Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-24
THE PUG|L|ST Who
WOULD Be CHAMPION
Something About Bill Squires,
Who Wants to Wear the
Crown of HeavyWeights.

SAN FRANCISCO Cal, June 23.-"Bif'
souires the Australian fighter. who aspires
to the heavyweight championship crown re-
ilinouished by Jim Jeffries. is one of the
most remarkable fighters the world has ever
seen While not giant In build, Squires
has every natural advantage boxer should
have II in line for championship honors.
While one OF the greatest fighters ever de-
veloped in Australia, Squires is an acci-
dent. so far as pugilism goes. Formerly a
miner and Sunday school teacher, his abil-
ity to fight was brought out Unexpectedly,
and from a novice he went to the front In
tumps. Soulres expects to face Philadel-
.phIa Jack O'Brien in a battle for worlds
honors IN November.
That Squires is today boxer bidding for
the worlds championship is due to chance.
A sober quiet man, whose only interests In
life were to bring heather to the fold OF
socialism and truant youngsters to his sun
day school. Squires was one who had never
an opportunity of finding the power or MS
potent fists. When disputes would arise III
the mine and SQuires' fellow-miners would
1eer at him, they would be received with
quotation from scripture. Still, at heart
the man was an athlete; and, though taking
NO active part in boxing, he invariably at
tended the fights put up by visiting pass
In Newcastle Many times was ne scared
at the rlngside gazing with admirins awe
on second-raters whom he has since Knock
ed out in a few seconds.
One night several miners prevailed upon
s,uiras to visit an athletic hall kept by a
local pusilist named Bill Smith. FOR tiie
first time In his life Squires pulled on the
gloves and was brought out as SUCKER
that Smiths pupils were to praclice OIL
90 lraI
called on him to begin.
Go in as you Ike fepieu o'i''
him whenever you can.
Tho words were scarcely out oefore
Smiths pupil was out. Sauires had rusheo
In with a left swing, the like or which
Australia had never seen before.
Smiths other pupils came up one by
one and had to be carried into the open
air and revived, and Squires' folloW-miners
who had been accustomed to giving him
hack-taik and scofnng at his religious sem
timents started patting him on the oack
and calling him 'old man.
Smith lost no time in putting the poiish
ON this raw material Of championship
Every evening that Bill could spare from
his prayer meetings he would visit smith
athletic hail. which became so purified by
his influence that soon not biasphemous
word was heard Two months later squares
won his first fight against a Balmain
,sidnevl ouarryman. weigh ng $50 pounds.
and the gong sounded to reveal new style
OF nghting.
In the ring Squires Is more like seismic
disturbance than man. He Is San iran
cisco incarnste vesuvius concentrated into
IT, pounds of fiery manhood. He Is the
decentralization of the strenuous life adapted
to pugilistc principles.
So far fighters have modelled their methods
of combat on those of the fowl yard. Squires
has abandoned the rooster and taken the
bull terrier as his model. He Is not
rusher in the ordinary sense. He Is rather
a warrior. When the gong SOUNDS he Is at
his man In an instant firing In solid
punches at every part of him. The
smother is no more defense to the fierce
blows OF SGuires than one OF Herr Doves
bullet-proof coats would be to a bursting
shell. Squres beats down the smother and
the man behind II as well.
Out Of the ring. when. officiating at pic
mic or In his Sunday school class. Squires
has clean-cut, placid features and might
be mistaken for an actor or a Gibson man.
The moment he enters the ring he Is trans
figured. If ever there was man who
should sit as a model for Mars. the
god, 1t Is Bill Squires. When he looks at
the man In the opposite corner Jim Jefrries'
famous lighting face is that of a simpering
cherub in comparison.
Squires Is a compact mass OF muscle so
well marked and prominent that an ath-
ietic expert would pronounce him muscle
bound. But his appearance bellies him. He
is active a featherweight. He uses
both hands with lightning dexterity. is a
marvel in foot work and possesses a perfect
poise. No matter what position u may
sumo SGuires center of gravity IS always
under his feet. His capacity for taking
punishment is superb. He is hard and
invulnerable as the lron-bark gum trees of
his native land. During his whole career
only twenty blows have reached him. Some
OF these were solid enough to Knock out
the average heavyweight but Squires gave
no Indication OF having felt them. He has
been knocked down but once IN the course
OF his twelve fights. and finished the man
who did It In half round. His record
has been such that his admiring country
men have given to his name the honored
prefix OF "Boshter." an Australians super
lative signifying magnihcence. Such title
is harder TO obtain in Australia than seat
in the British house OF lords to an ex-
patriated American millionaire.
Squires IS twenty-seven years OF age Ave
feet nine and half inches tail and weighs
, 1T2 pounds In condition. He has a spread
OF six feet five inches between the hands,
his chest measures forty inches in repose
and his biceps fifteen inches. He neither
drinks nor swears and smokes rarely.
Australia rejoices in the fact that Saulres
is pure Australian. both his parents hay
ing been born In the southern land Unlike
most pugilists. there is no Irish blood in
him; both sides his descent Is pure
English Born and brought up in back
township OF Narrabri. Saures is product
OF the Australian bush. where his massive
frame was invigorated and developed by
the pertumed breath OF the eucalyptus
SQutres disowns any knowledge OF fight
ing. and his modesty is extraordinary.
Since he gained the Australian Champion
ship he refused 70 allow firm OF photo
graphers to produce pictures OF him for
his own profit. the ground that he
tidn't like everybody having his photo"
When asked to describe his methods of
fighting, Bill Stroked HIS chin and reniIed