Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-02
NO SUCH THING
AS A "lUCKY PUNCH"

NEW YORK. March Els there such a
thing as a lucky punch in the prize
ring? Dial Hawkins. the inventor OF the
''iuke' fling to the jaw. says that II
doesn't exist. Dial was perhaps the most
remarkable one punch artist that ever lei
fist fly through space. Hawkins SAID
the other day that the man who claims
he was beaten by lucky" blow Is get
ting out of an awkward position with a
howl that is becoming threadbare Mike
Twin) Sullivan's cry about ketcheI
sneaking one over when he wasn't ready
set Hawkins to talking:
when a man goes into ring Walks
to the center. shakes hands and then
steps back and puts up his guard with
four good feet between him and the other
fellow, there isn't a chance In the world
for lucky punch. If the other fellow
pops you on the jaw in the first minute
Of the fight. as Ketchel did Mike Twin. it
is perfectly legitimate. He's there to get
YOU and you are there With the same
idea in mind. When Ketchei started that
punch for Mikes jaw he knew eexactiy
what he was about. and what was ex-
pected of his padded fist Mike saw 1t
coming and couldn't escape it to save his
life. and when he said that 1t was
chance he was confessing the other man
his superior"
A Wonder With His Left.
Hawkins was famous for his left-hand
punch. Spider Kelly. who was his friend
and second, claims that little Hawkins hit
harder punch with his left than any
middleweight ever did with his right He
knocked Martin F1aherty out In four sec
onds at Carson the shortest fight on rec
ord for many a day. Every time man
walked out of his corner toward Hawkins
the cry was. Look out for that left!'
With few exceptions the men who fought
Hawkins took the count In the first
round. They were always warned. but
Hawkins had the knack of whipping over
that deadly southpaw, and then 1t was
the blow with his jaw.
Hawkins says that those punches
weren't lucky. The men simply couldn I
get away from them. He dropped Frank
Erne in San Francisco before Erne knew
he was i'm fight. AS Frank walked up
to Hawkins the usual cry of Look out
for that leftr' greeted his ears. Erne
smiled. tented once. and bang! After all
the care he had taken to watch, he fell
a victim to it.
Even Cans Put Down.
Tom O'Rourke said the other. day that
he went into Joe Cans dressing room the
night he fought Hawkins in New York
and told Joe that he had a. little bet down
on him, but to be sure and look out for
that left" Cans grinned and said, oh.
he can't hit me with that. Mr.. Tom. "
But Hawkins did. The first crack out of
the box he brought it over on Joe's jaw.
and down he went. Joe came back. all
right. but the minute he got back in the
dressing room he sent for O'Rourke and
said:
well, he did what you told me he would
do, Mr.. O'Rourke.''
Show any fighter Dial Hawkins picture
and the first thing he will say is oh!
that left!' Bob Fitzsimmons always fin
ished his fights with one punch. When
ever Bob sent a man to the Stats the
man generally stayed there. Corbett
claims. and many good judges who saw
the fight at Carson do. too, that Jim lost
his title through a lucky punch. Fitz
won't have it that way.
ANY time / sent it over it was fol
keeps. ] always saw the hole in the
other fellows defense, and I knew every
time that the fellow was a goner ever
while the blow was half way there.
waited patiently for chance to pin Cor
bett with one, and it came. 1t wasn't
luck-it was better workmanship, that's
ALL"
JEFF Won the Same Way.
Jeffries nailed Corbett the same way in
their New York fight. Jim jabbed James
for twenty-three rounds to his hearts
content, and suddenly Corbett was caught
with lucky" punch. Go into Jeffries
place and tell him that blow was a
chance" one, and you will probably land
in the middle Of the car track. jeff claims
that it was always coming. but that II
took twenty-three rounds to get 1T over
John l.. Sullivan doesn't believe In the
lucky punch business.
amy time a fellow lands one Of those
things he shows his ability over the other
fellow" offers the Old Roman.
"A man who has the reputation of being
dangerous puncher is always carefully
handled, and. If he does connect, then he
has something in stock that the other Eel
low lacks Is the way Young Corbett
puts it. poor little Terry will always
believe that took his title away with q
fiuke punch. 1t took another fight and a
beating to convince him that there was
real art in that first win. There's no such
thing as q lucky punch ".