The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-27
PNEUMATIC
BILLY WOODS

Billy Woods. the fighting man, is on
board the transport Meade. This is his
third trip, and just now he is bossing
the fo'c'sle hands. He hasn't changed
any since quitting the roped arena. and
old Billy as of yore.
Once, and not SO very long ago ct
that, Billy was as good as any Of the
heavyweights, and as trainer he has
few equals
Ten years ago he was fighting along
around 10 pounds. and defeated many
of the old school of 'heayies," includ
ing Jack Ashton, George lie Blanche,
The Marine:' Buffalo" Costello, and
Mike Connolly, better known as the
Ithaca Giant" Woods last fight was
in 1898, with Mexican Pete" Everett, at
Cripple Greek, Colo, who obtained the
decision after six rounds. After this
scrap Billy cast off the gloves for
good.
Billy Woods was the man who first
took Fitzsimmons TO New York. He
was Dempsey's sparring partner when
| the $ui. pareil" was training for his
memorable fight with Blacksmith
| Bob. and was at the ringside when
! poor Jack received his quietus after
/ fourteen rounds of furious fighting at
| New Orleans.
| After the Fitzsimmons-Demps bat
! tie Woods was matched against Con-
| molly, whom he defeated in Two rounds
during the Mardi Gras festival. The
| with FitZSimmons to New York, and
travelled with him all over the coun-
| try.
After quitting F'itz, Woods and Par
son" Davies matched Jim Hail against
him, but the fight fell through on ac-
count of official interference.
! Woods next hooked up with Jim Cor
bett as sparring partner and trainer,
and stayed with him until Gentle
man Jim lost the championship of the
world to the Cornishman on that
eventful st. Fatrick's Day at Carson
City.
He next became identified with Jim
Jeffres and trained the boilermaker for
| his first fights. He severed connections
With pugiiism three years ago.
AT the time of the Worlds Fair IN
Chicago he was sparring partner for a
! long time with Charlie Mitchell, whom
he. speaks of as a nice fellow and a
clever boxer
After his fight with Everett. Woods
| rode from Cripple Greek to San Fran
cisco on a bicycle.
| Asked by a reporter as to whether ne
would re-enter the ring Woods said
NO, I am out of the business: when
a man gets away from the top he had
! better quit
When Woods was sparring with Cor
bett he invented the famous pneumatic
! coat of which so much was heard az
the time. Billy says that he has per-
fected it to such a degree that he will
wear it and allow a, man to strike him
with a baseball bat.
He says that Jeffries has gone back
since his last fight, but that he Is still
a wonderfully good man, and will de-
feat Gus Rubin when they meet
According to Billy, Jeffries' theatrical
Il experiences have not done him any
/ good, as he was always the boy FOR
a good time, and any fun which might
be going.
'@Those trips on the road will tell
remarked Woods succinctly. "Jeffries
us a good fighter, but afflicted with
IEhesds- trouble. He used to wear a No
: hat, but now he has to use a shoe
horn to get size larger on.
He's saved a tidy pie, for he is very
tight with his money. Why, Jim Cor
bett has given more away than JEFF
ever spent but Jim's a queer fellow
and doesn't tell folks what he does
Woods trained Jeffries for his frs
fight with Rubin. He says that Run
lin is in better shape now than eve
/ before.
Asked as to his opinion of other not
ed fighters, Billy said
] CoTbett-''As clever a fellow as eve
Z put a glove on. Jeffries and Rubin
couldn't hit him with a baseball bat.
! Sharkey-"Done for; he has beel
beaten up badly too many times. Whe
4 nature gives out a mans fighting day
a are over. His battle with JeffrIes set
3 tied him, and he has never got over tn
|. beating he received then; Tom put u
a great fight, but acted as general re
ceiver alt the time"
Fitzsimmons-"H He's on the dow
grade; he's shooting the chutes. an
will soon strike bottom. Bob was abou
the best ever. He was a hard man t
spar with; he couldn't spar, but want
ed to mix it all the time. He was
clever boxer, but by no means a show
one"
Jackson-"Poor old Pete. He was a
awful fine fellow, and the only thin
black about him was his skin. Whisk
killed him.
Jeffries-"When I first took hold c
him he hadn't a, change of under
clothes, and a ten-cent meal in a res
| taurant was pie for him. Now that he
for him, and he forgets the friend
Mans inhumanity to man,
Makes countless thousands mourn.
And sorrowfully quoting the abov
lines, Billy Woods, fighter and philosC
pher, hied forward.