El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-05-13
SOME OF THE DUSKY
NATURAL FIGHTERS
Negroes Seem to Take to
Boxing Without the Ar
tificial Features.
(By W. w. Naughton).

San Francisco, Calf, May 13.-In
previous article devoted to the AmerI-
canizing of the science of boxing and
the development of the natural
boxer" I mentioned George Dixon as
a bright, particular example of the
kind of ring men referred to.
It is worthy of note that the most
effective tof the natural fighters this
country has known during the past
Is or 20 years were negroes. OF these
none had greater vogue than Joe
Wolcott who on account of his pecu-
liar build, peculiar talents and his
particular effectiveness when sent
against men taller and heavier than
= he, was sometimes called Joe, the
Giant Killer"
Overland blows were Wolcotts long
suit, and he could deliver them in
notably damaging way when his frame
was f1attened against that of an oppo-
nent In the old days-more particu-
larly the "clean break" days-I have
known excited spectators to yell at
lettering pugilist. Keep close to him
and he will not be able to hurt you"
In the main. is was safe advice to
follow too, for the old style fighter
had to push his man away and meas
ure him in order to inf1ict damage
But w OlCOII Asset oil SuCl1
for the closer lie stood to a man, the
more he could punish. On account Of
his squat build, he could stand erect
with his face no higher than the aver
age mans chest and from this posi-
ton he ladled out overhangers which,
from the manner Of their delivery
caused those who looked on to Won
der if Joe had swivels in his shoulders
Was a Terror.
He was certainly a terror while he
lasted. Any serious setbacks he met
with could generally be traced to
crookedness, to which he was a party.
He was seldom bested on his merits
and it was quite a relief to men OF
every classroom light 10 heavy
when his dash deserted him and the
ring knew him no more.
Joe Cans, while he had all that Mace
or Mace's adherents ever knew down
to fine point, resorted sufficiently TO
original notions of his own to be
classed as a natural fighter. A man
who keeps tab on ring happenings Of
ten hears reference to a hurtful punch
which Travelled but comparatively few
inches Well, it would have been hard
to locate a ring man who required
less range for. some of his punches
than Cans Particularly was this true
of a right chop which Cans used in
many of his fights. He went very
quietly about preparing the way for a
punch of this kind, just eleyating his
right glove gradually while sparrfng
until he felt it topped his oppo-
nent's guard Then, without drawing
his elbow back the fraction of an inch
he would give a quick turn Of the
wrist and a downward chug Of his
dexter glove, the result being clip
on the chin which Jared the recipient
from truck to keelson.
The greatest of all natural fighters,
of course, is this fellow Jack Johnson,
and the best things in his repertoire
are the uppercuts with which he times
his men so fearlessly and faultlessly.
It was thought after seeing the way
he butchered fellows like Jim Flynn
and Tommy Burns with his lifting
punches. that he was only poison to
short men but, after that unfortunate
affair at Reno, we know differently.
Licked In the Ciinches.
Jeffries was looked upon to crush
and maui Johnson in the clinches, yet
Jeffries was licked in the olinches.
Never before did a frequenter of prize
! fights see such damage inflicted at
close quarters. There were the two
! big men, swinging around in each 9TH
1 er's arms: each supposedly bringing
years of experience in ringmanship to
bear to blanket the other and render
/ him powerless-
! Yet one of the men-the black, too
! freed either hand when he felt like 1t
/ and, with an upward drive, bruised
| and gashed the others face while you
watched. And once-just once-when
Jeffries tried to retaliate in like man
ner, the result was absolutely lu-
dicrous.
am free to confess that never saw
such infighting as Johnson engaged n
before and 1 cannot conceive of any
other heavyweight I know-unless II
! be Sam Langford-copying Johnson's
best ticks with success.
Sam LangfOrd's Style.
Sam Langford is another natural
/, fighter but, while his notions may be
original, his style seems to be a blend
of Joe Wolcott's and Jack Johnson's
He is all there with high swings and
uppershoots, and his treatment of Lang
is eloquent proof of the fatality of the
old mechanical style of boxing wher
pitted against the methods Of the lat
ter day.
Battling Nelson was a natural boxer
but his methods, shorn of his assimi-
lative qualities and his treadmill like
! powers of endurance, would have
! brought him little.
Stanley Ketchei was another, witt
his lightning like shifts and his ambl-
dextrous delivery. He had peculiar
| manner of maintaining his balance
| when his fercest swings went wild
/ and every battle he engaged in KEEP
the spectators on the jump from frs
to last.
| DONOVAN AND CLARKE ARE