Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-20
FARM TO
ENTER THE RING
THOMPSON DISCOVERED" BY
A CHICAGO MAN
Some Interesting Facts Concerning
the PIucky Little Lightweight
Who 10 to Meet Fighting
Dick Hyland

VITO " 10 Weet Tl90hlU9
Dick Hyland
In view Of the fact that little has
been said of cyclone Thompson's ear
ller career in the ring, how 1t might be
interesting to note how the man who
Is to meet Fighting Dick Hyland Aug
ust rs first made Zip his mind to engage
In the professional boxing game.
Thompson was "discovered,' so to
speak, behind the plow at Sycamore,
Ill. He had fought a few amateur
boxers and had knocked them out
He was strong, hard hitter, could
take punishment as though 1t afforded
him pleasure. and was, withal, as
rugged an athlete as a man who had
trained for years.
At that time the game was at its
height in Chicago, and one of the many
promoters who were on the lookout for
tryout timber persuaded Cyclone to
60 to Chicago for private tryout
against Benny Yanger, who was then
at his best.
go right In and try to knock Yanger
out" was the advice given to Thomp-
son as he entered the ring of the Chi
cago Board of Trade gymnasium for
three rounds with the Tipton Slasher.
Thompson nodded his head, and then,
as now. donned the gloves with as little
thought of fear as any man who ever
entered the roped arena.
Benny evidently had been told to go
after the farmer boy hammer and
tongs, for he lost no time in cutting
loose. Within thirty seconds he had
Thompson's nose bleeding, but the
cyclone bored In and finally knocked
Yanger down.
Floors Benny Again
In the second round he f1oored Benny
again and in the third and last round
he knocked him down twice.
Off came the gloves, and as the boy
who previous to that time had thought
of nothing but following the plow ana
milking cows walked out of the ring,
visions of becoming a real fighter came
to him.
That was his first real tryout and he
had surprised the few sporting men
who had watched him pummel Yanger
all over the ring. A match was made
against an unknown for a side bet OF
$3.50. Thompson won this engagement
in Just eight seconds of fighting,
knocking another greenhorn at the
game" out with blow to the jaw.
Then came engagements thick and
fast. a few of which Thompson failed
to win. Scientific boxers ran away
from him and earned six-round de-
cisions from the hard-hitting farmer.
But, nothing daunted, the Sycamore
boy kept right on with his chosen style
of fighting. BY degrees he learned to
cover I'D and protect himself, until at
present, while being far from boxer,
he is able to keep away from ma
iority of the blows aimed at his face
and body.
In summing up his career one finds
much to lend color to Thompson's
claim that he is entitled to contest
with the best man in the ring. Among
other things It might be mentioned
that he has never been knocked out,
although having engaged in 1853 ring
battles.
Knocked Down but Once
Another record which must not be
lost sight of is the fact that only once
in his career has he been knocked
down, and then by Charley Neary a
bow who has met and defeated some
of the hest lightweights in the world,
and who only a few days ago, sent
Herrera to the mat four times in one
round.
Thompson has had nothing worse
than a draw marked against him in his
last sixty fights. and out of his last
thirty-six victories Cup to the time
that he came to Los Angeles) he
knocked out twenty-nine men.
Five different lightweights who have
won decisions over such men as Bat
thing Nelson and Jack Dougherty have
lost decisions or have been knocked
out by Thompson.
At New Orleans, April 5, Thompson
knocked out Otto Seiloff in eight
rounds. Seiloff weighed 145 pounds and
has always been looked upon as one OF
the toughest men in the business.
Cans fought Seiloff once and only after
nine hard rounds was the man who is
to meet Battling Nelson at Goldheld
able to stow him away.
In his contest with the Montana Kid
here a few weeks ago Thompson put
up one of the pluckiest fights ever seen
in a prize ring. After injuring his
right hand in the second round, so that
it was of absolutely no use to him
whatever, he jabbed away with his left
in such a whirlwind fashion that he
secured a draw and at the same time
took but little punishment.
Is to Meet "Fighting Dick"
And this man Thompson is the light
weight who is to meet Fighting Dick
HYland at Maud Junction pavilion Au-
gust 2S. Hyland has record which
he can we'll boast of. He has so far
been able to stow away all of his ad-
VerSaries but two. ana ne generally
does it in Jig time.
Both men are mixers, both are in
fighters OF the first water and both
want to win this contest by the knock
out route. The victor will, without a
doubt. be the man to meet the cham
pion of the world following the Nelson
Cans mill.
Hyland is training hard for the con-
test and Thompson is working every
minute. With the aid of "Rawhide"
Kelly. the man who put Nelson into
condition for his last contest with Britt,
the Cyclone will enter the ring "as fit
as a fiddle,' for Kelly has trained
Thompson for several of his contests
in Chicago and knows just how to. go
about It,
In speaking of Thompson's chances
with Hyland, Kelly has this to say:
IT think the Sycamore boy has
chance to put any of them away. Not
only Hyland. but Britt, Cans or Mel
son as well. He hits as hard as a
mule kicks, covers up we'll in getting
away from punishment, and Is able to
take more wallops. when he has to,
than any fighter 1 ever saw. / have
boxed with Nelson many times and
also with THOMPSON. ! have trained