The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-10
O-TIMERS
WERE CLEVER
Contrary to General Opinion, Many
Early Pugs Had Science.
MACE A GREAT TACTICIAN
BELIEVED HE WAS EQUAL TO
BEST MEN IN RING TODAY.

Although it is the general Impression
that the early champions of the prize ring
lacked skill. il Is nevertheless a fact that
some Of tho early English and Australian
fighters depended just as much upoa their
science for success as they did upon
their strength. Clever men wao fought
in the London and Queensberry rings
were much cOmmoner than hard hitteTs.
Unquestionablv not AMI Of the early
lighters were the equals Of the men o.
the modern school in point of extreme
cleverness. Fourteen champions OF Eng
land and the world are recorded before
we como 10 a man who can be accepted
as possessing even the rudiments OF tho
art OF skillful boxing. Mendoza, the jew.
fighting position, left hand and foot for
ward, right hand across the body. in use
10 the present day. Yet Mendoza knew
nothing Of the art OF VetreatiuG and
fighting while going away. Boxing in his
day, 1870, was slow and unskilfuI TO "a
degree which would seem uttCr stupidity
today.
Grip a Clever Pugilist.
Spring. VINO followed Grip in 1924. must
be taken as the cleyerest pugilist from
the inception Of regulation sparriug and
boxing to the days Of Mace 1850 Spring
was tho Jim Corbett Of early Ffstiaua.
lie Was skiiful, but could not hit a biz
As wrestling prevailed la those days. hA
skill was not OF as much value as d
would be now in these DAYS of clean
breaks and no wrestling. No doubt heI
was comparatively clever That he could
be called clever in the sense that Cor
bett was clever is matter Of grave
doubt.
Jom Ward. who followed Spring. was
clever and hard hitter. but not remark
able for the fiTst-named quality as
Spring was. Nick Ward. Bendigo. Tass
Parker, Perry. BroOme and Sayers were
not clever. In Sayers' best day Nat
Langham. clever lett-handed middle
weight. beat him by straight iabbing with
the lofL. Langham was not clever beyond
using his straight left and sticking 10 It.
Mace First OF Clever Boxers.
Mace was probably the first Of the very
clever boxers. UnquesuOnably his skill
compared very IaVorably with that or
COrbett. Ryan. Dempsey. Jackson. Nc
Coy and other master tacticians Of latter
days. A straight hitter with both hands.
a cutting one. too, a man VIVA never
missed an opening and who was himself
very hard 10 hit. Mace must be rated the
first really clever fighter of the ring ina
latteT-day acceptauOn OF the term. The
fact that no instructed the Australians
how to box and the men they sent 10 this
country in the early sos proves that
Mace was wonderfully clever man.
jackson was the highest exponent of the
Mace school of boxing. His style has
never been eXCelied. Tic was one Of the
cleverest men thar ever wore q mitten.
Larry Foley. who developed hundreds OF
Australian boxers. VINO were clever %
degree, was graduate OF the Mace
school. Jim Hall, George Dawson and
Critic. three OF the cleVerest men the
ring ever knew. learned the art in Foley
place in Sydney.
The English ana Mace school Of boxing
anG, subsequently, the Australian school,
called for straight hitting with both
hands. ducking in and slipping instead
Of blocking.