The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-02-23
WOlgast Hammers Battling Nelson Forty Rounds
and Wins the Title of Lightweight Cham
piOn of America in California.
CONLEY ALSO WINS in THE AZ ROUND
Beth the Lightweight and Rantemsveight Prize
Fights w { mt Into Long Number of Rounds
andthe SpectatO IS Got Moneys Worth.

HlCHMOND ARENA, Cal, EeD.
2S.-With his face battered to pulp,
his eyes closed, lips puffed, covered
with blood and staggering helplessly
about tae ring, Battling Nelson. con.
Queror of Joe Cans, was saved from
a knockout in the fortieth round of
his fight with Ad Wolgast, when Ref.
cree Eddie Smith hur .nely stopped
me fight Nelson was game to the
last, stood in the center OF the RIG.
ind even though he could hardly raise
ais hands, begged to be allowed to con-
iLue. He was led to his corner heart |
,roken.
In the opposite corner Of the ring,
he new lightweight champion of the
world, Ad Wolgast, Of Cadillac, Mich
gan, was lifted to the shoulders OF
lis trainers amid tie cheering of the
Dig crowd, Only once in the fight
lid Nelson have chance the twen-
ty-second round--when with a sting
ing right cross to the jaw he stag
sered his opponent. Before the round
closed he dropped Wolgast in the
middle of the ring with similar blow
and three seconds were tolled before
| Wolgast regained his feet. The crowd
1 prepared to leave the arena and word
went from bench to bench through
/ the spectators, that aLother boy had
4 fallen victim to the Danes wonder
ful ability.
4 WoIgast Became Stronger.
In the next round Wolgast recu-
perated, and from then on slowly,
steadily and surely wore Nelson
down. For twelve rounds before the
i finish Nelson seemed bewildered and
i his blows were sent as though he held
weight in his hands. From the thir-
tieth round Nelson could hardly see
ing lost all semblance to its former
contour. He staggered and hung on.
In the thirty-seyenth round he was
all but out. but survived the round.
4 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 ii
into the bucket Robinson continued
to protest, on the verge of tears,
that his man was beaten
Nelson Game to the Last.
When the fortieth came Referee
Smith asked Nelson if he wanted to
quit Nelson, unable to walk, merely
shook his head in the negative. When
thirty seconds of the fortieth round
were gone, and as darkness was be.
ginning to creep over the scene
Smith raised Wolgast's glove into the
air and new lightweight champion
had come into Fistiana.
Wolgast had out-general, cut
boxed and all but out-gamed Nelson
3 After the battle, Wolgast scampered
out OF the ring like school boy, and
galloped through the mud. Nelson
was carried out on the arms of his
seconds. but was cheered for the re
nlarkable grit shown and gameness
! such as is seldom shown in prize
, ring. Referee Smith said:
.Wolgast fought Nelson at his owr
8 game and beat him fairly and square
4 ly Nelson complained at times o
Wolgast butting, but it was simply {
t case of the battler getting the wors
;. OF the game where both were guilty
r Talks on the Fight.
Both men fought the same. ONE
had the youth and power to come
back, vigor and life while the thirteei
n years of fighting through which Mel
@ son has gone, had left him without hi
e old snap dash and stamina.
n Wolgast said: MY fight was lik
:, training bount. Only once did HI
bother me, that was in the twenty
y second round Nelson hurt me NOR
:. by butting me than anything else, AM
d | felt funny for a few seconds. al
ready to give any deserving light
weight chance"
When Nelson was able to talk h
+. said 81 am sorry they called til
r fight off when | could have stage
y the forty-fiye rounds, but have n
A. complaint to make
Before the fight began Nelson wa
the favorite two to one, and eve
money was offered that Wolga,
would be on his feet at the end I
25th round Both fghtci3 were und,
r. the required weight Of IA pound