Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-29
BILLY NOLAN TELLS
Of NELSON'S FIGHT
Before Sailing for Europe the
Manager Of Battling Nelson
Opens His Heart.
FIGHT PLANNED IN SALT LAKE.
Nolan Was Resting Here When lie Saw
Goldneld Paper With Account
or Plan for Big Oner.

Before he sailed for England, few
DAVIS ago, Billy Nolan gave out for the
orst time the interesting circumstances
oonnected with the matching OF Bat
ling Nelson and Joe Cans. for the now
famous fight at Goldfield
while resting UP at Salt Lake, read"
INC the papers, just prior to my con-
.sSontated trip TO san trancisco-as
bad alreday given my promise TO EDDIE
craney that | would match Nelson
sgalnst Cans, the contest to take place
Ssfore his club. providing the induce-
rrents we're equal TO what | could Sc
oure elsewhere--in glanclng over NUM-
Ser of dailies, happened to run across
Goldfeld issue, The heading tnat
caught my eye was win wager so,oVV
mar Jack Clifford Can Beat Nelson;
had heard considerable about this
camp and also read where the Golu
0eld club had offered Jimmy BRITT anu
Terry McGovern a $1,000 purse ana IL
read that negotiations were on TO orlns
~ ,ho match at some future date. At
Me time | had no idea OF fighting
Nelson In the desert country especially
Cons | knew Jack Clifford very well,
os he had fought before my cluD ~
putte on several occasions and really
NAV that the Battler could easily dis
nose of him, IL a purse would be put up
r,,th tho side bet. / was satisfied 70
lei fine cans match lay over, as could
set q AT my own time. So | wired a
n1essage 10 the Goldheld sporting edl-
~, "Nelson will meet Clifford for tho
"a, het and a purse" Back came an
answer: Party will not put up side
bet"
RAISED THE ANTE.
About an hour after while Nelson and
were dining in the hotel, announcer
wire from there read VIII give you
$4,000 purse for finish contest Wlth
Cans" signed Tex Richard. Passlns
the telegram to Nelson, added' mr.
K some guy looking for some cheap
,dvertising" and did not give II serious
consideration. After a couple Of hours
DELAY another telegram reached me
rom Richard urging an answer
In reply | answered: Can get more
than that In Frisco" lie wlreu
hack. "Will give you twenty thusand'
NV kilograms were sent collect anu
paid. so / began 10 give the queries
some thought, and inquired from an
ferent well known sporting men III SAT-
lake ~ they knew Richard. None ever
heard of him. and still another wire
came and finally answered: VIII ex-
meet more than twenty thousand Tor
Nelson's end. II you want Nelson thir-
ty thousand Is my lowest figure Inc
message was hardly sent when reply
was flashed back: "Will give you thlr-
tv thousand for a match with Hahs'
During this series Of interchanges the
san Francisco clubs had SEM TWO lnei,
~ meet me at Salt Lake, Eddie Graney
"a Norris Levy Neither OF these par
ttas would up to this time post purse
"a our negotiations were ended.
WIRED HIS ACCEPTANCE.
wired Rickard my acceptance, and
he sent me transportation expenses
and | proceeded to Goldheld accom-
panied BY Graney as far as Reno. The
latter tried IN vain to land the match
for Frisco. IL was too late, my woN
was ri IN and so It went to Goldfeld.
Nelson followed a few days later, after
Milling some theatrical engagements
that were already booked for him. For
TWO weeks the Frisco press unmerciful-
~ branded the contest as fake III
fact. made little OF it, and the stories
were Indignantly denied by both sides
the result being that IL became the
best advertised pugillstic affair ever
held In this country. when one consld-
ers that Fitz and Corbett battled Tor
less than $4,000 while Nelson ana Cans
drew close to $4,000 in Nevada. ..
"As to Nelson's future movements
have him booked up with theatrical en-.
gagements for an indefinite time ana
you can depend on II that Joe Gahs VIII
be his next opponent.
Much has been said and written in
reference TO the weight question OF a
second match. II the match Is ever
fought the same weight as the men
scaled at their last engagement VIII
prevail. Cans can make that notch
easily in that dry, high altitude.
WOULDN'T IF POSSIBLE.
"As an evidence Nelson scaled 1928
easily there, while II would be life and
death TO have him make 1t on the sea
level. Cans must be given credit for
being shrewd proposition. lie has
been claiming since the battle that he
had such hard time making the
weight. The truth, and positive truth,
Is that Joe Cans did not even take a
run on the road for two days before
The battle | will take my oath TO this
i9Vt, us hdd man az DIS quarters tor
the last week OF training, who did Moth
Ing else but tab the colored mans
movements. Knowing that a fighter
trained like this the last few days of
his training, can any one familiar with
the game give credence to the report
that 1t was a difficulty TO make the
lightweight limit Cans. realizing the
coming encounter Is trying to get a