The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-13
Jack o'Keefe and Jimmy Gardner En-
gage In an Even Contest.
REFEREE SETTLES MATTER
LOWELL BOY WAS FAVORED BY
MANY.

q 4 H.. q Nd
Jack O'Keefe Is lucky TO get a draw"
In these words Referee Willard Bean
announced the outcome of the contest
between Jack O'Keefe and Jimmy Gard
ner at the Salt Palace last evening.
Three thousand persons heard the de-
clslOn and there was scarcely a dissent
ing voice y better decision could not
have been given. The proviso and Jack
q Keefe is lucky 10 get a draw" tells
the tale completely.
Ihat there was a shade in favor Of
Gardner is true but that shade was not
enough 10 turn the ride of bets in favor
OF one man. Had the contest ended at
The END Of the nineteenth round it wOuiI
probably have gone to Gardner, but
q keefc did great execution in the last
TOuud-Derhaps lucky. but enough TO get
d Draw for himself by a narrow margin
Draw fights are always unsatisfactory,
but perhaps more fight fans went home
last evening satisfied with what they
had seen than they were at any draw
contest that has ever taken place in this
. city. Ihey may have seen more rugged
contests. but never d CteVereT one
- Frequently the crowds at the ringside
nave cheered smuggling contests where
each man took the punch to land one.
but there never has been a contest in
this city where such scientific work has
marked the course of twenty rounds.
Fighters Of the Nelson type bring the
fans 10 their feet by their assimilation
OF punishment and battering Of "A help
less opponent into insensibiiIty. but men
OF jimmy Gardeners class cause one to
stop and ponder at his remarkable clever
hess for one solid hour OF the hardest
work ever conceived by man
Credit For O'Keefe.
This does not mean that O'Keefe is not
a clever fighter He Is. and fully under
stands how to take care of himself in the
rang But Gardner Is far his master in
the higher arts of the boxing game.
such jabbiug, blocking in and out work,
dGckinS and Sidesteppng have never been
witnessed in a Salt Lake ring.
Viewed from this standpoint. the con
test last evening could not have been
better
judging the contest from a point of
two sturdy youngsters fighting with all
the rugEedueSs OF youth. each bent on
sending the other to dreamland. or going
there himself, il was a tame affair
As the referee put II there was not a
knOCk-dOwn in the fight once the ClaTet
was brought from O'keefe's nose. and
III the last round q small stream of the
red fluid trickIed down GardEcr's face
from "a cut over the eve. There was not
d crushing Ur staggering blow delivered
III the twenty rounds There was not
moment during the sixty minutes when
either man approached the grOgEy state.
In their corners il was the same. Restor-
atVeS were not used nor were they
needed. and when the gong called the
men to the center for round after round,
they came with every nerve and muscle
Both Men Cautious.
1t was "a careful fight The caution Of
the finished champion marked their
every move. Blows were not started with
dO-oT-die determination, but like a chess
player every jab found the delIVerer
ready to block "a return II he missed ms
mark Seldom the men set for nay
making swing from either hand, but I'm
and out like a couple of kittens. SpitefUl
iabs, singing Jots, delivered while tho
men we're going in OF coming out, tells
the story.
II was at this style OF fighting that
Gardner exceIled- Quicker and 4 more
finished fighter, his opponent was the
stronger and put more steam behind his
slower delivery
4 feat are of the contest was the re-
maTkabIc open work of both men. Very
little mitigating was INDUCED in. al
though Jimmy Gardner did on a couple
OF occasions lead one to think he had
decided 10 adopt these tactics. A few
Shcrt-arm blows to the wind, however.
usually resulted IN the men breaking
away of their own accord and sending in
shots to impenetrable armor at long
Many Blows Landed.
As the contest heightened out the red
arms and shoulders showed where a
majority OF these blows were landing
case. and his right arm for its entire
length was that pinkv hue 50 noticeable
when the flesh Is struck by a sharp
blow. The vital spots-the Jaw and solar
were as safe behind their perfect guards
as one wOulds BE- in the coming tower of
q hattIeship-
the Contest was devoid of any cbjec-
tionable feature The crowd was the
most orderly that has ever attended 81
prize ring exhibition IN this city Il was
q question OF which man had the more
friends in the crowd, but il seemed as if
the cheers for O'keefe were the louder
whenever the Chicago man appeared To
be gaining point
TO break the men. and there was none
Of that yelling from the galleries 10 the
men to mix il up. This they did of their
own accord and every rush found the
man against whom il was directed ready.
anxious and willing 10 come back IA the
same kind of manner.
rIng, ana aIter 'etcn, Nelsheg; ooth under
the stipulated weight of l49 pounds.
quick adjustment of the gloves saw
action begin
Details of the Fight
As the men stepped to the center Of the
ring Gardner was the first TO make Is
move. which was a light left jab To the
face O Keefe received IL and swung EIs
rieht for the head which Gardner duCkcd-
F0- the entire round after this IL was eau
tieusness on the part Of both men auJ
the few blows thar found their mark GlI
no damage The second and third rounds
were practically d repetition of the first
and ended with h0nOrs even neither de-
livering a blow of any consequence and
beta exceedingly cautious
Tn the fourth Gardner had slightly tla
better Of it and forced matters a greater
mart of the distance Il opened by Card
ner cutting loose with right and left for
the head and body but they were ala
blocked and Gardner smiled Near the
end Of the round o keefe rushed Gardner
10 the ropes. but failed TO get past his
guard They let uU a little in the fifth.
but near the end of the round O'Keefe
started TO rush matters and let 20 two
terrific right swings which Gardner
promptly ducked- This was Okeefe's
ro6nd by slight margin.
The sixth was tame and IN the seventh
Gardner again opened up by forcing mat
tiers. but could not land an effective blow
O'Keefe hit low and after being warned
b. the referee they shook hands and
smiled and Gardner at once started TO
rough it. At the end Of the eighth. the
men began for the first time to show signs
IL the pace they had been setting and
there was considerable rushing and fore
Tnfs ninth Witnessed some of the best
bigcking and fO0JWOTk Of the fight. Gard
Fter having slightly the better OF the ar
e.tsnaent O'Keefe turned the tables in
Tie tenth and ends round in which
Gardner opens with his steady left hand
fabhing by swinging a hard right TO
IsaTdner's neck as the bell sounded.
The eleventh was Gardners round by a
shade and both got ia singing rights 10
the face during this round The twelfth
was the hardest round Of the contest up
10 this time. Gardner having the best
Of II by a good margin Right after the
start off the Lowell man shOwered rights
and let's 10 o keefe's face bringing the
first blood OF the contest. when o keefe
nose hled freely Gardner for the first
TING adopted infighting in this round.
which seemed to make Roadway against
OsKeefe's blocking. Okeefe surprised
the thirteenfh and ended the three min
tItes' fighting slightly In his favor.
The fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth