Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-27
HYLAND WINNER
IN FORTY-FIRST
KNOCKS OUT CROSS AFTER
HARD FIGHT
EASTERNER SHOWS REMARK
ABLE GAMENESS
New Yorker Takes Count of Nine Six
Times Before Being Beaten
in Great Ring
Battle
AZ Assoclated Press.l

26.-"Fighting Dick Hyland knocked
out Leach Cross of New York in the
forty-first round of a scheduled forty
five-round battle at the Colma arena
this afternoon. The fight was one Of
the most sensational of modern ring
history and was characterized by the
wonderful gameness and recuperative
powers of the New York pugilist-
dentist. He was floored fully fifteen
times during the contest, and after
the twenty-fifth round fought prac-
tically on the defensive only.
This was Cross initial battle on Cali
fornia soil and the first time he had
fought over ten rounds. He started
in as clipper as lark For the first
ten rounds he was the acme of cool
ness. He chewed gum constantly and
ever and anon INDUCED in witty re-
partee with seconds and spectators.
His great cleVerness gave him the adj
vantage of the earlier rounds and 1t
looked for time as if he would out
point and Outlook his rugged antagon-
ist and pave the way to an eventual
victory.
In the twelfth, Hyland, catching
Cross off his guard, shot a wicked right
to the jaw and the easterner took the
count of three. From the twelfth to
the twenty-fifth the tide of battle
ebbed and flowed. In the twenty-siXth
Cross was sent to the floor, where iIe
remained for the count of nine.
Gong Saves Cross
In so far as Cross was concerned
this marked the beginning of the end.
Round after round the gong saved
Cross after he had been terribly pun
shed, and during which he displayed
great gameness that was literally
superhuman. In the fortieth round
Cross took the count of nine on three
separate occasions, the gong saving
him from sure defeat.
Hyland, although weakened con-
siderably from the extraordinary eff
forts on his part finally to put in
last punch, sent Cross through the
ropes and into the laps of the news
paper men in the forty-tirst and final
round. Cross was pushed back into
the ring only to be sent to the carpet
once more for the count of nine.
Hyland by this time realized that
Cross jaw was impervious to punish
ment. He changed his tactics and
quickly bringing his right back he shot
it out with all the remaining strength
at his command. The blow landed in
the pit of Cross stomach and the lat
ter crumpled up like a leaf. There he
lay, unconscious, where he was counted
out. after which his seconds carried
the PROSTATE form to the dressing
room.
The fight was the most poorly at
tended of any battle given in this city.
A heavy mist fell during the entire
forty-one rounds of fighting and both
spectators and fighters were chilled
through.
Betting Even
Betting at the ringside was at evens.
Some wagers were made at 10 to 9,
however, with Cross favorite.
Among the well-known fighters at
the ring where Young Corbett, Papke,
Johnny Frayne and several lesser
lights The crowd yelled for Stanley
Ketchel but he failed to respond.
Tommie Mccarthy knocked out
Frank C. Murphy in the fourth round
in the preliminary to the Hyland-Cross
fight Mccarthy outclassed his man
and settled him with clean right
smashes to the jaw
Hyland and Cross entered the ring
at 2:55 p. m.
At the end of the fifth round both
men were fresh, as no considerable
damage had been done by either. Hon
ors were slightly in favor of Cross:
The latter's foot work was good and
his blows were delivered with a calcu-
lation to do damage. After taking
two vicious left uppercuts to the jaw
Cross came back with two uppercuts
that staggered his opponent.
During the next five rounds honors
were about even, with Cross using
straight rights and lefts and Hyland
occasionally landing hard swings Hy-
land planted two hard lefts in Cross
stomach, but the easterner by fast and
clever footwork managed to avoid
many of his opponents leads.
HyIand Takes Lead
The end of the fifteenth round saw
Cross worried and Hyland decidedly
= fref time DURING the
fight. In the twelfth, after a savage
assault in which Hyland took consid-
cradle punishment, Cross went to the
floor for three seconds under a straight
right. Hylands face was badly dam
aged. but he was landing damaging
punches at every opportunity.
After three featureless rounds in
which scarcely a blow was landed by
either man, Cross in the nineteenth
feigned grogginess but without foollng
his willy opponent. Both men came
up for the twentieth round as strong,
apparently, as when the fight started.
lust before the close of the round
Hyland brought blood from Cross
mouth by a left to the jaw
In the twentyfirst round left up
percut to the jaw sent Cross to the
floor, but only for an instant. Round
after round Cross kept backing away,
But Hyland, always foxy, never gave
the opening Cross was looking for.
In the twenty third Hyland swung
two Furnishing lefts to the jaw. In the
next round Cross, still going away
dazed the Californian with right
chop to the jaw Round twenty-five
was a rapid exchange of vicious blows,
with Cross somewhat distressed at the
end.
Cross Takes Count
In the twenty sixth Cross was floored
by a left to the jaw and took the
count of nine. He appeared half beat
en- and was punished numerically be-
fore the gong saved him. Coming up
weak kneed in the next round, he raj
lied after a succession of hard lefts
and a fierce encounter occurred, from
which Hyland emerged with blood
streaming from his mouth.
Hyland tried for a knockout in the
twenty eighth. Both men We're tired,
and a well directed punch from either
would have done the trick. Both
fought savagely in the twenty-ninth,
at the end of which Hyland put hard
right to the Kidneys staggering Cross.
Both men slowed down in the next
round, with Cross continuously break
ing ground.
Hyland forced the fighting in the
thirty-first. Cross sagged against the
ropes, splitting blood and almost
beaten. He took the count of nine
again in the thirty-second. The gong
saved him,
Cross revived slightly before the
thirty-third round, but Hyland again
hammered him repeatedly on the head
and face. In the next round Hyland
continued to chase Cross around the