The Washington herald., 1908-02-24
FEW PUGILISTS GAME
Latter-day Champions Have
Not Been Tested.
JOHN L. WAS NEVER PUNISHED
In the Twelve Years Sullivan Held
Championship He Never Received
IA Hard GrueIIng-Jaek Dempsey,
Tommy Ryan, Jack McAuIiffe, and
Kid Lnvigne Were Gritty Fighters.

How many real prize ughterS possess
gameness? Very few of the latter-day
champions have been severely tested in
this respect. The once mighty John l..
Sullivan, who held the heavy weight
championship of America for twelve
years, never received what might be
termed hard grueIing in any of his
battles.
Even in his bare-knuckle fight of sew
enty-six rounds with Jake Kilrain al
Richburg. Miss. he came out of the ring
with few bruises that amounted to any
thing
Sullivan's hardest mill was probably
with Charley Mitchell. in which John
disabled his famous right arm in the
early stages Of the encounter. the injury
being due 20 a heavy blow which landed
on the Englishman's head.
Sullivan has often declared that during
the battle he suffered more from the
pain in his arm and the cold rain which
beat down steadily upon him than from
any of the punches he received from his
antagonist. Although this fight lasted
| thirty-nine rounds. or three hours and
/ ten minutes. neither Sullivan nor Mitchell
was seriously injured. both being up and
doing the next day.
| This was rot the case, however. with
/ Heenan and Sayers when they met in a
terrific fight for the worlds champion
ship at Marlborough. England, in 1850
They fought with bare knuckles and for
forty-four rounds. They pounded each
other numerically until the British mob
I faf H.. ~g-,. l..
PEELED the referee TO decide the battle a
/ draw. Both pugilists were fearfully dis
figured. both as to face and body. but
each was game to the core. standing the
severe test with remarkable fortitude.
/ Sayers fought for two hours with a
/ broken arm.
Fight for six Hours.
Another wonderful exhibition Of pluck.
nerve, and stamina was that Of Jonathan
Smith and James (AustralianJ Kelly. who
took part in the longest bare knuckIe
/ fight under London rules on record For
six hours and fifteen minutes they smash
ed each other without mercy At Melbourne
in 1865. When the battle ended both men
had TO be carried from the ring in a help
| less condition. Neither could see, much
/ less speak. while both were suffering in
ternally
James ]. Corbett has always been proud
OF the fact that he never received j black
eye during his career in the ring. For
that matter. Kid Mccoy Young Mitchell.
Jim Hail. Paddy Ryan, Dominick McCaf-
/ fiery. Bob Fitzsimmons. Young GrifTo.
Billy Myer. and Abe Atteu neither had
their beauty spoiled nor got caulihower
ears. the fighters trademark, during
their battles
! Jack Dempsey was one Of the gamest
/ of modern pugilists. Many Of his tri-
umphs were wholly due TO his unlimited
courage. Frequently when weak and ex-
hausted in a contest with heavier and
more powerful antagonist. and his back
ers ready TO throw up the sponge. Demp-
! sey continued 70 fight uphill with the
pluck Of bulldog, until the other fellow
had had enough.
/ When FttzsimmOns hammered poor
/ Dempsey all over the ring at New Or
leans in 1891 Jacks seconds begged TO be
allowed 10 throw up the sponge Even
! Fitz said in the middle Of a round:
Il don't want TO punish you any more.
Jack. Give it up. You haven't got a
chancei"
But Dempsey did not know the meaning
of the word "quit." and replied:
Not on your life! You'll have to knock
me out before I stop"
So the lanky Cornishman proceeded to
put the game fellow TO sleep in the four
teenth round.
McAuIiffe-Carney Battle.
When Jack McAuliffe fought Jem Car
ney. Of England, at Revere Beach. near
Boston. he was ILL., His hackers wanted
to forfeit. but McAuliffe refused to listen
to them, and insisted upon taking a
chance to save their money II was a
long. grueling fight Of seventy-four
rounds, with odds greatly against the
American champion. who suffered agony
during the four hours and fifty-eIght
minutes that he was in the ring. but
he never showed the slightest inclination
TO stop.
Finally the New York gang broke into
the ring and Frank Stevenson declared
the fight a draw. For years afterward
McAuliffe tried TO induce Carney to meet
him either here or in England. but the
Britisher, who was one Of the pluckiest
fighters that ever lived. positively re-
fused all propositions. so that McAulIffe
was unable 10 prove which was the mas
ter.
Tommy Ryan. the retiring middle weight
champion, was another wonderful fighter
with world Of gameness. In 1891 he
took part IN one of the hardest battles in
ring history when he went seventy-six
rounds with Danny Needham at Mime
epolis,
His remarkable courage was also
shown in five terrific mills with Mysteri-
Gus Billy Smith. while the same quality
was displayed when Ryan was unexpect-
edly beaten by his pupil. Kid Mccoy, at
Maspeth. Mccoy made Ryan believe that
the match would be a fake.
! Ryan. as a result, did not train prop
erly, while Mccoy got into the ring ht to
fight for his life. Ryan discovered the
trick as soon as he put up his hands. but
1t was too late to quit, so he took fear
full beating for eighteen rounds, and was
literally cut into ribbons.
1t was because of a great loss of blood
and complete exhaustion that Ryan sank
helplessly 10 the floor. one of the worst
butchered pugilists ever seen in a ring.
Lavigne n Gritty Man.
| 1t was the phenomenal grit of George
CKid) Lavigne that enabled him to beat
the Giant Killer, W;Lcott. in the most
sensational ring battle on record. They
met at Maspeth in q fifteen-round bout
with the conditions that Walcott had to
weight 133 pounds ringside. and also had
to knock Lavigne out to win.
/ It was a wicked fight from the start
and Lavigne took such a lacing in the
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