The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-25
WON FIRST BOUT
WITH KNOCKOUT
Joe Cans a Worlds Champion
Who Never Fought a
Preliminary Battle.

Los Angeles, August.-Joe Gans-a
worlds champion who never fought a
preliminary in his life.
Very few people seem to realize that
Joe Cans was a fighter five years be-
fore Jim Jeffries whipped Dan Long
in San Francisco. Cans is six months
older than Jeffries, and has been fight
years in the ring. Cans made his first
trip to the west in December, 1896.
whipping Rochelle in twelve rounds.
Five months later Cans and Mike
Leonard furnished half of the double
bill on the night that Jim Jeffries. then
an unknown heavyweight, whipped
Harry Baker in nine rounds. Cans has
always been proud of the fact that at
that time he made the prophecy the
big Los Angeles boilermaker would be-
come the heavyweight champion of the
world.
Many stories have been written about
Cans first fight. He says there is no
truth in the story that his first ap-
pearanCe was at battle royal, and is
rather proud of the fact that he has
never fought a preliminary in his life.
I was main event fighter from the
first time 1 stepped into the ring"
says Cans.
He. won eight straight fights by the
knockout route, then took nine de-
CisIOns. and followed these with two
more knOckouts. He was II years old
at the time of his first appearance
and is now close to 80 years of age. He
had been fighting more than five years
before he met his first reverse at the
hands of Dial Hawkins, one of the
great Old-timers. Four years later
Cans beat Hawkins in three rounds.
Hardest Hitting Lightweight.
Beside being one of the most scien-
tihc fighters in the world, Cans is
probably the cleanest, hardest hitter
a his weight. This is a rare combina-
ton, and the men who have possessed
it have invariably been successful
fighters.
Cans has scored fifty clean knock
outs. and this does not include the
cases in which his fights were stopped
because the other man was unable to
continue.
The colored fighter has been enjoy
ing prosperity for the past year. Up
to the time of the GOldfeld fight he
was a worlds champion forced to beg
for small matChes-sOmething which
probably never mas happened i'm the
history Of the fighting game. 1t be-
came necessary for kim TO resort to
all sort Of tricks in order to get an
important match. 1t is true that he
wore dark speCtacles and walked with
a cane for months before the Nelson
match. Interested parties carried the
stories broadcast that Cans eyes had
gone back on him and that his consti-
tuition was breaking down. I have
seen him at a race track holding the
program within three inches of his
eyes, as if attempting 10 read the
coarse print. White men of class,
knowing that in form Cans outclassed
them. refused to fight him and il is
2 fact that several stories carried to
Nolan convinced the shrewd one that
Cans was all in before the Goldf1eld
fight. These little subterfuges un-
doubtedly helped to get Cans the fight
with Nelson.
From now on Joe says he will have
no use for these Old-time tricks. He
shook them off when he was restored
to public favor and he intends to go
down the line, fighting every man who
can make 1873 at the ringside. He has
planned vigorous campaign.