Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-03
GOOD SKETCH
OF JOE CANS
Champion Lightweight Writes
Interestingly of His Fight
ing Career.

interestingly OF HIS right
ing Career.
Joe Cans. the champion lightweight scrap
per Of the world, recently wrote sketch Of
himself. In 1t he says:
My real name you know isn't Cans. It
Is Camp. People called me Cans because 1t
was easier. and after time I adopted that
name to fight under. l began fighting when
l was sixteen years old, and that was just
about sixteen years ago. l was born In
1874 instead Of 1876, as most people think.
We were poor people. 1 went to work in
fish market when 1 was a little fellow. l
used to be a very fast runner, and I was
always playing with the white boys. In the
market 1 boxed a good deal after hours.
Once the boss and his brother and 1 each
put in $1.70, and we bought set of s. box
ing gloves. Then I boxed more than ever.
1 got too good for the other boys. We
bought another pair of gloves and nearly
every day 1 boxed with two other fell
lows at time. They would both go after
me, and that's how / first learned how to
block and duck and look out for myself.
My first fight was to finish with another
young fellow. We fought for 81 side bet
and a collection. The collection came to 50 40,
IN
lot of money. I took it right home to my
mother. My next fight 1 won In twenty
three rounds, and got purse of s.. Then
l began picking up little fights, meeting the
boxers and wreStlers who Travelled around
giving exhibitions and earning few dol
lars here and there. l took it all home
and gave it to my mother. 1t worried her
She asked me where l got it, and L told her
l won it gambling. But she was afraid l
was stealing it something. SO at last
took my uncle one night to see me fight
and show him how got the money. When
he told her she wanted me to stop fighting.
and l told her l would. But l couldn't
keep away from 1t long. 1 liked the game
too much by that time. l worked up very
gradually. In those days l didn't have
much of punch. but was very fast, and
1 could jab with my left hand in great
shape l didn't know l had right hand.
The first big fight l had was with the Ken
lucky Rosebud He was little Joe Wall
colt for fighting. He had just knocked out
In the third L knocked him down with a
short right to the chin. He was very bad.
and | could have finished him then if had
known little more about the game.
Fitzgerald the Best.
ut is hard to pick out the best man
have ever met looking back over sixteen
years, all full of fights l wouldn't say it
was Erne. Frank was clever, but 1 can
honestly say that felt myself master over
him in our fights. 1t isn't Dial Hawkins, al
though he hit me one blow that was harder
and more damaging than any other punch
I ever got 1t isn't Nelson. 1 consider Bat
fine bulldog a wonderfully tough fellow,
and hard to hurt, but not a great fighter.
l think that l can safely say Willie Fitz-
gerald was the man. Until Fitzgerald
fought me for the lightweight title he was
coming very fast. In fact, lots of the best
sporting men in the country thought my
ms naSSe6 and Dicked EltZ to put
me out of the game. Fitzgerald was
mighty tough proposition. he was game
and strong. He was clever. And he was
a natural-born fighter. He swung great
deal. and his swings were dangerous if he
landed. Fitz had trick of swinging one
hand after the other. 1 watched him close
ly and timed his swings as well as l could.
He made me do lot of ducking. l would
duck the first swing and sometimes the
second or third would Craze my jaw by
half an inch. Why. Herford, who was
managing me then, was nearly scared to
death for fear l might bump into one and
get knocked out. Early in the fight when
l came back to my corner AL said: For
Gods sake, Joe, be careful l had to give
Fitzgerald a terrible beating to win. If
we had fought again it would have been
easier the second time. Somehow, fighter
can ever face man who has given him a
bad beating with the same confidence he
had before. Fitzgerald was IS near to the
lightweight championship that night as any
other man ever came after won the title.
Critic a Wonder.
Zone of my early fights was with Young
Critic. He was wonder when we fought
the first time 1 didn't have experience
enough to put him out then. He was
mighty peculiar fighter and had the most
original style 1 ever saw anywhere. He
stood right up to me and never gave back
a step. He blocked and then punched back
| "A hi
him. He had thick, short neck and he
never ducked a blow, yet it seemed almost
impossible to hit him. 1t was eXasper-
ating punching at fellow at close quar-
tiers and having all the blows picked off
before they landed. 1t felt like punching
into feather cushion. Fighting him, I
learned some things about boxing that
made other men easy to hit, and knocked
out a number of them during the next
year. About this time Bob FitZsimmonS
was the most famous Knockout in the
country. He had put out Jack Dempsey,
Jim Hall, Dan Creedon and a lot Of others
and had finished Peter Maher in round.
l followed FitZ around and watched him
when he was meeting all corners on the
stage. Fitz usually put them out In
round or two. / always was a great stu
dent, and l watched every move that F1tZ
made. After l went home at night I'd
lie in bed and try to picture Fitzsimmons'
movements in my mind and figure out his
punches. That influenced me great deal.
l never took boxing lesson IN my me, Out
1 made Fitz my model l learned his sys
tenn of using short hooks that Travelled only
a foot or so, and l became a knocker-out
myself Fitz always looked awkward. but
to my mind was the cleverest fighter l ever
saw He didn't look fast, but he was fast,
and nobody could get away from his
punches. 1t seems queer that even Fitz
has dropped back now. AL the fighters who
We're great when L was young in the game
are gone. Some are dead and some have
outlved their time in the ring. but I'm
still going along and fighting as well as l
ever did in my life
IN LOCAL CHESS CIRCLES.
Ch;af UoILar'S bond of indiana Nov,