The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-01-18
kid" LAyIGNEr WAS SURELY
A GREAT FIGHTING MACHINE

land the EngliShmen went d0wr
hook, line and sinker on their
champion.
Lavigne's manager had funny
Experience in that fight. lie and
Lavigne between them on tha,
might could only muster $1,000 IN
cash. and they decided to bet that
TO the last dollar. together with
the loser's end OF the purse, on
Lavigne to win. In the National
sporting club they bet "on the
finger. - A bet is is offered and
accepted. No money is posted. but
the wager is recorded in betting
book and paid as soon as the fight
is over. The manager standing in
the ring. offered to bet any amount
of money on Lavigne. Immediately
IEnglishmen all around the ring
Jumped up to offer wagers OF ga
hundred or more. In few mo.
ments the busy manager made a
lightning calculation and found that
he had bet all of the money he
and Lavigne had.
! Lavigne knocked Burge out after
a desperate fight that see-sawed
from side to side. The manager
began to collect his bets. The
first Englishman to pay up had
1wagered hundred. He turned over
/ 100 pounds in bank notes-$5OO
in American money. Lavigne IS
manager was Just about to call
the Engishman attention to the
fact that he had only wagered 500
when suddenly II dawned upon him
that the offers of wagers lad been
made In pounds. He had thought he
was betting dollars. The manager
almost fell in faint as he realized
that he had been betting over
100000, five times the entire
amount of money that he and La
vigne would have had in all the
world had Lavigne lost lie recov-
cred presence OF mind enough to
collect the rest OF his wagers In
pounds. but he had the fan-tods for
a week afterward thinking what
that crowd would have done to him
had Lavigne lost.
Lavigne's only trouble was that
he would drink whisky. He thought
1t would never hurt him. He
thought he had an idin head and q
zinc lined stomach. Lots OF young
Fighters have that idea, and when
they find out their mistake 1t il
too late to come back.
i Lavigne learned that by hard ex.
perience. An invincible lightweight
champion, he was finally matched
against Mysterious Billy Smith u
light for the welterweight title. The
night came or in San Francisco
= Lavigne trained for that nigh,
at the Ingleside roadhouse, few
miles outside of the city Reports
came, into the newspaper ofYices
that the "Kido was doing a tire
lmendous amount or road work oveI
| the hills, but that he was at the
same time consuming enough Wills
key to sink battleship. Only Q
few days before the fight he go
full OF "redeyen and thrashed .
sheriff or some local officer wht
tried to restrain him. That nearly
got lavigne into trouble. but it was
Squared IN some way and ON the
night OF the tight he was on deck
| That was one OF the most excit
Ing ring battles | ever went to see
Lavigne, apparently in magnificent
condition. stood head shorter
than Smith. Hut he was all there
with the fighting idea. Never TAX
ing a back step. ne tore into the
Mysterious One Nke wild cat
lie forced the fighting round after
round, while Smith fought steadily
with a skill rarely seen In the rims
nowadays. Once, remember, al
they broke from clinch. Smith
Threw every ounce of his strength
Into vicious upper cut. 1t barely
grazed Lavigne's jaw, and the
"saa'naw kinn Htepppd back,
Ismiiing. while the crowd yeiisea
m surprise and appreciation.
but IN the thirteenth round,