The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-11-27
S|UCKEY1YENS SCRAP
BIG FLORIDA BOY SHOWED UP
WELL IN HIS INITIAL BOUT
Auspicfous Debut of the Possible White
Hope at the Temple Saturday
Evening

The friends OF Oscar ". Stuckey are
very we'll pleased with his perform
ance at the Temple Theater Saturday
night The results Of a few months Of
training show up well his power
ful and healthy frame and in the skill
with which he swings mis- tremendous
fists.
The mana cement did not have the
best chance for a good house Saturday
night, as the date had been twice
changed and came right after the fair.
at a time when most people were tired
and temporarily broke. Nevertheless,
there were over two hundred present
and under favorable conditions there
would have been five hundred.
| There is a prejudice in many quarters
against boxing exhibitions, and an i'm
| preston that these are witnessed only
| by a tough element. The house at the
Temple Saturday night however was
| made up entirely of the business and
professional men of Ocala and other
| places, including visitors from Tampa.
| Jacksonville and other towns. If the
| tough element was present it too
much in the minority to be noticeable.
and there was certainly nothing in the
exhibition to crafty its tastes. There
We're some ladies in the audience-Mr.
and Mrs. A. P. Stuckey, the young
champions parents, and Mrs. Belle
Dean occupied one of the corner boxes,
DR.. and Mrs. D. NJ. Smith had two of
the dress circle seats, and Mrs. Leon
| hardt, wife of Mr.. Stuckey's trainer,
was also present About the time the
| bout began, Mr.. Stuckey, senior, gave
up his seat in the box to Mayor Rob
| ertson. and went into the dress circle,
from which he watched the perform
ance with close interest and intense
satisfaction. Next to his parents, Mr..
Stuckey's most interested watcher was
probably Dr. Smith, who helped the
future champion into the world about
a score of years ago and has doctored
him through most of his boyish sick
ness since. 1t is probable that the
great majority of the audience was
made up of personal friends Of the
young fighter or his parents, and it is
worthy of mention that among his
most devoted admirers were a number
of dark hued men on the colored peo
pies side of the gallery-turpentin
hands among whom a large proportion
of his "boyhood had been spent
Everybody was interested in Stuck
ey's oppOnent-Frank Lyons, a ire
mendously big man and veteran boxer
from New York. He seemed the least
concerned man present, and moved
around with the careless unconcern of
well-fed and somewhat drowsy lion.
His placid expression and amiable
manner bespoke anything in the world
but a prizefighter.
1t was about 1890 when the exhibit
ton began. 1t was presided over and
| to1 hy- Nv sbar ri he ord
of Jacksonville a scientific trainer in
physical culture and a man we'll yersed
; in the rules Of the ring. Mr.. Leon
) hardt has won considerable reputation
: as a middleweight, and could undoubt-
eddy put up a mighty good scrap him
self If he was called on. He is Stuck
| ey's trainer and he managed affairs
2 Saturday night with an efficiency that
I showed he was Well versed in his bus
2 mess.
While the two big men were strip
ping for the fray, little preliminary
: entertainment was given by Dick Gill
bert and Kid Nelson. Gilbert, who is
. middleweight of some note. tuned
himself up by putting in some minutes
: at skipping the rope. and his perform
5 ance would have excited the envy OF
any schoolgirl who ever attained pro-
ficiency in the exercise. He swung the
I cord almost too fast for it to be seen
e and never missed 1t once.
s Kid Nelson is a lively Lightweight,
4 scrapper and when he pranced out
4 against Gilbert. he looked like a
: mosquito charging a hornet. But Gil
d bert was an amiable hornet. and let
a the little man punch him all over, &C.
= casionally however spinning him
around with tap that would have
n sent an ordinary citizen to grass.
Mr.. Leonhardt having asked if any
one in the audience desired to boz
e three rounds with Gilbert, Frank Mil
q ler local istic artist stepped into
: the ring. He didn't come out vel
d with Gilbert as. Nelson and became
T. slightly peeved.
q These little preliminaries over,
4 roar Of applause went up Stuckey
D and Lyons stepped over the ropes and
y sat down in their respective corners
The remaining preparations were soon
5 concluded. and the two big men stood
a up for their bout.
n Stuckey, tall and straight, looked as
strong and healthy young Florida
pine. Judging by the color of his skin
q under which the powerful and YET
t growing muscles rippled, he was in the
very pink of condition.
His friends couldn't help feeling
some apprehension, tho. when the,
: looked at the other man. Not quite
u so tall Stuckey, and not extraordi.
nari1y large from his waist down, his
> chest and shoulders fairly bulged witt
= tremendous muscles. His every move.
5 ment was made with the careless ease
t of the trained fighter. and it looked
/ like It would be impossible for any
thing on two feet to stand up to the
e blows of his sledgehamner fists
. The reporter is not sufficiently vers.
= ed in boxing to give a technical de.
scription Of the bout. From the very
first. Stuckey surprised his friends. He
= was very light on his feet and wonder
t fully quick with his hands. He hard
, ~ noticed his opponents blows and
L landed many of his own. At the enc
e of each round. he sat down for a few
: seconds. and then sprung to his feet a!
Il fresh ever to resume the bout. II,
t seemed to have very much the best o.
' the bout, pushing Lyons TO the ropes
d several times and only going Their,
: once or twice himself He was remark
i ably quick at giving blow ant
u lodging return. His tremendous
: long reach was not in full evidence a
a boxing exhibition, but in real figh
" il will make him a terror.
I OF course, the two giants were onl.
u playing with each other, and put com
paratively little strength into thei