Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09
WHY CANS CAN'T
BEAT THE BATTLER
Constitution Is in Poor Shape
and His Last Fight indicates
That He Is About All In.

NEW YORK. August S-The sports
OF San Francisco think there is just
one more big purse In poor old Joe Cans.
so they have matched him with Battling
Nelson for the third, and no doubt the
last time. Joe himself, who realizes
better than any one else how much
cleverer than Nelson he is, probably
believes that his open-air life at Hardin
Springs. which has brought his weight
up to IA pounds, will give him the
stamina to beat Nelson.
Anyway, despite the stories of great
Cans is practically broke He took
money badly. and after that contest he
travelled to Chicago to get on Packy
Mcfarland because he needed more
money. The horses have not only got
his fortune-if he ever had much above
the Baltimore hotel-and the book
makers have probably spent most Of
what he received in the fight with
Nelson.
Joe is now matched for forty-f1ve
rounds with Nelson for September 9. How
useless it will be for Cans to try to re-
cover the lightweight title from Nelson
secrets Of his training camp when he was
working for the last fight are told. Since
the contest several men who were in
the camp and who saw the great fighters
daily work have come back to the east.
Was Far From Right.
So far from being fit for a forty-flve-
round battle with such vigorous speci-
men as Nelson. they say. he was not even
fit to train for such a fight. He couldn't
stand road work. his stomach was bad
and he drank a couple OF pints Of beer
every day to keep up his waning strength.
One day he went out on the road with
Jimmy Gardner of Lowell and Jimmy
Walsh Of Boston. who were also at work
at Shannon's. and he tried with them to
do eleven miles. They had not gone far
before the champion broke down, with a
severe pain in the side. He couldn't go q
step farther. Walsh and Gardner sent
him back to camp In an express wagon
His stomach was so bad that his ap-
petite was affected. He couldn't eat
stunts. Time and again he sat down be-
fore the well-coOked food on the table
at Shannon's with a sirlOin steak in front
of him. Cutting out the tenderloin he
his napkin over the big piece of meat
left on his plate, tried to hide from the
others the fact he couldn't eat. Some
times his dinner consisted chiefly of the
beer he drank.
Spent Time on Rubbing Board.
His favorite stunt was to lay on the
rubbing board while his assistants mas
saged him. He spent more than two hours
each day. and turned over and over as his
muscles were pulled and hauled and rub
bed. 1t was the only part of the train
ing that he liked. He enjoyed 1t like
an old man who was worn and weary.
Since Cans has noticed that he was
drying up he has appeared in the ring
in loose running pants that reached down
to his knees and hid his shrunken
thighs. Though the muscles about his
arms. shoulders and back show no signs
Of decay. the legs are the legs of an old
man. or course he has been drying I'D
for a long time. and he has known it.
How then, did he beat Unholz SO
easily? Tommy Murphy gave the answer
to that recently in Boston. What chance
has Unholz before good boxer with a
fair punch?
While the negotiations for the Nelson
fight were on Joe said several times he
would never again engage In a long bat
tie. He knew he could not. go the route.