The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-02-19
HOW CHAMPIONS
ORDERED GLOVES
SPARROW" ROBERTSON RE.
LATEs INTERESTING DOPE
REGARDING PRIZEFIGHTERs.
DIXON'S HAND HARD TO FIT
Negroes Fingers Long and Out of Pro-
portion-Jeffries' Hands the Small
est for His Size of Any Man in Ring
Terry McGovern Easy to Please.

Sparrow" Robertson, glovemaker
Tor the worlds champions, relates some
interesting dope on the title holders.
Sparrow" has had a most intimate
acquaintance with the great fighters
of the past and present day. Every
fighter of any prominence has had his
hands measured by Sparrow" and a
visit to his workshop was one Of the
first things to do after the consumma-
ton of a match. There were gloves
to be made for the training quarters
the gloves that the fighters used while
working with their sparring partners
and the gloves to be worn in the fight
i'm many instances a contest for the
championship of the world.
81 have found most fighters to be de-
cent fellows" said Robertson recently.
"They have their own ideas as to the
way their gloves should be made, and
after have measured their hands they
instruct me on how they like to have
them padded
Take George Dixon, for instance"
continued Sparrow" He lad most
peculiar shaped hand. His fingers were
long-in fact, all out of proportion to
the size of his hand. That helped his
reach, for when his hand was open he
could stick it into an opponents face
at long range. This was a favorite
method of his"
How about McGovern, did he have
any particular style?''
| Terrible Terry! / should say not.
Amy old thing suited him. He often
remarked to me: Sparrow you have
my measure; just fix me up pair. l
wish they would permit me to wear
kid gloves or none at all. I'll bet l
could wallop with a pair of skin tight
ers'
Tommy Burns was the card,
though. He insisted that my gloves be
used in all his fights. He made the
clubs put it in the articles of agree
ment He was careful about his hands
and l had to measure them for every
fight.
| "Jeffries was an easy-going fellow
and easy to please. The big champion
had the smallest hand for his size of
| any man in the ring.
"Fitz was a card. He had a story
ready all the time and would insist
that laugh or bang would come down
his hand on my neck Bob had the
largest wrist and didn't care much
about padding there, while Tom Shar-
key always wanted his gloves padded
high up on the thumb This was so
that he could use that side of his hand
as sledge. padded his gloves away
up to the wrist.
II see that Gus Rubin wants to fight
again. Well, that's another pob for
me- However, he hasasuch large
hand that it takes an awful lot OF
leather. Gus has the largest hand OF
any man in the business.
Frank Erne and Joe Cans always
had the same style glove, as plain as
possible, with the padding mostly at
the ends.
willie Lewis had bad right hand
1t is all smashed to pieces and he can.
not close it. have to make big pad
inside to help him get grip on it..
Tommy Murphy and the boys of to-
day are not as particular about their
gloves as the old-timers. However
they all want the five-ounce glove well
padded.
'In the days Of the Coney Island
Athletic club, before it was part OF
Brooklyn, they used three-ounce gloves
Joe Choynski fought many of his best
fights there. l made all his gloves, and
he wanted them tight. He would not
| stand for loose glove