Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-24
THE PUGlLISTS
SOME HISTORY
 OF TOMMY RYAN
The Willy One Was Trapped by the Crafty McCoy-0ther
 Fight News.

Hartford, Dec. 24.-Tommy Ryan lived here in the zenith of his career and many local sports will remember with what ease he whipped all the men he went up against here. He played with Jack Falvey, cut Dick OBrien into ribbons and picked up some easy money out of town while he made his headquarters here. As the mlddleweight champion, Ryan was one of the cleverest and toughest fighters in the world. When physical disability put him out of the run ming he framed up his bouts and ne lost his popularity in far less time than it took him to win it. This is the fakir's usual finish. Kid Mccoy was the only man he ever met that had lead over him in foXiness. There has always been a difference of opinion regarding the double cross act credited to Mccoy the details as given by Bob Edgren will be found
 interesting.
 Tommy Ryan was famous fighter
 when he first met Mccoy and learned
 how it felt to be out-tricked. He had a l SlCoI u6 uCihS lCSolu u do lS-
 markedly clever and had a knack of
 landing the knockout punch. He was
 born in 1870, stood feet F inches,
 and was well built for fighting in all
 except one point. Old timers used to
 say that Tommy's arms were too
 short. However, that may have been he could not hit anybody he ever met
 (eXcept McCoy) and his blows had a
 leverage that was very effective.
 Ryan fought score or so of ring
 battles in a desultory sort of way
 without acquiring much either of
 fame or the junk that they put in
 storage vaults. Then he met Danny
 Needham. Danny at that time was
 considered some pumpkins. The fight
 was pulled off in Minneapolis, Minn.
 It was the longest fight in Ryan's
 experience. In fact it was one Of the longest battles on the American re-
 cord books. Ryan knocked Needham
 out in the seventy-sixth round. All
 at once Tommy became famous. !; After few unimportant lemon : squeezings Tommy Ryan fought Mys- , terious Billy Smith a draw. This was , the first of seven fights with Smith , and Ryan improved in fight after , fight. He won in twenty rounds the ; next time, fought two draws, won a couple of decisions and finally knock , ed the Mysterious One" cold in foul rounds all questions of su premacy for good.
 ) But Pm running ahead of the story , To go back-it was after fighting ) Smith four times, beating Jack Demp 3 sey in three rounds, and doing To ) of good fighting around the countr! | that Ryan met Mccoy.
 I It happened this way: Ryan, ia , nous then, was training for fight } The stripling Mccoy, unknown, ,peelet } potatoes in Ryan's training camp } rubbed Tommy down and acted as ; 1 sparring partner. Incidentally acting 1 as punching bag, too, and daily Ryal
 gave him unmerciful beatings s Mccoy, foxy kid that he was, wa i holding back, taking the punching i studying every move of Ryan's, an' n showing not a trace of his own skill 1 Daily Mccoy grew more sore physi Q cally and mentally under the pound 1 ings Ryan gave him. At last McCo p left the camp, went up country, me 2 i a couple of friends and packers an : told them he could whip Ryan. The , weren't quite sure, but some on 5 agreed to put up good side bet fo : him if he could get the match. Tom 5 my jumped at the chance. Lemon |, were in demand even thus early i 4 the game.
 2 Shortly after making the matcI 9 he wrote Tommy private lette S something like this:
 2 Dear Tommy: You know yol 2 can beat the life out of me. Now, 2 need a little money, but don't wan . to get all beaten up. I want to as . you if you won't please make tn . losers end a little bigger and prom | ise to let me off as light as you cal ' Kid Mccoy" | Ryan got that letter, laughed owe
 the cinch, graciously agreed to mak the losers end a little bigger an :: stopped training. On the night ( , the fight he entered the ring fat an y soft. Mccoy stripped for action. wa , in grand shape. When Tommy sa' :. him his eyes bulged out. He didn z look much like the battered sparrin , partner and potato peeler of a coupl l of months before.
 Mccoy, using all of his cleverne'
 and knowledge, beat Ryan to a pull
 In vain Tommy begged the Kid
 let up. In vain he tried his desperai
 best to fight back Mccoy sneerinl ly cut him to pieces and knocked hil
 lout in the fifteenth round. Ina a fight was at Maspeth.
 y But this was only temporary SC
 back. Ryan learned that it was foo - ish to go into the ring unpreparet f He was never caught mapping agail r He beat a lot of good men-TOmm
 West. George Green. Jack BOnne
 Dick O'Brien, Kid Carter. Jimm 2 Handler and the like. He became ! time the king of middle-weights- 2 saw Ryan in many of his fight He had a knack of fighting clever until he found he found his openinI and then elouting away in the san
 style now used by Tommy Burns
 One of Ryan's greatest and mo
 ldesperate battles was fought wit Tommy West in Louisville. Man i. claim that that was the bIoOdie.
 fight ever pulled of in ring Aft'
 it was all over the club had the Cal
 vas ring covering up and stretehs s on the club walls as an exhibit
 IL looked like a map of all the oOI
 tfnents. islands and the seven ses
 done in red and white.