The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-01-18
(lIy Robert rdgren. !

| Who Will ever forget the name o
/" Nld' Iavigne, the Saginaw boy
who whipped them all. lightweights
land welterweights, until old 10. n
Barleycorn put him away at last.
Lavigne was fighting wonder
in his day. Built sturdily from his
head to his heels, with wide
shoulders and good neck and
! chin. with gameness unrivaled. La
vigne was invineible until his own
foolishness destroyed his figh ting
ability and sent him down to the
! first defeat.
II Lavinge had never taken of
drink he might have been light
weight champion of the world to
this day. The "Saginaw Kid, was
one OF the gamest men that ever
stepped into a ring. Nothing in the
shape of punishment could affect
his nerve. the fearful fight In which
he made Joe Walcott quit at Mas.
,peth will never be forgotten. and
his twelve round victory over the
''GiGnt KillerD in San Francisco
is part of ring history that will
endure until new champions have
wiped out all memory of the
ancients and the present generation
OF sporting men has gone over the
range.
In that MaspeIth fight WaNcott
beat Lavigne until the spectators
slckened and called for the sponge.
l.avigne's ear was hanging to his
head by a shred. His face was
smashed fiat: his eyes were closed.
Walcott, fighting like the "black
demon" he was, kept up a pace
that would have killed of any other
lightweight in the ring In a round
or two. But there was no stopping
l.avigne. The more he was battered
the more furiously he came back.
Time and again, reeling away
under the terrible impact of Wal.
colts fists. he charged In again.
throwing his whole weight into
the attack. And at last Walcot.
gave up hope OF beating this daunt-
less white man. The eternal differ
ence between the white and the
black races was illustrated again.
The black, unhurt, looked at the
white man, terribly battered and
dlsfigured, but still fightng abso-
lutely without fear. and his heart
began to recognize the mastery
that has obtained since the ancient
forerunners OF the Caucasian race
first took the negro into bondage
Walcott practically quit with La.
forts. Returning to his corner at.
ter a round in which he had hi
Lavigne a score OF smashing blows
with no other effect than to sting
him into greater fury, he said to
his manager: ~ kain't lick thai
white boy. KANT lick him.
\ "fou go on and fight or III
iput a hole through you,,, threaten.
led the manager. With a revolver
behind and Lavigne In front Wal.
colt went out,
But from that time on Lavigne
tore in and gave Walcott a fearful
beating, while the black hung on
and fought half heartedly.
Walcott practically quit with La
vigne in the Frisco fight, making
great start and poor finish.
The man who could take all the
heart out OF twalcott must have
been a wonder. sif
''kid" Lavikne never cared how
big the other fellow was. Only a
lightweight himself, he whipped
Welterwaght, walcott He fought a
no decision bout with Tommy Ryan,
afterward middleweight champion.
He beat such men as Charles Nc
Keever, "kid" Meartland, Jimmy
Handler, Tommy Tracey ,welter-
veightl. Jack Everhardt and Eddie
Oennoliy - re 80
One Of Lavigne's Is greatest nghss
was. In the National sporting Clnb
OF London, where he knocked out
DICK Bnrge I'm seventeen rounds
Dick Surge was the greatest light
weight ever produced In England.