The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-02-22
BAT FACES WOLGAST
Lightweight Title at Stake
in Match To-day.
NELSON IS A BIG FAvOR1TE
Dane Expects to Win Inside of
Twenty Rounds - Both Fighters
Wagered on Outcome, and Big
ThrOng Expected to Be on Hand.


Special to The Washington Herald.
Richmond, Cal, Feb. I.-Battling Mel
son and Ad Wolgast are due TO arrive
there tomorrow morning for their battle
ion the same afternoon. Words from the
itrainlng camps Of the fighters is to the
effect that both are down 10 weight
lwolgast having made the figure of lSS
hpounds with ease. He is said TO be
weighing lS1 pounds, while Nelson IS
exactly at the required figure.
Every hotel in Richmond is crowded
with visitors for the battle. Thousands
of dollars have been bet in the poolrooms,
with Nelson q. strong favorite. The Vol
CAST people are not plunging dollar
on his chances of whipping the great
Danish champion, but are betting for
tune on the Michigan mans ability to
stick twenty-five rounds Even Nelson
himself is not betting against this prop
osition, although he has made the state
iment that WoIgast will not go more
than twenty rounds.
Big Crowd Expected.
Never in the history of the fighting
game has such a crowd Of outsiders Wis
tied a Californian city 10 witness ring
encounter Four hundred people are on
their way from Los Angeles in a special
train of nine coaches. All railroads run
ming into this city have put on extra ex-
cursion trains from points within 900
miles Of San Francisco. Great factories
jn this vicinity, which have never been
closed before. even on Christmas or July
1. are giving their Workingmen half
holiday for the battle. Fourteen hundred
seats have been sold alone IN the Stand
ard Oil works Of this city. san Fran
cisco has taken more than 5000 seats in
the advance sale. and other cities are
following the example.
Wolgast and Nelson finished their
training Monday morning. both being con
tent with light gymnasium work in the
afternoon. The entire camps of both
fighters have been moved to Richmond,
only the principals and their managers
remaining in San Francisco until the
morning Of the fight.
Nelson, for the past week. has looked
in perfect condition. He IS clear and
pink, and has the same tiger-like move
nent as characterized his former great
battles in California. He is taking the
outcome Of the battle as a joke, although,
he has not neglected single detail Of his
4raining. and has worked as hard for
.Wolgast as he ever did for Cans and
Britt.
Bitter Against WOIgast.
He is extremely bitter against the
Michigan man, and declares he will adj
minister the most scientific and brutal
punishment Of his entire career as
fighter. When it is considered that no
man who ever faced Nelson in the ring
ever amounted to anything after the
Dane had broken down his vitality, VOL
.past in the event of being defeated,
would appear to have little chance OF
ever regaining the laurels he now
possesses.
Fight fans here declare the outcome Of
the battle rests alone with the question
of Nelson's stamina. If he is the same
old Dane, then, they agree, Wolgast has
not got a chance on earth, The only
thing. say the experts. that gives VOL
CAST a chance is the fact that Battling
Nelson has been in the ring for thirteen
wears. and he may not be the Battling
Nelson of a few years back. All agree
that he is a harder puncher than VOL
.yast and better ring general
Wolgast has never shown ability as
knockout artist. while Nelson's long suit
Is the sleep battle. Nelson is just as good
"a boxer as Wolgast, but is not as fast
as the Michigan man. To overbalance
this. he wastes no movements nor strength
IN the ring in false work. Every blow
Is true and every move made with a pur-
nose. His wonderful stamina has been
the wonder of the past decade Of ring
history. and his bulldog courage and fight
sng heart has never been equaled by
mortal man.
WOlgast a Classy Boxer.
Wolgast is the cIassiest lightweight be-
fore the public, Nelson alone excepted.
He has never even been in trouble against
his hardest opponents He is always on
the aggressive, and, like the champion.
IS always boring into his opponent. He
never backs up, and has never in his
career given ground. He is a good boxer,
hut in most Of his fights has thrown
kcience overheard and taken his chances
In q smuggling match. He VOWS he viii
night Nelson toe and toe. and If he makes
good in this promise, a finish before the
twentieth round Is almost a certainty.
Tom Jones, Wolgast's manager, declares
Sis man viii win long inside Of the limit.
John R. Robinson, the Nelson director,
looks for Bat TO stop the Cadillac youth
Inside OF twenty-five rounds. Robinson
has already booked several theatrical en-
kagements for Nelson contingent on his
winning. and plans to leave San Francisco
fhe morning after the fight