Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-22
BATTLE PROVES
TO Be FARCE
KAUFMAN WINS AS TOWEL
GOES IN
Gardner Saved from Count After the
Most Miserable Heavyweight
Contest Ever Witnessed
in Los Angeles

w f''1N'N
OF all pltiful ring specialties ever
witnessed in the history of the sport
ar exhibition between AL Kaufman
and George Gardner last night at
Maud Junction, must have been the
limit. Gardner went down and out in
the fourteenth round. Out because his
seconds threw a towel into the ring
after he had gone down three times
before the listless blows of Kaufmann,
whose performance should ever bar
him as a heavyweight attraction of
any degree whatsoever AS for Card
ner he gave the best that was in him
and that best was minus everything
but q gameness which stood by him
until his strength had been exhausted.
1t was a hasbeen against the veriest
of dub, and the disappointed crowd
wished that the has-been might last
through twenty weary rounds. Kauf-
mann did not show an atom of class,
while Gardner with his best days as
a ring man gone was powerless before
his opponents weight.
AS might have been imagined from
the non-training tactics of Kaufman,
he entered the ring in poor condition
and at times when he appeared tol
have Gardner on uneasy street was
forced to stop and regain wind, while
Gardner, beaten but determined, swung
close and endeavored to do some
thing.
When Kaufman climbed between
the ropes it was evident that he had
either paid little or no attention tol
training or had been unable to reach
ring form. Gardner, past the days of
his prime also was lacking the
sprightliness and vim which should
y, 70
whatever the nature of his game.
Crowd Laughs at Spectacle
But one redeeming feature was in
evidence so far as the big fellows were
concerned and that because the crowd
was able to howl themselves hoarse
with laughter at the amateurish spec
tacle presented. Kaufman invariably
came up with his left arm extended, |
something after the fashion of Marvin
Hart, apparently watching for an OPP
portunity which seldom appeared to
come. Gardner did not attempt much
long distance fighting and was in
clined to come in close and mix things
at short range.
Kaufman seemed unable to untan- |
gle himself and when he did get
George to the bad with few blows
at long range. obligingly allowed Gard |
ner to step in and save himself.
Absolutely nothing occurred in the
first round to warrant that fighting was
in order, both men stepping gingerly
about as though afraid of the other.
Had Kaufman been able to follow
an advantage in the second round he
might have saved himself from Great
ing a spectacle, as he had Gardner
helpless and hanging on from the eff
fects of a right jolt to the head. Card |
ner sank to one knee but came up i'm
f1oadiata1u q left n the
head and George staggered about with
Kaufman trying to reach him. 1t ap-
peared as though the big San Francisco
boy was to win an easy victory and
no one appeared able to understand
why he did not send Gardner out.
Kaufman apparently~did not wish
to end matters or lacked an ounce
of ring science At any event the
gong found Gardner hanging on, with
Kaufman dragging him about.
The third was abominably slow, a
light right to the head by Gardner, who
had partially recuperated, proving the
only enlivening episode of the round.
Kaufman, it is true, swung with his
right and left to the head. but Gardner
did not seem to feel the effects
The fifth sixth and seventh We're mis-
erably slow, Kaufman being warned
by Referee Burns in the latter round,
as he apparently endeavored to throttle
Gardner with his glove. AL made things
bit more interesting during a portion
of the eleventh. when he started to
pepper Gardner with lefts and rights to
the head. Gardner was webbing and
weak, his face covered with blood. 1t
did not seem that he could keep his feet
when suddenly Kaufman closed like
a clam, apparently exhausted. Groggy
as he was, Gardner stepped in and both
were punching weakly at the gong.
q dpa 5.11a FL, hi eyar,
Kaufman landed several times in
the twelfth and thirteenth, but these
was nothing to cause excitement. With
the crowd kissing, Kaufman appeared
to take new life in the fourteenth and
waded into Gardner as though he
meant business. After several seconds
of mixing Gardner received short jolt
to the head and went to his launches,
reaching the floor at the count of nine.
Another right sent him down for nine
again. AS he came up Kaufman sent
in the final blow and scarcely before
Burns began counting a towel went
into the ring from Gardeners corner.
Supreme disgust was manifested as
the crowd filed out. Many left before
the final blow was stGuck, and they did
not miss anything by catching an early
car. 1t is seldom that a heavyweight
battle at Maud Junction results in such
farce, but last night-Oh, my!
! Little Eddie Meeney and Scotty John
son made up somewhat for what was
intended as the main go. Compared
with this fast affair, which went for
something over seven rounds, the Kauf-
mann Gardner show was the rankest
sort of preliminary.
Preliminary Is Feature
Meeney was clever last night, clev-
erer than he has ever shown himself
before, and incidentally had opposed to
him q whirIWind in the person of John