Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-09-04
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP WON
BY CANS IN A DESPERATE BATTLE


] of yesterday and contented himself
with $1,000 of the purse, while Mel
son received s22, 500 before the fight.
Fights Battle of His Life.
Cans fought the best battle of his
life and his opponent was worthy of
his years of ring generalship. Nelson
seemed impervious to punishment.
Cans landed four blows to Nelson
one, but each round the Dane would
bob up apparently recuperated and
ready to- force the fighting. Oxlike he
would plunge into the negro, butting
Cans in the breast and under the chin.
and trying to keep the fighting at close
= range Backing away from his young
CT opponent. Cans would shoot in his
blows with telling effect.
Until the SD round Nelson S
strength was gradually oozing away
under this style of fighting. One of
these blows broke a ligament i'll Cans
right hand and from that time the
arm was almost useless. One of Mel
sons eyes was closed; blood was
streaming from his nose, mouth and
ears. but from that time he was able
TO hold his own. Cans shot in a few
more blows with his right, and the
two men alternately clinched and
wrestled around the ring, landing only
an occasional effective blow with their
fast-ebbing strength.
Punished i'm STAR.
Nelson started taking punishment
from the first, and blood was dripping
from his ears when he went to his cor
ner at the first call of time In the
third round a smash of the negro's fist
TO the Danes nose caused further
flow of blood In the next three rounds
Nelson was bleeding from mouth, nose
and ears, and his face was pulled and
cut from the beating he was receiving.
| The fighting was decidedly in Cans
| favor until the ninth round, when he
started TO lose blood The odds were
then two to one in Grams favor, and
his followers looked for speedy vic
tory.
From that time on the predictions of
the talent began to fall down. Nelson
seemed to get fresher with each sue
| cceding round and Cans was driven to
the limit of his ring experience to pro
tect himself from the furious head-on
Iunges of the Dane and his frantic
short jabs. Nelson's manager was
wildly shouting his encouragement
from his corner. and under his cries
of Stay with him. Bat, Blunt him!"
the Dane hammered his head again
and again against the black mans
breast Warnings and threats OF Ref
cree Siler were UNDECIDED. and he
would pull the two men apart only to
n m cp1f -
a catapult against his opponent.
The style of attack worried Cans
and told on his strength. He struggled /!
in vain TO keep the hard-headed boy at |
a distance. and in the 10th went 10 his !
corner with blood streaming from his |
mouth from one of the Danes short |
right hooks. After that Cans seemed !
to get his second wind He came up |
smiling in the 18th, and in the next |
had Nelson almost 70 the mat. In the !
next Nelson brought down the Kisses |
of the audience for his butting, and ST !
Ter forced him TO an erect position with !
a jerk.
Cans Again Takes Lead.
In the 2Oth-the nit wa;ch the tai
ent had allowed 70: the ne3rO's staying
powers-the fighting turned again in
his favor. Two vicious upper cuts
Strengthened Nelson up and then Cans
closed the round with a fusillade of
rights and lefts to the Danes face and
neck
From that time on Cans forced the
fighting until the eth, when it seemed
that he would put Nelson out. IN the
2Sth the Dane was groggy, and the
Ill hi hp.
ing forced down. New strength came
to him during the minutes rest. The
fighting then was uneventful, with
Nelson losing strength until the acct
dent to Cans hand. From that time
both men we're weak and neither seem
ed disposed to force the fighting.
When they came TO the center of the
ring in the final round. Cans opened
with a straight left 10 the face and
Ihey clinched For many preceding
rounds the men had staggered clineh-
g-around the ring, and murmur
Of disapproval was heard around the
great amphitheater Nelson's head
was under Cans chin and the Hege-
wisch boy was weakly attempting -
butt a little more strength out OF his
game opponent. His right hand was
hanging down and he was prodding
the negro in the breast Each success
i've blow went lower. as if he were
seeking some vulnerable point. Final
" he was below the belt.
Strikes Negro In Groin.
With one rally of strength Nelson
landed short hook on the negro's
groin Everybody on that side of the
arena saw the blow clearly Cans
slipped from the clinch to the floor.
Referee Siler Immediately announced
he decision.
Cans was carried from the ring, the
immense crowd cheering Nelson and
| Io. tn the (