Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-22
Given the Decision Over
Battling Nelson.
They foughtthe Limit Of Twenty
Good Sturdy Rounds
A,d Referee Decides That Britt Is
the Better Man.

Dec Zl.-At tue emu VA tii@ -NN--
after fighting like pair OF ouiiuos'
Billy Britt OF San Francisco. was si'e'.
the decision over Battling Neisoii u
Chicago. In the closing round Brltt Voc
punching the Chicago boy all over inc
ring. but his blows lacked suiiicieh'
force to put a quietus on MS opponent
The fight Was an exempiiiica'4oi VI
how much punishment human oeins
can endure and not succumb. Al sew
al stages Of the fight Nelson was oau,S
furnished, but ne always kept sa'ney
coming Nd to the firing line ana ah
through the 20 rounds he lorceo Tue
fighting. In one or two instances nc
had the local boy in distress. but BTU
EXCELLENT generalship and the advice Oh
h,s seconds saved him from gong 100
close to the danger point.
N.,son Ia Enthusiastically wonder IN
Oh. nnpljstic world. Time after time
ra, ing blows heavy enough TO put out
an ordinary fighter he would come up
ar, arently in his early form and pllns
tn. fighting to Britt.
referee Roche announced that lie
rave the fight to Britt on cleaner MT
ring and the greater number or points
rccred and n resume of his fight bears
IN, the business Of his decision. Al
,hnu,h Nelson did most of the leading.
Pr It displayed the greater AFFINITY as
h,xer and his blows were cleaner ana
more forceful, while majority or the
shuts tired by Nelson were at close
uE! rters Nelson was sadl: 'Nhcieht Ill
n rnpp-arm and most of a.. attempts
u reach his opponent were tile ne
or wd was one Of the larg' { seen III
y.n Francisco and il is estimated the
fighters will divide nearly $4,000.
Britt said after the fight;
Nelson il a great slugger with
plenty of ability but without the
knowledge of how to use 1t. l fought
TO secure the championship and pro-
rcct my friends money. | am still the
champion Of the world and | mean 10
retain it,
Nelson had this to say:
f had all the best OF the fight Britt
was breaking ground and holding on
continuously. Referee Roche made no
pffprt to break Britt except to give
lne the worst Of it. l will fight Britt
again under the same conditions for
$4,000 a side. but will insist that Siler
referee believe he is the only referee
WHO KNOWS W IeIl Ilidh hdo i'"t ~
won. I scored the only knockdown Of
the fight and had Britt running away"
Mechanics Pavilion, San Francisco,
Dec. 21.-Fully $4,000 attendance
was damned into Mechanics Pavilion,
VIII. a Jimmy Britt Of this city. and
OF. ,ttling" Nelson of Chicago fought in
what was generally considered to be a
contest for the worlds lightweight
champion. The belief that Joe
Cans. the colored pugilist who recently
retained the title by securing deci-
sion over Britt on a foul. is probably
UnaIe to reduce his weight to the light
weight limit. accentuates the fact that
the winner Of tonights battle will be
looked up as the legitimate champion
Of the lightweight division.
Never were two athletes more per-
fectly conditioned than Britt and Mel
son when they ceased their long and
srduous course OF training and each
was the personification of confidenc.
when Referee Billy Roche beckonet
them to their corners and the bell sum
moned them to action. No fight since
the Jeffries- Fitzsimmons affair was de-
Cided has brought so many strangers &c
town. From far away New York. from
Philadelphia, Butte. Omaha Seattle
Portland and Los Angeles. fight lovers
were gathered in liberal numbers. From
interior California points they fiocket
10 the ringside and when the mait
event was stated the great hall was
packed from pit to dome. So great was
the crush in the galleries that later II
the evening the promoters were ordered
by the authorities to release the over
flow by permitting hundreds OF specta'
tors Of that section to invade the mair
floor where they were unceremoniously
relegated to the rear portions Of thu
building and from where but little o
the nights entertainment could be Oh
served.
At 9 o'clock the house was completed!
sold out and it was found necessary t
install additional seats to accommo
date the vast throngs.
The principals left their training
quarters at 4 o'clock. this afternoon
and after a rest of two hours procee
to Corbetts resort. where the weigh
ing-in process took place. Both me
failed to tilt the scales at 1S2 pounds
the stipulated weight. 1t was the opin
ion Of those present when the mel
jumped on the scales that Nelson wa
the lighter Of the two by at least
pound
The crowd that congregated abou
the Corbett resort as Britt and Nelso
attempted to enter was Sc Ereat tina
II was only by the free use by Inc polio
of their sticks that entrance was ef
fected by the two pugilists.
Betting has been brisk all day. In tn
morning bets were registered at tn
odds of 10 to with Britt the favorits
Later on. however. owing to the volum
of Nelson money and the reluctance q
Britt's supporters to speculate at wha
they termed unreasonable and disar
proportionate figures. the price advanC
ed q point with the local lad holdin
the top at 10 to s. Even at this price tn
Britt coterie did not loosen their purs
latches, till evening, when realizing tn
utility Of hoping for a more lucrativ
price, they poured their money into tn
booksellers boxes. This was covere
with ayidity by the loyal Nelsonite
So great In fact was the influx Of Me-
son coin at this stage. that the odd
were forced up another notch. At
~N-yZ 80 YI-sA a