Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-02-23
WOLGAST BEATS
BATTLING NELSON
TOOK FORTY ROUNDS TO DEFEAT
THE LIGHTWEIGHT
CHAMPION.
Referee Stops Battle to Save Unnec-
essary Punishment.


RICHMOND, Cal, Feb. "a His
face battered to pulp, his eyes
closed, his lips pulled, covered with
blood and staggering helplessly about
the ring, Battling Nelson, conqueror
OF Joe Cans, was saved from knock
out in the foTtieth round of his fight
with AID Wolgast last evening, when
Referee Eddie Smith humanely stop
ped a most unequal contest.
Nelson, game to the very last, stood
in the center of the ring and, even
though he could hardly raise his
hands, begged to be allowed to con-
tlnue. He was led to his corner
broken-hearted.
In the opposite corner of the ring
the new lightweight champion of the
world, AID Wolgast of Cadillac, Mich,
was lifted to the, shoulders of his
trainers and acknowledged the cheers
of the spectators, proclaiming him
the king of lightweights.
only One Chance Tor Nelson.
Only once during the fight did Mel
son have a chance-the twenty-sec-
ond round-when with a singing
right cross to the jaw he staggered
his opponent. Before the round clos
ed he dropped Wolgast in the middle
of the ring with a repetition of the
same blow and three seconds were
tolled before Wolgast regained his
feet.
The crowd prepared to leave the
arena. The word went from bench to
bench through the spectators that
another boy had fallen victim to the
wonderful durability of the Dane. But
in the next round Wolgast recuperat-
ed and from then on slowly, steadily,
but surely, wore Nelson down.
Nelson Beaten to Pulp.
For twelve rounds before the finish
Nelson seemed bewildered and his
blows were sent as though he held
weights in his hands. From the thir-
tieth round Nelson could hardly see
or hear, the left side of his face hav-
ing lost all semblance of its former
contour. He staggered and hung on.
In the thirty-seventh round he was
all put out, but survived the round.
In the 3Sth round John Robinson,
Nelson's second, wanted to throw the
sponge into the ring, but Abdul the
Turk, one of the seconds, tore it from
his hands and threw it into the buck
ct. From then on during each round
Robinson protested, on the verge of
tears, that his man was beaten.
Unable to Talk.
When the 4Oth round came Referee
Smith asked Nelson if he wanted to
quit and Nelson, unable to talk, mere
ly shook his head negatively. When
81 seconds of the 40th round had
gone and as darkness was beginning
to creep over the arena, Referee
Smith raised WOlgasts glove into the
air and a new lightweight champion
had come into Fistiana.
Wolgast outgeneraled, outboxed
and all but outgamed the great Bat
Ting Nelson. After the battle the
new champion scampered out of the
ring like a sehoolboy, and galloped
through the mud. Nelson, on the
other hand, was taken out in the
arms of his seconds. as he was car
ried through the crowd he was cheer
ed again and again for the grit and
gameness he displayed. Its like, old
time followers declare, seldom has
been seen in prize ring.
Body Blows Beat Dane.
The fight demonstrated beyond a
doubt that it takes body fighter
to beat Nelson. Punishment over
the kidneys and heart weakened the
Dane. He gradually succumbed to
these onslaughts. Nelson met a
younger man, who fought him at his