The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-08-16
CANS WAS MASTER
OF RING TACTICES
lBy ED SMITHl

Chicago, Aug. 15.-The old mas
ter" is passing and with him will pass
tie colored lighters guidebook TO
boxing.
Joe Cans did much for his fellow
colored men who aspired to shine in
the prize ring. He taught them by
example. most OF all. Joe Cans was
the master of all that pertalned TO
greatness in the prize ring Like n
great baseball pitcher, he had every
thing
There wasn't trick that he didn't
know and couldn't work. There
wasn't Il single fine point of the old
Queensberry code upon which this
once famous colored man hadnt
worked.
Cans practically has passed out. He
WAS the picture OF death when he
was in Chicago recently and the ply
sIcians travelling with this once
mighty man of the 133-pound division
said that he could scarcely live more
than lew hours. He wanted to get
On to Baltimore and sec his old
mother once more before the end was
reached.
Doubtless his constant reduction In
weight had something 10 do with his
contracting the dread white plague.
Probably late hours and all-nIght ses-
sions at the gaming table had more
to do with IL For Joe was Il gam
bier, pure and simple Despite his
rative shrewdness and his seeming
cunning in other ways, he never
could get the notion out of his head
that he could beat the various games,
especially the bones"
But while he was boxing and his
career went from 1891 to 1907-be
invented more great stuff for 9th
crS TO copy than perhaps any fighter,
black or white
II you are familiar at all with the
methods OF the present day colored
fighters, you may have taken note of
them that almost all of them box
With the left arm we'll extended and
the glove open. Note. too, that Jack
Johnson belongs to this class Cans
probably was the first man to intro
duce that style. He kept the open
glove waving taDtalizingly In front of
an opponents face. More than one
good fighter was badly ratified by this
Nethod OF combat, the left ] Ng al
ways a blind for the terrible right
that Cans could slam In at such short
range and with such deadly effect
This system of fighting was eXten-
siyely copied by all of the colorcd
fighters. and traces of Cans arc TO
be noted today In the work Of Jack
Johnson. Sam Langtord, Sam McVoy.
Joe Jeanette and others, big and lit
tie, The late George Dixon, who be
gan his career before Cans started
mis-. also was an inventive genius. but
not the master that Cans afterward
proved to be.
All of the colorcd fighters have
their little boxing eCcentTlcities. but
most OF them are not hard to trace
tack TO the great colored Baltimore
i6ol. the man who always knew his
place and was cndeared TO everybody
he ever met despite the treacherous
management that once mado Joe DO
things that were obnoxious to him.
Cans was OF the most kindly dispo.
sit.on of any Of the fighters. and
never felt it too much trouble to go
out OF his way to show an aspiring
fighter just how he worked this punch
or that one or effected this block or
that one
In the matter Of defense he was
greatest of all His style OF blocking
end biting with the same motion
apd with his skill and force was
copied far and wide. but nobody ever
perfected 10 the same degree that
Cans did,
They talk about Johnson catching
he.
balls-Gans did that Is years ago.
teiore Johnson was ever heard of out
side of his own family And he could
c0tch blow. too, almost before 1t
was started
Truly he was tho only one "Old
Master'