The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-13
NEWS OF THE FIGHTERS
LAST WEEK WAS A BUSY n IN
PUGILIsTIC CIRCLES.
Has Hurled a Challenge mt
Heevyweights-Tommy Ryan Dis
cusses Fighting Systems.

intention OF returning to the ring by sign
ing articles TO meet Con Coughlin in a six
round bout at Philadelphia. the fight to
take place within the next few weeks.
Harry Forbes demonstrated in his fight
with Kid McFadden at Boston that he is
far from being "all in" by putting his OPP
ponent entirely out Of the fight in a very
fast bout. Terry McGovern announced that
he has fully recovered and will soon be
ready to take on a few good battles. The
most unfortunate event of the week, how
ever. was the fatal accident in a contest at
Philadelphia. Several minor bouts were
pulled OF In the country and a long list OF
challenges were hurled broadcast by cham
pion aspirants in all classes.
XXX
Johnnie Mack. manager of Sandy Fergu-
son. the Boston fighter, has issued a chal-
lenge to any heavy weight in the werld.
Mack Is willing to match his man for any
Reasonable time and place, and directs his
challenge at F-itzsimmons. Sharkey. Munroe
and Jeffrfes. He bars no white heavy weight
In the world Ferguson is training with
Bob Armstrong. and is in fine conditlon.
against Sam McVey, Jack Johnson ana Den-
yer Ed Martin for the colored heavy weight
championship, Armstrong to stop Martin
inside OF five rounds.
Xxx
In a recent interview Tommy Ryan ex-
plodes to a large extent the theory of safety
I'm using the old-time, high blocking system
still employed by Jim Corbett and other
~well-known fighters. Corbett's natural fight
ing pose is with his elbows high, catching
the coming blows cleanly and throwing
them of in a fancy manner. With his hands
In this position Corbett was ready to hook
or jab and was supposed to have his elbows
so that he could drop them to his ribs, safe
ly covering them. This style was good
enough once" said Ryan. but it won't do
now. Jeffrles went at Corbett's jaw any old
way. with the sole purpose OF attracting his
attention 10 the spot and OF bringing Cor
belts elbows well up. Then when he had
his man right the champion was ready with
either hand. The left arm of Jeffries was
comparatively straight down his side. There
was no backward movement for purchase.
A slight twisting of the body and a hooking
10 literally lift his left into COrbettS stom-
ach with full force"
Continuing, Ryan said that had Corbett
adopted the style used by himself he might
have lasted longer and that it was within
the range of possibilities for him to have
gone the limit.
MY style" said Ryan. sis exactly like
that of JeffrIes when in action. / taught
the big fellow that particular position and
close to his body and assuming the crouch.
he not only protects his body. but he al
lows plenty OF purchase for his arms in
which TO hook to the body. / tried to show
Corbett this. but he was too old to change
his style A man can't change in a day,
and that was what was the matter with Cor
bet. He was willing. but it only took me a
few days to find out that he would never
master the style In time for his fight with
Jeffries."
In speaking OF Jeffries Ryan said that he
was not only the greatest fighter that ever
lived, but that he was also the quickest man
to teach that he had ever met: ''When l
first took hold of fha rio follow - said RYAN
he was as slow as a mule and he did not
know the first principles of boxing. but 1t
did not take him long to learn, and before
he had been in my charge a month he had
me guessing. IT does not take him a minute
to learn what you want. We are not on
TO the greatest fighter that ever lived"
XXX
Before the snow flies 1 expect to see
George Gardner and Bob Fitzsimmons face
one another in the spacious arena at Fort
Erie said Captain Pierce, the well-known
Boston boxing expert. THE present agi-
tation between the men and the boast of
'Fitz' that he will box the Lowell man at
any weight suitable to the latter, must of
necessity result in a meeting between
them. / am satisfied that if the men would
box at the new light heavyweight class
limit we would see "A bout which would re-
pay the journey. No one knows the ca
pacity OF Gardner nor how far he will go
without a defeat. liz Is all right for some
who have seen him work to deny him his
great ability, but one should judge only by
results, and Gardner has been singularly
successful In his fight toward the cham
p~ionship- He is not a snowy fellow in the
ring; he does not show any cleverness
such as distinguished Corbett or Mccoy:
but he Is a wicked puncher, with rapid
lists that fly around an opponent like hail
from the heavens. He is as game as a
pebble. is one OF the best blockers in the
business, and / cannot see where he has
anything TO fear from anyone at his own
weight. While we all revere F~itzsimmons
as the greatest that ever pulled on a pair
OF chamois-covered mitts, still he cannot
forever shine as a leader in the fstic world.
Crediting him with all his ability. ii must
be confessed that he will have his hands
full whipping the tall Irishman. Gardner
has supreme confidence in his ability to
whip ayone, and it will be a severe test
through which the winner cannot hope TO
come unscratched."
There are a great many people following
the fighting game throughout the country
who assert that 1t comes with bad grace for
Jeffries to draw the color line at this late
day in the face OF the fact that he has.
in the past, met at least half a dozen col
ored lighters" said Billy Delaney. None
of the people who are of that opinion be-
lieve that there is a colored fighter in the
world that has even a Iook-in with the
NhohhPAOhf NAhS thcy say q champion ought
to be a champion regardless of color or
creed
-Jeffries does not draw the color line
because he is afraid of any of the big
dusky fighters. He says that a white man
fighting a colored man more or less de-
grades himself. He also asserts that when
he fought colored men he was a new be-
gfnner and had TO make a reputation. Now
that he has that reputation he does not
care TO any longer mix up with the coons.'
'Jeffries, as well as others connected
colored fighter they object TO in the main.
but the actions OF their followers are at
times unbearable. In this he is perfectly
right. There never were nor are there any
better behaved boys in the ring than little
George Dixon and Joe Cans. Probably
the reason for this is that they have at all
times had white men handling them and
seconding them in their principal fights.
"Walcott Is one OF the colored fighters
who has done much to hurt the game.
Whenever he won a fight, especially when
lighting was at the high water mark in
New York, he would, after every fight, go
loud. and II was with difficulty that
ORourke and all his political pull could
induce the authorities 10 allow him to
nght again. Then his henchmen would
make the c0lored quarter howl and get into
all kinds OF fights. 1t Is this kind OF action
that viii eventually put the colored fighter
out OF the business.
"Jeifries mas weighed all these questions
and has come to the conclusion to bar col
ored men, so that none OF the occurrences
OF the past can occur again. He saws:
"SnDDOS1nR "A rnIOraf Gbnnrl -. -