The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-01
BRITT HANDED
IT TO BATTLER
Twenty Rounds of Fighting in
Which the Native Son
Greatly ExCelled.
DANE SIMPLY OUTCLASSED
ENORMOUS CROWD WITNESSED
THE MILL.

Auditorium, San Francisco. July a.
Jimmy Britt of San Francisco gained the
decision over Battling Nelson of Hege-
wisch, ILL.,, at the end of 20 rounds of as
fast and pretty fighting as has been seen
in San Francisco in many years. At no
time was either man in danger of a
knockout until near the end of the last
round, when Britt's right and left
swings and uppercuts. which he landed
one after another at will on Nelson's face,
all but put the Dane down and out
Nelson did the greater part of the lead
ing from start TO finish, but he was out
done by Britt in cleVeTness, ring general
snip and everything but gameness and
ability to take punishment,
Only Two Rounds for Nelson.
Referee Welsh, after announcing his de-
clsion, gave Nelson only two rounds out
of the twenty-five second and the
seventh.
By his game fight Britt wiped out final
~ the aspersiOns that some former bat
ties had placed on him. He showed that
Keeping away from his adversary is the
chief part of his ring generalship. His
defense showed up better than ever be
fore and his accuracy was never so mark
ed. he found his man almost at will,
and from the tap of the opening gong to
the end of the last round there was no
lack of steam in his blows. If anything
he showed up stronger in the last five
rounds than N the first fifteen. while in
the last half of the mill Nelson's hitting
powers obviously diminished.
Britt Took No Chances.
While Britt took no foolish chances, lie
gave Nelson plenty of close quarter op-
portunities to put him out if the battIer
had been able to land. Nelson disappOint-
ed many of his admirers by his Witness
In the last eight or ten rounds he swung
with right and left for the face scores
of times and missed by small margin
His favorite hitting tactice were to crowd
his man, go into a clinch and then, with
his bull head pressing his adversary's
neck, -uppercut him again and again to
the face and body.
The great strength of Nelson was moth
ing new to the crowd of 10000 ring fol-
lowers who watched him tonight but the
equal and undiminished strength of Britt
was a surprise that set them by the ears
and won for the local fighter ringing yells
of applause in at least half dozen
rounds. Nelson, on the other hand was
distinctly weakened toward the close of
the fight and IL the ninth was Jared
backward several PAGES and all but off
his feet by right and left swings to the
head. The Dane showed his lessening
strength in his faltering fOotwork and the
utter ineffectiveness of the blows he fail
ed to land. All through the fight the
force of BrittS blows, a great majority
of which found their mark. was such that
a fighter with less than Nelson's immense
stamina would have taken the count
couple of times and then stayed down.
4 ringsider summed it up rather neatly
AT the close of the fight when he remark
ed
Let's call it Battling Britt and The
Enduring Dane
Vicious Last Round.
Both men came to the center of the ring
with a jump when the gong sounded the
opening of the last round. Alternately the
two men Wed with each other in holding
on and Nelson, who IN previous round
had been warned by the referee for butt
ing. appealed to WEIGH TO break BIRTHS
hold. They exchanged light blows and
then Nelson crowded Britt to the ropes
in a neutral corner and jabbed his sore
nose with a left. Ducking his way out,
Britt turned. swinging right and left to
the Danes face with vicious force that
sent him Keeling backwards to the ropes
and following up his advantage he upper
cut and smashed with both hands, while
the blood flowed down Nelson's face and
the crowd sent up a roar of delight unat
shook the incandescents.
Nelson All But Out.
Nelson failed to come back. The round
ended with half a clinch and Nelson es-
saying a weak uppercut with his left. 1t
looked as though the final gong was all
that saved him from a knockout. In his
corner a moment later Nelson vOmited
freely.
the hardest 3)-rOund fight he ever stood
up to. a right eye all but closed, a slight
cash over the left cheek a cut mouth and
a badly battered nose. Aside from bleed
ing nose, Britt showed up at the finish
withOuta visible mark.
Cans Rooted for Britt.
Joe Cans. the lightweight champion Of
the world made himself a ringSide feat
ure Clad in immaculate evening clothes
and holding his opera hat in one hand, he
rooted for Britt all through the last half
of the fight. Go to him. Britt: Good boy
Jimmie" he kept shouting. and when the
enthusiasm of the crowd reached its high
tide in the last two rounds the negro
flung his hat into a chair and leaning up
against the ring floor, clapped his hands
necessarily and kept up stream of en-
. courasing calls to the Californian.
Referee Walsh said
1T was a good, clean fight and the
best man won it fairly. I gave Nelson
seventh
Statement by Britt.
Britt made the following statement to
the associated Press:
I have beens going around two years
claiming that / was Nelson's master and
not making any cry as is the custom of
Ihe defeated fighters. / bided my time
when / could fight my own fight and not
one for the public and the result you see
Nelson could not have gone a half a
round further. I never drew a long
breath. l am willing TO meet any 49,
pound man in the world
Batter Has No Excuses.
Nelson was seen in his dressing room
He said:
Il have no excuses. Britt fought a good
fight. but at that / think he won in the
last round. ! think 1 ate too much sup
per. They can't say 1 went the pace and
lost l did my best"
1--WE have no complaint" said Nolan.
the Danes manager. 'The decision was
lust Nelson is good loser
REGARDING the distribution of the gate
receipts. the agreement was that 90 per
cent should go to the fighters and 40
per cent to the club promoters. but after
the fight it was learned that at the
eleventh hour Billy Nolan persuaded Alec
Greggins to give up an extra 10 per cent
10 him and the Dane. This let the club
ont with only 30 per cent. OF the fighters
money 80 per cent went to the winner and
40 to the loser. The total receipts were
in the nsighbOrhOod of $4,000. Approx
mately ten thousand people witnessed the
fight.
FIGHT BY ROUNDS.
Round Britt sent Nelson lettering
lqo 10 iybf q fht. iax nd