The San Francisco call., 1910-08-11
Former Lightweight Champion Conceded to
Be Marvel of the Prize Ring

BALTIMORE. Aug. 10.-Joe Cans,
former lightweight champion pugilist,
died this morning.
Cans died of consumption, which
manifested itself about a year ago.
Late last spring he went to Arizona
with the hope of restoring his health.
but the disease had been too deeply
seated and he failed rapidly He was
brought here last week. He was "a
years old.
Joe Cans true name was Cant, the
name Cans having fastened upon him
early in his ring career by mistake
of a referee. He began his ring ca
had made a name for himself as a
tighter about fish market in this city
where he was employed.
His first fight for money is said to
have brought him 81. The largest purse
for which he ever fought was $4,000
in his first bout with Nelson. OF this
Cans received but $1,000, he having
agreed to give Nelson the remainder,
win, loose or draw.
Cans won the title of lightweight
champion from Frank Erne at Fort
Erie in one round in 1902 and lost to
to Battling" Nelson in 1908 in the
seventeenth round.
With the passing of Cans, the 'old
master" the Queensberry ring loses
one of the greatest, if not the great
est, fighter who ever battled for
purse, side bet or ring of sharpers.
Had he been another John /. Sullivan,
always on the level" there is no tell
ing what Cans might have accom-
plished, but he was early led astray
by evil associations and up to the time
when he fought that historic battle
with Nelson in Goldfeld four years
ago, but few of the followers of the
boxing game would trust Cans. He
had been fighting to orders too long.
Cans was born near Baltimore about
"a years ago. He never knew his COR
rect age. Neither did his mother. His
father died when he was a mere lad
and Joe was forced to go to work in
order to support his mother.
He obtained employment in an oyster
market in his native city and gained
his first boxing experience with young
sters around the block. He was at the
game for some time before he became
recognized. One of his first important
engagements was in a battle royal
with three other negroes in Baltimore.
Joe was the only one standing at the
finish. and the spectators stood up and
cheered him for his wonderful science
and hitting ability.
politician around Baltimore. He had
seen Cans in several of his minor per-
/ formances and he was shrewd enough
to realize that the colored fellow had
a great future as a boxer. Seel<ing &
Joe out in the oyster market where he
worked. Herford quickly convinced Joe
that the fighting game was the game
for him. Incidentally Herford signed
Cans up to an iron clad contract, which
made him practically a slave for many
years.
Herford held some sort of magic
sway over the great black fighter.
He could make him do what he pleased.
Some of the sports are unkind enough
to say that Herford fixed and framed
most of Cans notoriousiy crooked
lights This has never been proven,
but the fact remains that some master
hand directed all of Cans doings, and
the fighter always stood pat
Cans fought twice as many battles
as anv other OF the pugilists now be-
fore the public. There is no accurate
record of the exact number of ring con-
tests in which he engaged, but his only
possible rival was the late George
Dixon. These great colored fighters
ran each other neck and neck in the
number of battles, with the odds in
favor of Cans.
Cans started lighting in the latter
eighties. but he did not rise to fame
for nearly 10 years. when Herford took
him to New York. His first real fight
was against the then famous Elbows
McFadden in Gotham in 1899. McFad-
den was a wonder in those days, and
he heat Cans in the twenty-third round,
though there is reason to believe that
joe laid down.
few months later Cans was mixed
up in that notorious Terry McGovern