The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-20
Fight


spirits, smiled and waved gayly, then
plunged through the crowd TO the stage.
Catching the topmost rail he swung
himself up and over with an eXuberant
exhibition OF strength and dignity that
brought forth storm of applause.
Earned His Title.
To Richard Humphries more than any
other man the great contemporary adj
vance of the sport in public esteem was
rightfully attributed He had earned
er' by careful and honorab bic conduct,
and through social and mental accom-
| plishments had drawn about himself
remarkable following. When Humph-
ries was TO fight royalty and the court
did not hesitate to lend countenance
accounted che fashionable thing for
men of rank to study self-defense un-
der some star of the prize ring. Dis
tingulshed patronage gave pugilism an
| impetus that it had not enjoyed since
Broughton, and greatly increased the
standing of the profession.
Humphries had had no serious com
petitor in his own class until the rise
of Daniel Mendoza. He had been
quick to recognize the threat 10 his
superiority conveyed by the rapid sue
cess of this new fighter and had singled
Mendoza out as one whose honors must
be clipped In their chance encounter
at the Cock and their two subsequent
| battles a feeling of bitter personal RI
valry and hostility had grown up be-
tween the men. Humphries was de
! tcrmined that on this occasion he would
settle the other pretensions once for
all,
"The Gentleman Boxcr'' was about
| five feet eight, inches in height, ex-
frnn lie f,,1 oil fnr Nd
a handsome intelligent countenance and
frank glance; He kept himself al
ways in the pink of condition and car
ried not an ounce Of superfuous weight
upon. his finely moulded limbs and
ripping muscles. AS he stood on the
stage in the Doneaster inn yard he
looked and acted the confident athlete,
secure in his strength and the kuowl-
edge of his game. He was attended
by Ward as his second and Jackson as
his bottle holder
Another roar of cheers announced the
arrival of Mendoza. whose reception
was the warmer from tho fact that the
bulky, d-shouldered man who fol
lowed him as second was none other
than Tom johnson. still the unde.
feated champion. Mendoza made his
way TO the stage and mounted soberly.
seeking his corner with Johnson and
Butcher, his bottle holder The two
coiuD udhtS lpen sIlPpeu Oh IHelI coats,
standing, stripped to the waist, in thin
silk trunks and hose and light pumps.
Each tossed his hat in the air as a
signal Of readiness and defiance.
Daniel Mendoza. whose name will al.
ways come easily to the tongues of fight
followers as long as trials of man
hood endure. had now reached the
height Of his skill and the mature de.
velopment of his tactique. though full
recognition Of his powers was still to
he accorded him. Born in 1863, near
Whitechapel. Of Jewish parents, he first
appeared as public boxer in 1884 and
soon afterward began to rise rapid in
tho pugihstic world by series C re-.
markable victories. AT n time when
theory and science waited upon strength
and the ability 10 take punishment, he
quickly established himself as an cx
ponent of cleverness, He showed him
self the first great ring general, dis
covering and demonstrating maneuvers
that had never been practiccd by any
of his predecessors. ''-
His style was extremely neat, pre-
else and we'll thought out His speed
in hitting and getting away. his al
lodging and shifting while wearing
ont an opponent were his best points.
In many WAYS he might be compared
with James j. Corbett. Like Corbett,
he could land his blows almost nj will,
with greater accuracy than strength,
and the tale of his fights usually
showed that he had made two hits TO
every one for his adversary. Like Cor
bett again, he revived technique and
stood AT The head of q new school. In
deed, until John L. Sullivan became the
dominant figure in pugilism and forced
his own methods by sheer weight of
! pcrscnalIty. Mendoza remained the