Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-29


pionship crow n. ANA is to he matched
with Jim Jeifries. is one of the most
remarkable fighters the world has ev:r
seen.
While not Il giant in build. S1uires
has every natural advantage a boxer
should have if in line for champion
ship honors.
While one Of the greatest fighters
ever developed in Australia, Squires
is an accident, so far as pugilism goes.
Formerly miner and Sunday school
teacher, his ability to fight was
brought out unexpectedly. and from
Il novice he went to the front i'll jumps.
The following article tells how
Squires fights, and also how he came
10 enter the prize ring, and is of great
interest just now to all fight fans:
"Boshtcr" Magnificent Bill Squires,
the Newcastle, Australia. fighter, who
is 10 meet JIM Jefrics soon FOR the
worlds championship. is patriotically
claimed by every Australian as The.
last word in modern pugiliSm. Old
time followers of the game aver th:Lt
Sfuires is lighting phenomenon and
would have routed Fitzsimmons. jack
der had he nourished at that period
when they We're giants in the land
As it is, Squires has 'woodened' every
heavyweight Of note in the Australian
commonwealth with as great ease as
any well-trained athlete could knock
out beer-soddened wreck Of 20.
Squires is a natural fighter. Two
years ago he was hewing coal in the
pits of the Pelaw main mine at New
castle, ignorant of the fact that his
hands were capable of aught but la
Dor. His work was his pride. Today
when he stands champion of the con-
tincnt Of Australia, with not another
man capable of standing three rounds
before his mighty fist, Squires' pride
remains in the work he did. stripped
and begrimed. in the bowels OF the
earth
That he is champion of Australia
and has Il solid body Of his country
men believing that he will he champion
of the world, troubles him but LITTLE
He does not care to discuss fighting
But his face brightens and his voice
grows eloquent when he tells of the
hundreds Of tons Of coal he broke down
or the thousands of plates he laid on
the railway contract before he started
coal mining
Il don't like to 'skite,'" says Bill
but never met a man yer who could
work alongside of me-
Like most Australian workingmen,
Bill is a Socialist. A prominent MEM
Der of the Miners Union, he has for
years been one Of the foremost workers
in the cause of the Labor party in
Newcastle.
Though he never reached greatness
in any other department of sport.
Squires' great strength and activity
made him .. leading football player
in the state of New South Wales. and
he was a swimmer of note in the land
where eevrybody is a swimmer
That Squires is today "a boxer bid
ding for the worlds championship is
due to chance. A sober. uuiet man.
whose only interests in life We're to
bring heather to the fold of Socialism
and tru3nt youngsters to his Sunday
school, Squires was one who had never
had an opportunity of finding the pow
er of his potent fists. He passed
through his first youth humping moth
ing but the Bible in his little meeting
house. When disputes would arise in
the mine and Squires' fellow miners
would jeer at him. they would be
received with a quotation from Scrip
turc. Still, at heart, the man was ar
athlete, and, though taking no active.
part in boxing. he invariably attended
the fights put up by visiting Bugs in
Newcastle. Many times he was seat
ed at the ringSide gazing with admir-
ing awe on SecOnd-raterS whom he
has since knocked out in Il few sec
onds.
One night several miners prevailed
upon SguireS to visit an athletic hall
kept by local pugiist named Bill
Smith. For the first time in his life
Squires pulled on the gloves and was
Drought cut as a sucker" that Smiths
pupils We're to practice on.
How'll | start" asked Suujres rs
Smith called on him to begin.
Go in as you like" replied Smith.
Hit him whenever you can"
The words We're scarcely out before
Smiths pupil was. SquireS had rush
ed in with n left swing the like of
which Australia mad never seen before.
Smiths other pupils came up one
by one and had 10 be carried into the
open air and revived. and Suuires' fe,
low miners, who had been accustomed
to giving him back talk in the nit ana
soothing at his religious sentiments
started patting him on the back and
calling him "Old man."
smith lost no time in putting the
polish on this raw material Of cham
p!onsnip. Every evening that Bill
could spare from his prayer meetings.
he would visit Smiths athletic hail
which became so purified by his in
lluence that soon not blasphemous
word was heard. Two months later
Squlres won his first fight against :,
balmaln tSydney> quarryman weigh
ing $50 pounds. and the gong sounded
TO reveal Il new style OF fighting.
In the ring Squires is more like a
seismic disturbance than a man. He is
San Francisco incarnate. Vesuviue
contracted into 112 pounds of fiery
manhood. He is the parsonification
Of the strenuous life adapted to pugi-
listic principles.
Squires is q years of age, feet Q
and half inches tall and weighs 17o
pounds in condition. He has a spread
Of six feet five inches between the