The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-02-23
MICHIGAN BOY WINS THE
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Ad Wolgast is Successful in Ter.
rifle Battle With Battling
Nelson.
REFEREE STOPS THE FIGHT

Arena. Richmond, Cal. Feb. "a
With his face battered TO pulp. his
eyes closed his lips pulled, covered
with his own blood and staggering
helplessly about the ring, Battling
Nelson, conqueror of Joe Cans, was
round OF his fight with Ad Wolgast,
when Referee Eddie Smith humanely
stopped the fight. Nelson was game
to the very last. he stood I'm the cen
ter of the ring and, even though he
could hardly raise his hands, begged II
be allowed to continue the fight He
was led to his corner heartbroken.
In the opposite corner Of the ring
the new lightweight champion of the
world, Ad Wolgast of Cadillac, Michi-
gan, was lifted to the shoulders of his
trainers among the cheers of the
crowd. only once during the fight did
Nelson have chance-in the twenty
second round, when. with a singing
right across to the jaw, he staggered
his opponent. Before the round closed
ne dropped Wolgast in the middle Of
the ring with similar blow and three
seconds tolled before Wolgast regaine1
his feet.
The crowd had prepared to leave the
arena and the word went from bench
to bench through the spectators that
another boy had fallen victim to the
Danes wonderful durability But in
the next round Wolgast recupcrated
and from then on slowly, but surely
wore Nelson down.
For twelve rounds before the finish,
Nelson seemed bewllGered and his
blows were sent in as though he he'll
weights in his hands. From the thir-
tieth round, Nelson could hardly see
or hear, the left side Of his face hay
inc lost all semblance of its former
contour. He staggered and hung on.
In the thirty seventh round he barely
survived the round.
In the thirty eighth round John
Robinson, Nelson's manager, wanted
to throw up the sponge but Abdul the
Turk one of the seconds, tore the
sponge from Robinson and threw it
into a bucket Of water. Robinson con-
tinued to protest. on tho verge OF tears
that his man was beaten.
Nelson's cameness Feature.
When the fortieth round came. Ref
cree Smith asked Nelson if he wante6
to quit. Nilsson. unabla to talk, mere /.
ly shook his head negatively. when
thirty seconds of the fortieth round had
gone, with darkness beginning to creep
over the scene and a full moon just
beginning to peep through tho clouds,
smith raised wclgast's glove into the
air and a new lightweight champion
had come into hstlana.
wolgast had outseneralcd, outboxed
and all but outgamcd Nelson. After
the battle. wolrast scampercd out -
tho ring like school boy and gallop d
through the mud. Nelson was carried
out in the arms OF his seconds but was
cheered for grit and gamencss i'm a &C.
gree which has seldom been seen in
Il prize ring
Referee Smith said: ''WolglSt
ouSht Nelson at his own game ana
beat him fairly and squirrel. Ncls ~
complained at Ii ues of Wolgast hut
tins, but il wac simply L case of tn ,
Er,tlor getting the worst e a 81 nc
where both were guilty.
Both men fought the same. One
1
had youth, power TO come back, vigor
and life, while the thirteen years of
fighting through which Nelson had
gone had left him without his old
snap, dash and stamina"
Wolgast said My fight today was
like a training bout. Only once did he
bother me--in the the twenty second
round. Nelson hurt me more by but