Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10
THE BRITISH IDEA
OF PRIZE FIGHTING

1
land without ever getting back 80 much az
| one punch from one Of them. Not even q
| little love tap, much less Q punch. Ana
they were all trying. too. for to put 1t over
| me or even to give me breather meant
| money and reputation to them.
| Honest I got so / was ashamed to hit
those fellows. l felt as II l was mtung
my little sister. They'd stand up there IN
the middle of the ring, the big marks, and
| they'd hardly even turn around. once !
darted around behind one of them ana
hit him back of the ear, and, you can be-
| lieve 1t or not, he hasn't turned around
| yet to where that wallop came FROM
They're the statue fighters. take it from
me. The British fighter thinks he's q
] growing tree-he must think SO, or he'd
| move a-ound once in a while Their idea
! Is the chop-chop-chop thing-just stand
| there making fails of their fins-youd
think they were cutting grass. And while
they're doing that an American fighter who
knows any part of his little booklet can
! shoot in underneath and stab EN-. or
bounce away up In the air ana come down
| on top of their heads with both mitts. or
run around to one side and slap them on
the collarbone. or even polka out back OK
them and wallop them between the shoulder
blades. They won't move. They havent
been taught that, yknaw. l once walked
up to a 20-pounder-this was in Leeds
with my arms hanging to my sides He
did a little of that British fidding-stand-
ing up so straight that 1 was afraid II
hit him on the conk he'd bend so FAR BACK
as to break his spine. l suddenly ducked
under his guard, and then came up away
behind him, like boy that dives ana
then comes up in just the dramatically
opposite direction from where you expect
him to bob. He didn't see me-and yet ne
was supposed to be a good one-any more
than if l had been fishing in Sweden.
From behind-he looking up the rafters as
if he thought l might be perched there
like snowbird-I banged him on both ears
with right and left swings, and down ne
went. the subsequent proceedings interest
ing him more. Well, dye know that the
Britishers around that ring accused me OF
unfairness? Yep. That's what they dlo.
y'see, and hadn't given their man fair
shake and they awsked me wy l didn't
stawnd up and foight. man to man, like
man? What's the use? didn't make any
reply. l got what was coming to me OF
the gate, but it's sure wonder they didn't
claim a foul in behalf of their man.
~
And that's the way it goes. The British
fighters simply will not attempt to pick up
any of the new kinks of the game, so long
as they are in their own country. When
they come over here, and associate with
American fighters, it's different. Their in
suarity drops away from them to certain
extent l once heard Charley Mitchell own
up to It that he learned most of what ne
knew about fighting from American nght-
ers-and Mitchell certainly was stin ana
awkward one when he first appeared IN the
United States. Like all the rest OF them, ne
too. would take up that planted position In
the middle of the ring. like a geranium
bush. He only got away with 1t. at That,
because his day was before the day OF the
immense Improvements in the American
style of fighting. Jim Corbett was Teauy
the first distinguished eXemplar OF that new
style and the game has got far past MS
innovations since. Bob Fitzsimmons was
one of the d-still-and-chop-chOp fShters
until he got into contact with American
GDhf he I
so thick-headed as to refuse TO PICK up d
method that he clearly and instantly saw
was the better one. Bob F1tzsimmohs saio
only a little, while ago that shifty crafty
fighter of the Kid Mccoy class could prob
ably have licked nineteen of the Tlpton
Slashers and Bendgo Boys of the early
part of the nineteenth century in one ring.
And the fact that it is perfectly feasible
for the British fighters to learn ana aoopt
the American style Is superbly proved IN
the case of Fitzsimmons alone. VINO pc
came under the tuition of the teachers OF
the new STYLE one of the greatest, II not
the very greatest, fighters of the world and
In all the history Of the game
Spike Robson. the Br1ttsher, VINO put II
over Tommy Murphy, the Harlem LAD. IN
Philadelphia week or so ago, had the
sense to pick up the American style as coon
az he landed In this country. II ne hadnt
done that he wouldn't have had chance
in the world with Murphy. and Murphy IS
about 10000 geographical leagues from
being any toppy one at the game
O'Brien's narrative of the dubby lnd1-
vidual whom he put away by running
around behind him. reminded me of fight
I once saw between Terry McGovern and
Pedlar Palmer 1 shouldn't say that saw
that fight, for it really wasn't any fight,
and there wasn't anything to see.
Pedlar Palmer was the champion OF
Great Britain in his class, and he came
over here with great acclaim to put the re-
doubtable Terry away. -
The fight took place at Tuckahoe little
dump UP the New York Central line piece
from New York 1t was in 1897, If l re-
member correctly.
The train upon which friend and went
up to Tuckahoe was bit late. so that
when we got into the place the preliminary
scraps were over and Terry and the Pedlar
were just entering the ring. We gave our
coupons to an usher, and he led us to our
seats We were just turning around to
push the seats down when Terry and the
little Britisher were shaking hands previ-
Gus to the encounter" Before we had
pumped ourselves into our seats there was
a great roar and we looked up. That's all.
Pedlar Palmer was stretched out in the
middle of the ring and was being counted
out. We didn't see thing. 1t all hap
pened while we were sitting down. Terry
had just bobbed to one side and handed the
Britisher knockout thing before we had
chance to look up. The fight lasted
about one-eighth of a second
They've got the Chinese idea, all right,
those British. but just try to tell one OF
them that if you want to hear noise ike