The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-14
BY w, D, RISHEL.


Ogden. Jan. 1S.-Battling Nelson, THE |
Durable Dane" mas not yet reached the /
stage where the power of a human fist |
swung with every pound of steam a hard
hitting prize fighter puts in blow. can
lay him low for the fatal count of ten. /
Nelson, tough, rugged, uncOnquerable, Is
still the abyssmal brute Of Jack London
fame. Those who thought the terrible
Danes days had at last been numbered !
by the terrific punishment administered |
by Joe Cans at Goldfield a year and
half ago, must in justice to the Battler
set him back in the class where he be-
longs. the still unbeaten champion.
A crowd which was perhaps the largest
that ever sat at a Utah ring-side, swarm
ed into the opera house tonight and saw
Jack Clifford swing rights and lefts to
Jaw and kidney. alternating "A straight
left and right now and then to the solar
plexus with enough force to stop an OK
Did Nelson stop or hesitate? Not he The
faster and harder Clifford landed those
blows, the faster and harder Nelson
fought back Not once did that smile
which takes the very heart out of a fight
er leave his face. Those who have never
seen Nelson ia action would groan as II
they expected to see him sink to the
floor. Those who know the Dane merely
sat back with the thought that Clifford
would have to learn the sad lesson that
Nelson could not be knocked out, that Is
not from the force of the blows Delivered
by any man who has ever faced him IN
the ring.
In this manner the men fought until
about one minute of time in the fifth
round had elapsed. Then at a time when
Clifford was coming in with head down
and full right arm swing aimed for Mel
sons kidneys, where dozens had previous
" landed, Nelson stepped N and with
vicious right hand upper cut caught Cliff
ford fun on the point II the jaw. Jack
dropped like a log and those who have
seen such blows delivered before knew in
an instant it was all over. Nelson walked
TO his corner and watched Abe Pollock
as he slowly counted the ten seconds
Clifford knew nothing of what was going
for 1t was fully thirty seconds before
1TE CETne to and was helped to his corner.
The end was sudden and came as sur
prise to every one and as Nelson walked
out of the ring there was not mark on
him to show that he had been in fight.
Clifford Fought Hard.
The quick victory by Nelson does not
mean that Clifford dld not put up gOOu
fight. Those who know not the Dare
thought Clifford would win up until the
final blow was landed. Jack was landing
by far the greater number of blows, clean
blows started with all the force he could
muster from a seq position II looked as
if Nelson could not long stand under such
treatment. but the Dane thrives on Just
by round Clifford was growing weaker
and Nelson was growing stronger. Jack
showed the effects of the fighting IN the
fourth round and the blows timed and
we'll aimed did not have the steam behind
them they did in the earlier rounds Then
the beginning of the end was in sight and
IL was seen that Nelson still had the
remarkable vitality which Cans could not
overcome IN forty-two rounds at Gold
field.
Some may not give Nelson credit for his
victory, claiming Clifford does not class
Perhaps so with champions, but Clifford
has a harder WALTON than three-fOurths
of the fighters in the ring today If Cliff
ford could not have landed that wallop,
then il would have been different story,
but he did and landed a hard wallOp. as
hard as he could put force behind it.
Many men who perhaps rank higher than
Clifford could not have done half as much
damage to Nelson as Clifford did in the
four and a half rounds, and yet Clifford
never worried the Dane.
Clifford made the same mistake every
man who has faced the Dane. but Joe
Cans has made. He tried to knock him
out and do il quick. Clifford thought as
other hard punchers, notably Young Cor
bett and AureliO Herrera, have thought.
that Nelson could not Withstand SHE
blows he could deliver. Too late. as others
have. Jack found the muscular shoulders
of his did not. possess the power to turn
the trick Had Clifford stalled for TWEEN
~ rounds he would probably have been
returned victor on points lie fought.
but by so doing he added one more knock
out to the record of the famous Battler.
A Good, Clean Fight.
The fight was a good one TO look upon,
and was not one where either man show
ed the effects of hard beating. The end
was clean and a few seconds after the
fight, both men sat in their training quar-
ters talking to friends. Jack said he had
broken his left arm early in the fight, but
although Jack may not think so, 1t would
not have made any difference. Jack was
up against the Nelson of old days to-
night. and that in itself spelled defeat for
the Grass Valley fighter
The battle was remarkably clean one
and TO the surprise of many, but little
infghting was done. As a rule Clifford