The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-02-23
(By Battling Nelson.l J

10Y DdtllluS 4NclSOUJ
Immediately after the Herrera fias-
co / began another theatrical tour.
which finally landed me in Chicago,
Joe Cans had been following me for
some time. and he would appear on
the stage OF the various show houses
and challenge me for a fight
He followed me into a newspaper
office in Boston one day and became
so persistent that we almost came to
blows. l refused to listen to his talk
for a long time and many sporting
writer's and the general public won
dered why.
My first reason for holding him on
was that he was looked upon as one
OF the crookedest fighters the prize
ring has ever seen or ever will see.
He was a self-confessed fakir. having
admitted to the Terry McGovern scan
dal In Chicago, as we'll as to that
most palpable fake with Jimmy Britt
in San Francisco. For all OF that he
was wonderful fighter and refused
a meeting with him on the grounds
that | had never been mixed In a scan
da Of any kind whatsoever. and knew
the minute / signed articles | would
be accused and called as guilty as
him.
Finally the entire coterie Of Sport
writer's the country over came out and
demanded a meeting between Cans
md myself, claiming that Cans as we'll
as I had beaten all the lightweights IN
the country, and 1t was up to him and
me to settle for once and all the ques-
lion as to who was the real undisputed
lightweight champion Of the world
Tnon this demand | finally consent
I'd TO meeting
The meeting OF Cans and me was spec
tacular IN more ways than one. l had
dust spent two weeks hunting and fish,
inc I'D through Ogden canyon. being |
piloted over the country by Hegewiscn |
Anderson, one of the pioneers OF Utah.
had q grand two weeks season or |
hunting and fishing. then went 10 |
Salt Lake City. where l engaged IN |
m exhibition bout of three rounds |
with Willard Bean, the Mormon pugil-
lstic minister.
I accepted an offer from Goldheld
10 meet Cans, l TO be guaranteed $50,
600.
The widespread interest in the fight
attracted hordes Of sporting people
from all over the universe Goldtield
at that time had population of less
than $500 people. To get to Goldtield
Sou had to ride thirteen hours straight
put on the desert from the main line,
and only one train a day on regular
schedule.
Every newspaper in the United
States that could afford 1t had a rep
sesentative there to report the fight.
We met in a specially constructed
arena. which cost the promoters S15.-
600 to build. 1t was located down on
the flats, two blocks from the main
street. The edge OF the fence extend
ed directly into a graveyard.
1t was warm, clear afternoon.
The exact time Of the starting OF the
contest was 1923 p. m. Cans and l
weighed in under weight-tit and
ready for the fight of our lives. Cans
was expected TO outpoint me during
the early part of the fight. but at the
end OF the third round | retired TO
my cornor, telling my seconds that
would knock him out In the next
round. / Ind just hurt him with z
good hard left-half scissors hook to
fhe liver which finally proved his un-
doing. Cans stalled through the
fourth and hfth rounds and commenc-
ed to take quite a lead. In the eigh-
teenth round he had decided lead In
the nineteenth and twentieth 1 COM
menced to hit my lighting stride and
took quite lead myself. Up TO this
time Cans had been the favorite in the
betting The tide switched, however.
after the twentieth round. and | was
then an overwhelming favorite. peo-
pie betting $500 to 500 that ] would
Win. There was scarcely a taker In