The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-07
ZOE CANS IS NOW
old NAN OF RING
ole Survivor of Long List of
Champions Famous in
Pug History.
BY w. w. NAUeHToN.

1 IS and induces reveries.
As for Cans himself, retrospect
ust produce a feeling of lonesome
SIS such as comes from roaming "a
lnquet hall deserted" He is GER
MY the sole survivor of a band Of
|ng men who were famous in old
bars.
VINO remembers Dare Armstrong
pa Johnny Van Hest. two victims
Cans trusty right in the years that
Ilve lied? Where now are the Ken
eky Rosebud and Young Critic.
hose names were things TO conture
I'm when these scrappers were in
j cir heydey? George Siddons. too.
nSlt OF him, or of Danny Mcbride. or
r own Dial Hawkins?
IJsEy Marshall was another of Cans
lYfime opponents, and on the same
Z Bere Mike Leonard and Stanton
1bott, all Of them prominent light
Sights in their day Then there were
/ lily Ernst Kid Mcfarland and Jack
ply, each Of whom had the champion
ip bee buzzing in his bonnet at some
Inc In his career.
Spider Kelly, too, is a denizen of
i MS private graveyard, and so are
(ank Erne, Otto Sieloff, Kid Parker.
artin Flaherty. Rufe Turner. Gus
Esrdner, Charlie Sieger. Tommy Ira
and Others too numerous to mem
ln."
Dead as Ancient Kings.
Every man Jack of them is as dead.
REALISTICALLY. as the ancient kings of
4sypt, and II seems little short of
|arvelous that the one who laid them
lay should still be serving out hooks
d upper cuts for a living.
"A sporting man of my acquaintance
ked me the other day if Bob Fitz-
5nnssns' record was not a more re
<arSa BILE one from the standpoint of
zhgth OF service than that of Cans.
=hybe il is. although there is plenty
room for argument.
EEftzsimmOns claims 70 have had his
Z ST ring experience in New Zealand
the year 1880. He wound up his ca
3Rr in a losing contest with Jack
<hnson at Philadelphia in July of
#t year, so this would have him box
3 twenty-seven years in all
against this Cans has been but sew
teen years at the game.
Srhe FftzsimmOns record prior TO his
vent at Larry FOleys in Sydney
out 1883, is in rather a nebulous con-
ion, however. Australian experts re-
~ I'd the year named as the real be-
5hning of the Fitzsimmons era. 50
Eht II the antipodean view of the
bitter is adopted, Fitz hasn't seen
Y more active service than Cans.
+ rtieularly il we regard Fitz defeat
Jack O'BTien in San Francisco IN
= as the real close of the Fitzsim-
q JASON
Cans Not Through Yet.
Bupposlng that Fitz can produce
Ia 10 show that he was in harness
bger than Cans, the latter can say
reply: Yes, but wait until I'm
<rotgh. I've been seventeen years at
i az I'm still winning"
IAll OF which is very true.
=1tzsimmons and Cans certainly di-
! he between them the highest honors
the matter Of long service at any
Ne since the bare fist gave way to
4 boxing gloves. The life of a pu-
list is a nerVe-racking one, and the
4 lar and tear on muscle and stamina
such that very few of the ring men
{ more than eight or ten years.
at Joe and Bob should have con-
/ ued in harness while generations Of
Hlisers came and went is accounted
1 in a measure by the manner of life
4 n of them led. Neither went in for
housing between fights, as the ma
1ity Of pugilists of the last decade
two did.
But II is probable that Cans and
! zsimmons would have been at il a
&g time even if they had not been
i reful liyers, They are in a measure
&aks, ana the prize ring has known
ID few of that kind. George Godfrey.
negro heavyweight, who operated in
'4S. was also OF the long-lasting
Il, and Just at this moment l can
q recall another.
Dixon Might Have Been.
little George Dixon might have
! aied Fitz and Cans in length of
he at the game if he had not dissi-
- ted 10 such an extent as to convert
{nself into a physical wreck at a
&nparativeiy early age. Dixon's re-
ID sets forth that he was fully
r enty years in the ring. but during
4 last eight or ten years of his life
was a mere wrath. and was forced
Edeht the best he could 10 keep from
irving.
ITharIie Mitchell the British heavy
|sght, claimed that sixteen years
Lpsed from the time he began fight
until ne was defeated by Jim Cor
Ia at Jacksonville IN 1894 AS the
rbett AFFAIR was more Of a reap
5urance" on Charles part than any
Ing else. q few years may be writ
b on the figures given by Charlie.
i didn't engage in any fighting 10
Eeak OF after his draw with John L.
IIiivan al Chantilfy in 1880.
tohn l. Sullivan's twelve-year ten
j. OF Office is above the average of a
ker's span of usefulness. Jack
mpsey lasted twelve years. and Kid
[viene a bare eight. Terry McGov-
Il held himself together for nine
bre-
corbett's Record Short.
lin lCorbett's record shows a num-
- undated performances prior TO
IL and closes with the Jenries cpl
Ia IN San Francisco in 1908. This
ma make it appear that Jim was in
s-ness for ever seventeen years.
I4ars In San Francisco we date Cor
- career from his barge fight with
1 .eyhoynsld in 1889, and we consider
: tain was rung down at Carson
fss9s, when F1tzsimmOns located the
- plexus. This would show that
T. really strenuous spell Of activity
e of eight years duration.
{oung Corbett, Jimmy Britt, frankie
In and Eddie HanlOn are all easily
(aIled examples OF how brief