Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-19
WELSH FOUND PET
A PLUCKY BOXER

A PLUCKY BOXER
Fred Welsh is not doing so poorly.
He was in the United States Just long
enough to see the advantage of having a
good press agent. So John Coryell. writ
| ing from Cardiff, has the following to say
about the fight between Welsh and Piet.
the French boxer.
Fred Welsh is the hero of one of the
most spectacular fights ever seen on this
| side of the water. He has just beaten
| Henri Piet, the lightweight champion of
France, at Mountain Ash, before an enor-
| nous crowd, estimated at considerably
over ten thousand.
"Piet had never been beaten, but before
the fight everybody was saying that it
would be wakover for Welsh. Jimmy
Driscoll even went so far to say for
publication that it was a shame for Welsh
to make such a soft match. But Welsh
had made a painstaking inquiry about
Piet when he was in Paris a few weeks
ago before he would sign with him. and
he knew it was anything but a soft match,
and had made careful preparation in con-
sequence. Lucky for him that he had. or
there might have been another story to
tell. And now that the fight is over, peo-
pie are wondering how Jimmy Driscoll
would have come out if he had been op
posed to the surprising little Frenchman,
who seemed such soft thing. There is
a great deal of talk now about a match
between Driscoll and Piet. and since
Moran has backed out Of his match with
Jimmy it may be thai this other match
will be made.
"Piet must be what is called a natural
boxer, but unquestionably he has been
well taught also. Moreover, he is just the
build for a boxer-broad and powerful of
shoulder, with slender. sinewy legs. His
head is square. his eyes alert and his
reach good The multitude that had come
simply because their IDOL Fredie Welsh,
was to fight, showed their appreciation OF
the little Frenchman the moment he stood
up in the ring stripped for the fight. And
when they saw him fly at Welsh and ex-
change blows with him on even terms,
they went wild and roared their applause.
Round after round Pet tore into
Welsh. using lightning left with Won
derful effect. His footwork and blocking
We're splendid. and for while ne seemed
as swift and shifty as his clever opponent.
But Welsh not only had something IN re
serve. but was actually not receiving half
the blows that seemed to fall on him. The
men were so speedy in their movements
that one had to be veritable expert to
know how much blocking was really done.
Often the crowd would burst into roar
of appreciation at beautiful delivery by
the Frenchman, when in fact the blow
had either fallen just short or had been
deity blocked. But even so, he put his
left into Welsh's face oftener than a
glove had ever been seen there before.
1t was a beautiful fight between an ex-
traordinarily clever. inexperienced man
and a past master in the art OF boxing.
welsh, in the way that is customary
with him, kept boring steadily and In
at him with tiger-lfke agility and then
boring in again. He got in very few OF
his famous double-barreled left jabs. but
his sudden, swift hooks, coming at the
most unlikely times, puzzled his antaso-
mist and hurt him. too. as his audible
grunts betrayed. Another blow that puz-
zled the FrenchPan was purposely
missed left swing with a sudden return
back This almost invariably caught
Pet on the jaw and Jared MN 70 ms
heels It was Welsh's body blows. how
ever, that really told on Piet. Body
blows are never as telling with specta-
tors, but they tell with the man who gets
them and Piet was gradually weakening
when the mass of onlookers supposed ne
was almost, if not quite. holding his own
Nevertheless, he never siackened his pace,
but tore into Welsh as II he We're good
for fifty rounds. Indeed, there We're many
who thought he had slightly me pest oI
the eleventh round. But, sitting near
Welsh's corner. 1 heard him say when
he came back at the end of that round:
I've got him; he's weak.
1T was such and extraordinary thing to
see anybody fighting on anything like
even terms with Freddie Welsh that the
place was tense with excitement, so that
when the fighting began quickly after the
opening of the twelfth round the great hall
was as still as q church. There was
pretty exchange of blows and then a mix
up with some terrible infighting. A hook
from Welsh's left caught Piet on the jaw
and shook him, and was followed by three
cruel body blows and sudden swing to
the jaw. The Frenchman staggered to the
ropes dropping, his legs sagging under
him. The blow on the jaw had blinded
him, and the blows in the stomach and
under the heart had wilted him. He
threw up his hands in token of defeat.
NO one who saw the spectacular end
ing of the fight thought any the less of
Pet. 1t seemed to be understood that he
was not gutter, but, lacking experience.
had given in in Acknowledgement Of hav
ing met his master. He had made a
brilliant plucky fight and was given
round after round of applause for it. And
yet it was pity that Welsh should have
been a second time cheated out of a
knockout. Josephs fouled to save himself,
and Ptet threw up his hands.
"Piet is going to America soon. so you
will have a chance to see him perform
over there. He is good. clean little
fighter. and will put your best men on
their mettle There is a great longing
here to see welsh and DrisGoll together,
but it is unlikely that Driscoll will chance
it. October IS Welsh and Summers meet
at the National Sporting Club in London
to fight for a tWelve-hundred-poun purse,
a Acknowledgment side stake and
gold and silver belt to be presented by
Lord Lonsdale. 1t will be very IN
teresting meeting"