The Washington herald., 1908-03-08
BOXERSLACKSCIENC
Modern Fighters All Right
hand SluggerS.
LEFT HAND MOST EFFECTIVE
Popularity of Present-day PugfIists
Surprising Considering Their Ab-
soIute Inability TO Put Away a
Man Who Is Clever with a Straight
Left and Guards with the Right.

Men who are at all familiar with boxing
history must be surprised at the popular
ity attained by boxers of the school of
Billy Papke. Packey Mcfarland. Tommy
Burns. Freddy Weeks, and other scrap
pers who have come from the West with
great regulations as punehers.
Before they arrive in the East their
advent is heralded by stories OF the num-
ber OF men they have knocked out. In
the case Of one Of the above mentioned
the story preceded him that he had
knocked out three opponents in one night,
at the rate OF something like one min
ute When these men get here they are
found for the most part to be nothing
more than right-hand sluggers. In other
words. men who depend almost entirely
on their ability TO knock out an oppo-
nent with a right-hand smash on the
jaw
There is nothing strange, however
about the fact that when they get among
boxers Of even moderate ability their
careers as knockers-out seems to come
10 a halt. This Is due more than any,
thing else 20 the fact that when they get
developed at least some little skill in US
ing their left hand for offense and defend
Ing themselves by guarding and block
ing with their right hands Against a
man who is a clever puncher with a
straight left, and who knows even the
rudiments Of guarding or blocking with
his right hand the face and the vital
parts OF the body the right-hand slug
ger soon finds that he cannot walk right
IN and beat his opponent down with a
punch or two. as he does when he is up
against a fighter skilled only in his own
style OF offensive work says r. III. Kain
In the Philadelphia Record
The swinging blow has always been rec
ognized in England as the natural blow
OF the lot, for the costermonger. and box
ers many years ago recognized the fact
that. as a straight line was the shortest
distance between any two points. so also
the straight blow was the shortest and
quickest punch to use against an oppO-
nent. Skilled boxers found that they
could hit a punch quick enough TO dis
able ruffian trying TO assault them with
a dagger or bludgeon- And IL was rec
ogniZed long time ago that good
boxer had little use for any other wea-
pons than those furnished by nature.
Left Hand Most Effective.
John L. Sullivan was in his prime one
OF the greatest masters Of the right-hand
swinging punch. In fact. some persons
credited him with being the inventor OF
the blow. which was known almost from
the beginning of the world and used by
the gladiators in the old Grecian and Ro-
man arena conbats. Sullivan knocked
out more men than any OF the so-caIled
terrors from the West OF these days. But
he found that against a really clever left
hand boxer ne could do little effective
work with his famous reproducing
punch. Men Ike Dominick MCCaffrey.
Charlie Mitchell. and Jim Corbett had no
difnculty in guarding their heads and
bodies from Suliivan's terrific right-hand
swings or evading the punches and az the
same time stabbing their left hands 10
Sulliyan's face in spite of his efforts 10
NOW Them down with one punch.
Long before Sullivan's time clever left
hsnd-hitting boxers did the same thing
10 men who depended on their right-hand
punches for ending ring combats. Gentle
man Jackson. Jem Ward and Jem Mace
were famous for the skill with which they
could handle roughs and tOughs who were
terrific hitters with their right hands.
Mace was especially skillful at that sort
of thing. and in addition 10 this he was
so fast on his feet and so clever in dodg-
ing blows aimed at his head that he has
often been known 70 make wagers to
stand up and let some big, strong fellow
bang away at him. Mace would fold his
hands behind him and defy the other fell
low 10 hit him in the face. and so well
would his head lodging be timed that he
seldom got a punch in the face. One
occasion is noted where Mace. for a Joke
stood with his back to a stone wall. and
as a big. strong fellow punched az him
he ducked his head to one side, and the
man smashed several bones in his hand
against the wall. which he hit instead of
Mace
Clark Welcomed SiuggerS.
Il r,Sa5 IN h. an axfoD, ,-itl, u-of ~.