Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-25
FL YlVN HAS
BETTER OF
B. JOHNSON
WHIPS RUSSIAN FOR TEN
HARD ROUNDS
BIG FELLOWS FIGHT AT FAST
PACE THROUGHOUT
In Preliminaries Eddie Menney Out
points kutchos, and Walsh Stops
other with Rose in
Bad Way
RY ]. G. GRIEEIN

BY J. G. GRIFFIN
"EAD to head with arms swinging
and gloves smashing, Jim Flynn
81 and Battling Johnson went ten
gruelling rounds last night to victory
for Flynn. The fireman had the best
of the show in every round but the two
which must be given to his opponent
and two others in which neither man
had an advantage.
For such big men it was one of the
fastest contests ever staged anywhere.
We all know how entirely lacking in
science Flynn is, but Johnson was so
clumsy that by comparison the fireman
was clever Time after time he ducked
the Russians well meant wallops, and
beat the big fellow to the lead. scoring
decisively.
It was a fight all the way, and the
wonder of it was that no one took the
count long before the tenth round. The
men were close together most of the
time, and at the end they were whang-
ing away with the same power behind
their punches as was there at the be-
ginning. Both were a little weak, bur
Flynn had the advantage in strength
by a considerable margin.
Considering the pace at which the
men travelled and the frequency with
which telling and forceful blows were
landed, the bout was singularly free
from gore. 1t was expected that either
one or the other would be cut to rib
bons if the go went the limit, but aside
from badly shattered lip on Johnson
evidences of the fierce mixing were
lacking. Flynn presented two broken
hands at the end, claiming to have frac-
tured the bones in the second round.
but this may or may not have been the
case. Right up to the final bell he
landed with such force as in the be-
ginning. and gave no evidence of pain
when his gloves lit on some hard part
of the Russians face and body.
Flynn Gives Ground
At the opening of the fight Flynn
gave ground before Johnson's fierce and
powerful rushes. In the first round the
Battler sent in a couple of hard rights
to the head, and Flynn backed away in
an endeavor to let johnson wear HIM
self out. When tired of this Flynn
stuck close to the Russian, and there
was no damage done.
Flynn started the second round in
better style and landed a hard right to
the head at the opening of hostilities.
"A series of punches from the Fireman
sent the Battler to the floor where he
took the count of two. Flynn was all
over him when he got up, but failed to
knock the big boy over again. 1t was
easily Flynns round.
The third was rather even. Flynn
opened up with his aggressive tactics,
but failed to do anything effective, and
the men kept close together throughout
the remainder of the perid. Just be-
fore the bell sounded Johnson sent in
hard left to the head, but Flynn hung
or and showed no signs of having been
hurt.
Flynn was again the aggressor at the
opening of the fourth, and made John
son give ground. He sent in a right to
the stomach that staggered the Rus
sian, followed with a rain of punches
which shook the big boy. Flynn slipped
in a neutral corner, but as soon as he
regained his feet was at Johnson again
and rushed him all over the ring.
They came to a clinch at the opening
of the fifth period, and then Flynn
went at it again, rushing Johnson to a
corner johnson got in right on the
head that evened things up little, and
the round was the Fireman's by but a
slight shade.
The sixth was the only round that
could be called for Johnson. He ap.
parently woke up and kicked in with
his best landing effectively all the time
and making his opponent back up
Flynn was never in danger, despite the
Russians speed and hard wallops.
Another shaded Flynn round was re-
corded in the seventh when he beat
Johnson to most of the leads and
looked almost clever in ducking the
Russians we'll meant swings. Toward
the end Flynn missed two swings and
went sprawling, while Johnson laughed.
johnson Too Slow
The eighth was again Flynn's, and
every exchange made him a victor by a
wider margin Johnson never made a
move like quitting, and at one period
had Flynn slightly distressed. The
Russian did not know enough to follow
his advantage, and when the bell
changed Flynn was as good and as ag-
greSsive as ever.
Johnson showed improvement in the
ninth and had an even break with the
Fireman, and then they shook hands
for the Windup. Throughout the period
Flynn was the aggreSsor, but Johnson
refused to be dccisiVely beaten, and
when the final minute terminated he
was fighting with his head against
Flynn's and as ready to go on as the
next one, despite his weakened con-
dition.
And the question is-will Johnson
ever be a fighter? My answer is, some
day, perhaps. Right now he would
grace a longshoreman'S uniform, where
he looks foolish with a pair of boxing
gloves.
The preliminaries were both good. In
the first one Rose and Moore started
out fiercely. fouling each other repeat
edly In the second round Tommy
Walsh did the right thing and stopped
it, Rose being in bad shape when he
did so.
Eddie Menney was entitled to a de-
cision over Mike Kutchos, despite his
foolish tactics in the second round.
Eddie thought he saw a chance ITO win
without fighting and pretended to have
been fouled. Tommy Walsh wasn't
there to be bunked. and made Menney
hAx -