Waterbury Democrat., 1902-07-26
FIGHTS IND FIGHTERS.
Bob Fitzsimmons Goes Down to
 defeat In a Brilliant Contest.


 Jeffries Landed Two Blows Which
 Counted the Cornishman Out Tn the
 Eighth -Fitzsimmons Up to
 That Time Chopped Jeffries Face to
 Pieces-It looked Like Victory for
 the Former Champion When His
 Finish Game So Suddenly Biggest
 Crowd that Ever Attended Boxing
 Exhibition in the West.
 San Francisco, July 26-J effries won the fight with Fitzsimmons last night in the eighth round.
 The battle for the heavyweight cham pionship of the world last night be- tween James J. Jeffries of Los Angeles, the champion, and Robert Fitzsimmons of New York, ex-champion, excited more interest in San Francisco and throughout the country than any cham pionship event since Corbett met Sulll- van at New Orleans, and 1t drew the 1 biggest crowd ever seen at a fight 1n 1 San Francisco.
 l The glamour of romance and sentl- l ment was all about the struggle, for It was not the attempt of a young and untried man to wrest the championship belt from the veteran of the ring, Dut | the bold effort of man far along in years to regain from younger, strong CT and bigger antagonist the laurels that he lost three years ago. Despite the fact that Jeffries is a Californian and is an unbeaten man, Fltz has been more popular there since the fight arti- cles were signed. There Is something about his game struggle to recover the title of champion that has appealed to Californians, and they showed their liking and sympathy Tor him by the great ovation that they gave him last Sunday when he came back from Skaggs Springs.
 Much of the money put up on Fitz has also been placed out of sentiment, the same feeling that prompted many to wager on Jack Dempsey when he met Fitz at New Orleans. But among the hard-headed sports, who do not be- lieve in sentiment and who judge a man strictly on form and previous per formances, very little money was placed on Fitz except on the gamble that he would last ten rounds.
 Many sports were rendered wary by their experience with Peter Jackson several years ago. Jackson in his day was the quickest big man in the ring, with the exception of Corbett. When he came back there after his London successes he was matched against Jef- fries, who was then hard-hitting novice, with Sharkey as his only victim in the first class. Jackson had dissi- pated badly in London and showed the results, but In two weeks his appear ance changed, and those who saw him train declared that he had regained all his old form. Jeffries was the favor ite, but a large amount of money was put on Jackson to stay ten rounds, but he went all to pieces in the third and was knocked out before the round was half finished. It is this lesson that made the San Francisco sports very shy of risking their coin on Fitz be- cause he looked we'll and made fine showing in his training,
 The scene of this championship fight was unique. Every other big ring bat tie in the last ten years has been held in the Mechanics pavilion, q great barn of a building, but well adapted for fights as there is q big gallery. The Twentieth Century Athletic club secured the pavilion for six months and counted on getting this fight, but they were unsuccessful in their bid. Then they turned and demanded from the San Francisco Athletic club, the suc cessful bidders, a sum as rental for one night which would have paid their lease for half year. The San Fran cisco managers refused, and built an open-air pavilion at Valencia and Fourteenth streets, 174 by 174 feet, then surrounded 1t with twenty-foot fence. With the ring in the center and the four corners cut off, they had an octagonal inclosure with no seat more than 135 feet from the ring. All around the fence was built a tier of seats fourteen feet high, as In a circus, and these seats, the best in the house, were sold at $5 each. Then on the ground the other seats were laid out with two rows of boxes immediately around the ring. The box seats were S20 each and the other seats $10 and S15. Over the ring and extending eighty feet on each of the four sides was stretched great canvas tents Massed about the ring and hung on the poles that support the tent were sixty powerful electric lights that made the place as light as noon day. As no picture privilege was given, the fierce light from this apparatus, that proved so great a nuisance to those near the ring at the Jeffries- Ruhlin fight, was not in evidence.
 Fitz arrived at S:20 o'clock with his seconds. Hank Griffin, Clark Ball. W. F. Heberly and Frank Soule. Jeffries arrived ten minutes later with his sec onds. Billy Delaney, Jack Jeffries and Joe Kennedy.
 Ned Shay. official announcer, gave notice that tickets would be sold for raffie for Jack Dempsey's champion ship belt, the proceeds to be devoted to the education of Dempsey's children.
 The preliminary was a twenty-round go between Dave Barry and Harry Foley. two local welterweights Foley won in the tenth round by knockout
 After the preliminary bout, at 9:45 o'clock, Anouncer Shay called for Alec Greggains, the matchmaker of the club. and Edward Homan, the clubs president. The pair, in company with Ed Harrington, went to the dressing room of the pugilists and held con- ference.
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