The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-13
ARE NEGRO FIGHTERS GAME?
MAJORITY ACCUSED OF HAV-
ING A YELLOW STREAK.
Jack johnson. the Champion. branded
In England as Coward-Tom
-M0lineaux Probably the Piuckiest-
Points About jackson. Dixon. Walcott.


Points About jackson. Dixon. Walcott.
I've heard considerable gossip about
the real gameness OF the present cham
pion. Jack johnson. among the fistc ex-
perts lately y" said the veteran New YORK
sport, while discussing the courage OF
black pugilists the other day.
-Of course there have been some negroes
who nave stood the gatf and have taken
a good walloping. but the majority of
a yellow streak. Johnson's record
doesn't prove that he is a game fellow Tor
he fought about sixteen draws in which
some Of his opponents were only second
and third raters. A game fighter doesn't
usually have a string OF drawn battles
with unclassy scrappers. 1t may he.
however. that johnson has stalled in all
OF these affairs in order to get some more
easy matches, as he did with Sailor Burke
and Jack O'Brien.
I'VE can tell more about Johnson's
gameness, though, after he meets Stanley
Ketchel and Jim Jefries. This pair will
test the big Negroes ability totake punish-
ment, for there Is no doubt that Ketchel
or JEFF can stand the gaf. Both have
been in hard. sruellins mills and have
never shown the white feather.
tom Molineaux. the American black
as he was called in England, was probably
the gamest negro in the history OF the
prize ring. After defeating Tom Blake
in eight rounds away back in 1910 he was
matched TO battle with the great Tom
Crib. the champion OF all England at
the time. They fought a bloody contest
under tho old rules and Cribb was de-
c!ared the winner after thirty three
rounds. but this did not satisfy Mol
ineaux. for he Immediately challenged
Cribb to another mill. Crib readily ac-
cepted and put the American black out
in eleven hard rounds After these two
terrible contests both Cribb and Mol
ineaux retired from the ring.
"peter Jackson in his prime was GER
tainly a great heavyweight. but no quit
cold in his first battle with Bill Farnln
at Melbourne Australia. on July %.
1884. jackson fought Farnum again.
however. same place and same year. hut
the police iuterfered IL the sixth round.
Shortly after jackson arrived III Frisco
in 1898 he got into a rough and tumble
BCtuD WIN EdNIS VIII q ~ w" o"ay
q welterweight. but after n wicked IN
counter German made the big Australian
negro cry enough. Joe Goddard also
made jackson look like a gutter ut Mel
bourne in 1890 in eight rounds, Still,
jackson was a good fighter and won some
great battles within the ropes.
in 1888 George Godfrey challenged
John l.. Sullivan to fight for the cham
p~ionship. but when the big fellow in
vited Godfrey to stan up before him in
a four round bout at the Music Hall,
Boston, the following evening nothing
could induce the colored pugilist to go
upon the stage. This was shortly after
Sullivan's return from Europe, where he
fought Charley Mitchell a thirty nine
round draw. Peter Maher. who was
often called a gutter. walloped Godfrey
out in six rounds at Boston in 1893. Peter
jackson, Jake Kilrain and Joe Choynski
also made Godfrey lower his colors,
Godfrey in his day, however. won hard
battles from Jack Ashton. Joe Lannon.
Patsy Cardiff. Denver Ed Smith. Z. G.
Smith and Prof. Hadley.
George Dixon wasa good game colored
lad, but | never considered him a full
blooded negro. He was half white. I
wonderful pugilist. He defeated the
eatherweightchampions OF every fighting
nation and was the undisputed worlds
title holder. The only time ! ever saw
Dixon show yea heartedness was e
he fought Cal Mccarthy that memorable
seventy round draw in Boston. His
legs gave out in that affair. and he was
afraid to 60 in for mixes in the latter part
Of the mill. Dixon started his career
in the ring in 1885 and was hard at work
meeting all corners until 1905 when Tommy
Murphy knock ed him out in Philadelphia.
Nineteen years in the ring is something
of a record. Dixon won his title from Cal
Mccarthy in 1891 at Troy and lost II to
Terry McGovern at the old Broadway
A. C.. in 1900. holding it for a period OF
hand, held the title for just one year.
Terry going down to defeat at the hands
of Young Corbett in two rounds at Hart
ford in 1901.
Frank Craig. the Harlem Coffee Cooler,
did some successful fighting, around
mark in front Of him he fought like a wild
cat, blu: he was a far different proposition
when the real punchers got after him.
Peter Maher put him out in two rounds
at Boston in 1894. Bill Dunn OF Jersey
City sent him to dreamland in three
rounds. but the Cooler returned the COM
pliment by putting Dunn away in one
round later on.
.When Craig went to England he be-
came extremely popular with the mem
bers of the National Sporting Club by
stopping Jack O'Bricn, the champion OF
Wales, in two rounds and beating a dozen
other English pugilists in quick time.
including Ted Pritchard. The Cooler be.
came a bowling swell in London and
created a sensation when he drove three
cream colored mules tandem through
Hyde Park and other fashionable parts
of the British metropolis.
Craig also became a music hall favorlte
; because OF his clever buck dancing and
soon married a rich white woman. That
! made the Harlem negro more chesty than
ever. and he was flying high when Dan
Creedon, the Australian m~iddleweight,
went to London and met the Cooler before
the National Club. II was a slashing
fight and Creedon simply cut his man into
ribbons, finally making him quit. Craig
never recovered from this terrific beating,
for when he came here to do battle with
! Tommy Ryan he was the easiest kind
OF a mark and was knocked out cold with
a few punches. That ended the Coolers
ring career, for he went back to England
and retired.
-Prohably the gamest fight Craig ever
. put up was with Fred Morris. another
negro. down on Long Island in 1894
I They wore skintight gloves and after
both had received some terrible punish
ment the Cooler won in eighteen rounds.
Every follower of the fighting game
, knows that Joe Cans, the former light
, weight champion. quit on more than one
/. occasion. He was a remarkably clover