth Got Mad at
One Stage and Fought ON After the
Gong Sounded-Same Decision Civ
en- as When the Men Fought Be-
fOre-BiIIy Carroll Got the Deci-
sion i'm the PreIim.
The Moran-Kelly bout was no fake
1t was twenty-five rounds of the hardest
fastest and most furious fighting that
the most devoted lover of the game
would care to see. 1t went TO Kelly at
the end. because he had out-pointed
Moran. The decision gave satisfaction.
too, and there were few who did not
agree that the referee had awarded the
honors properly.
Jimmy Kelly of Boston. and Tony Mo-
ran of New York. were the principals
II was not the first time they had met in
Savannah. for they went twenty-five
rounds not long since, when the decis~
ion fell to Kelly on points. Moran was
see his way clear.
A small house lined up for the fight.
1t had been knocked too hard and too
Systematically. The sports had it tipped
off to them that the fight had been all
doctored up until it did not have a sound
leg to stand on. So they all looked wise
and said things when anybody mentioned
the fight. That was what cut off the
house and made it look like a frost in
June.
The comparative few who were there
made things lively, though. They saw
they were getting their moneys worth
from the jump, when little Billy Carroll,
an acrobat at Gildea's, went up against
Kid Davis of Boston, who had a lot of
weight over Billy. From the very jump
Billy was the favorite. His agility as an
acrobat was shown to perfection in the
ring, and he made the Kid look
like monkey; had him tanning
the air and hitting everywhere except
where his head happened to be at the
time Davis kept hammering away,
though, and in the second round he had
Billy going. Then somebody yelled for
Jim Brown, who was doing referee stunts,
to stop the fight, because the Kid was
too heavy for Billy, and Jim very gra-
ciously acceded. Billy wanted to go on
with it, but Jim told him he had had
quite enough. So it was all off. The crowd
called for a decision. Jim then handed it
over to Billy. He said he thought the
youngster had won out, which, though
rather queer decision, in face of the
preliminary, which was to have gone six
rounds, having been stopped be-
cause Davis had Carroll going, was
very favorably received, as Billy had
caught the crowd.
After some delay, the principal event
was called. Kelly entered the ring first.
attended by Jack Frew, Billy Veronee
and Pat Carrick. Moran's seconds were
Kid Davis Frank Hart and Tom Rafferty,
Johnnie Reilly figured as referee Kelly
having entered an objection to Tommy
Corcoran, who was to have played that
part
AT the sound of the gong for the first
round, the men went promptly to the mid
die of the ring. They spared for a few
seconds, and then were begun the tactics
that were followed throughout the fight.
Moran and Kelly would rush alternately,
but Kelly had the reach and landed often
er and more effectively. His left swing
went 10 Moran's neck and jaw nearly
every time but seemed to lack the neces-
sary steam for Knockout. Both men
landed some stiff punches during the fight,
but there was not a clean knock down.
Both were in excellent condition. and they
showed little distress from the hard pace
they cut out for each other.
They were out for blood, but they didn't
get il. To be as fierce a battle it was
singular that the claret was not drawn
Both were mad, but Kelly didn't keep
his head as we'll as Moran, older at the
game. When the gong sounded at the
end of the fifth round, the men were in
a clinch. They wouldn't break, either, but
fought on furiously for a few seconds, CIV
ing stiff short jolts or chopping down on
the kidneys. Everybody set up a howl
and the referee was able after a bit to
break them. Kelly looked then like he
wanted to quit, because he didn't like the
referees style, but his seconds dissuaded
him.
Interest in the fight never Jagged. The
crowd was shouting encouragement to
either Kelly or Moran nearly all the time,
though Kelly was the favorite and got
most of the hands. When the gong sound
| ed a. the end of the twenty-1ifth, both
men were on the floor, having gone down
in clinch after winding up the bout with
| two very fast finishing rounds. They then
| got to their feet and awaited the decision.
! That was slow in coming, though, for
| everybody was shouting. Some wanted
Moran and some Kelly. After silence had
been partially gained, the referee an
nounced for Kelly.