Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-07-03
THE PUGlLlSTS
NELSON-GANS
 TOMORROW
Latter is the Favorite and Both Seem Confident of Winning
 Other News.

A feature of the Gans-Nelson for. ty-five round battle which is to be fought on Saturday is the absolute confidence each fighter is displaying in his ability to beat the other. Il is not at all unusual for pugilists. on the eve of an important engage ment, to make the statement: There's nothing to it; I'll win easily" But it is seldom that the actions of the fighters actually bear out the assertions so boldly made by the principals. In the case of both Cans and Nelson, however, there is plenty of evidence that each believes that he will draw down the big end of the purse before the echoes of the tirecrackers have finally died away. Neither Cans nor Nelson has taken the trouble to hire a trainer to assist him in his preparation for the fight, and both have devoted more time to cultivating endurance and muscle than to improving their skill as box CTS. Notwithstanding this rather unusual mode of procedure the rival lightweights are reported to be ill splendid condition and very close to the. required weight, which is to be 133 pounds stripped at the ringgide. The two men have been examined by physicians, who state that despite their long career in the ring and the many hard buffetings they have re- ceived each is in shape to fight at top speed from the sound of the gong until the forty-fifth round is reached unless cut down by a blow which shall bring temporary unconscious ness.
 Jack Welsh, who will referee the battle, paid avisit to the respective training quarters of the two men and discussed the regulations which govern the fight. It was decided that the referee shall not at any time interfere with the fighters by laying hands on them or shouldering them apart in case of clinch.. This stipu- lation was made in order that there should be no interference in what is agreed will be a grudge fight pure and simple. Each pugilist has trained especially to fight at top speed and to stand up under a hard beating, and it appears certain that the contest will resolve itself into one in which the Dane and the negro will be perfectly willing to take a punch in order to send over a blow of similar character.
 Cans continues the favorite at 5 to and his latest statement bristles with confidence. He says:
 "I am going after Nelson from the start; there will be no let-up, and believe l will win in good fashion. Battling Nelson's boast is that he has never been knocked out. Well. here is one time, if things go right, that he can change his tune. I ex- pect to win my fight. That ought to be straight enough. What I need in this fight Is strength, and 1t is for that reason, chiefly, that I have done less boxing and more jogging on the roads and bag punching in the gym. It has made me feel fine, and I can truthfully say that never felt bet ter in my life. There has been no worry or dispute. Everything has been going along the right way, and l will surprise Mir Nelson when he steps into the ring He has been saying that he expects to get cut up some, but that, after the twentieth round, he will have it on me. There isn't going to be any twentieth round for Bat. I will have my strensth, and my punch will be a different one from the one he felt in Goldfield."