Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-23

San Francisco, Cal, Feb. %
Adolph Wolgast, born at Cadillac.
Mich, but now proudly claimed by
Milwaukee as a favored son, is cham
pion lightweight fighter of the world.
Just as the full moon rose above
San Francisco bay last night Battling
Nelson, twice winner of the light
weight crown, relinquished all claim
to his proud title, after putting up
the hardest and gamest fight of his
long career in the ring.
Cries of approval and admiration
for the gameness of the conquered
one drowned the cheers for the vic
tor as Referee Eddie Smith raised
the hand of Wolgast and proclaimed
him winner. while the seconds of the
and bleeding loser from the ring,
where 40 rounds of battle had been
waged.
One Fight Too Many.
Once too often had the man who
twice stopped Joe Cans, one of the
greatest fighters of his inches the
world has ever seen, gone into the
prize ring Youth would be served,
and Adolph Wolgast. just % years
old and always a conner. did what
that old master. Joe Cans, that clever
boxer, Jimmy Britt, and other good
men always had failed of. and that
was to stop the toughest nut that
any fighter ever tried to crack.
Too much credit cannot be accord
ed the new champion, although he
to no h4 oh
pions of other years in the minds of
the men who remember Jack Nc
Auliffe, George Lavigne and Joe
Cans. Although he fought a Nelson
who was not the same as of old. VOL
CAST put up fight full of gameness
and with everything that fighter
should have except the needful
knockout punch.
Big Crowd Out to See Battle.
There were $4,000 fans gathered
there in a drilling rain. that stop
ped before the end of the battle, who
saw the colors of Nelson lowered.
They saw him after 40 rounds of
the gamest fight ever witnessed,
bleeding. staggering and half blind,
unable to tell his corner, while Ref
Ci &C FAlulS EDAiilih SlOpptu Tie ISnl
and declared Wolgast the winner
AS far back as the oath round Jack
Robinson. Nelson's manager. wanted
to stop the fight. but the Dane would
not let him. He apparently prefer
red to take his medicine if he had to.
From start to finish it was VOL
CASTS fight He outboxed Nelson
at every turn and though the Dane,
hit hard and true when he did land,
the Milwaukee boys blows and their
rapidity far outclassed the hitherto
durable one of Hegewisch.
Only a Question of Time.
1t was apparent after the 25th
round that Wolgast's victory was
only a question of time. In the 3Sth
the crowd madly yelled to the Ger
man to finish what began to seem
a cruel, unusual and needless batter
ing of the Battler.
When time was called for the 4Oth
round Nelson, blind, limp and worn
out. tried a right swing but came
about a foot short. He then got in
a solid right, but Wolgast came back
at him with a swing like a catapult.
Eddie Smith saw that the end had
come. He stepped between the men
and stopped the fight. proclaiming
Wolgast the winner amid the deafen-
ing cheers of the thousands who had
watched him fight ry inch of a
terrifically beset to the cham
At thai .Velson was game
He wanted to continue, but was help
less. Wolgast was carried on his sec
onds' shoulders, while the Dane was
led to his corner.
Thousands of Dollars Lost.
Thousands of dollars, placed on
Nelson before the fight, were lost.
At the ringside there was much
money changed hands at even money,
and toward the end of the fight odds
of 10 to 8 on Wolgast found no TAX
ers. The German, in addition to
winning. saved thousands for his
hackers as soon as he lasted 25
rounds.
Robinson stated after the fight
that he thought Nelson could have
lasted the As rounds, bur that he
was glad Smith had stopped the bat
tie.
Only once in the fight did Nelson