The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-09
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(By ]. B. Garvey.)

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(By ]. B. Garvey.)
The sport loving public takes un-
seemlS delight in calling a man 'yel-
low. If a fighter shows the least in
cHnation to uit. or II in the thickest
OF the tight he slows up for some rea-
son. perhaps to conserve his forces.
and it turns out that he Is beaten. the
first thing that comes into the minds
of tistic devotees is the accusation,
Hes not game" Especially is this
attitude applied to negro pugilists.
There has been cause. of course, many
with a lack of courage. But excep.
tions have been noted. Some of the
best fighters since the time of Figg
have been negroes.
Peter Jackson for instance. The
great West Indian who battled Jim
Corhett siNty-one rounds to a draw.
Then there were George Godfrey. first
colored champion heavyweight of
America. and Frank Craig. the "Har-
en- Coffee Cooler" There are some
truly remarkable negro fighters today
johnson. I.angford, Jeanette, Nc
Ney-but n splendid trio of negroe
battlers is foremost in pugilistic his
tory.
II was composed of George Dickson.
Joe Cans n Joe Dalcott. Dixon,
the first negro worlds champions:
Cans. of knockout fame; Walcott. the
Barbados terror. whose head was SO
close to his shoulders that it was next
to impossible to hurt him. All three
bestow.
Dixon was ruler of the feather
weights and the bantams. Cans of the
lightwcights. and Walcott became
master of the welters.
Dixon Il Wizard Of the Gloves.
Dixon was the most popular negro
that ever raised a glove. He was like
wise the greatest ring artist. His
career started in Halifax. Nova
Young Jackson. The following year
he came to this country and located
In Roston. He had twenty-six fights
in Massachusetts cities and in other
eastern towns. dating from 1887 to
Feb. Z. 1890. when he met Cal Nc
CarthN for the bantam championship
of America. The men fought seventy
rounds to a draw with two-ounce
gloves.
Dixon was a different miller from
the genera run of fighters. Where.
as a rule. coming champions knock
out most Of their opponents in the
carly days of their career. Dixon play
ed safe and was content with winning
over his opponents. All the time he
was learning c~leverness. but when he
fought Mccarthy he did not look
much like the star he became later.
Little Chocolate" had four fights
after h memorable affair with Nc
Carthy. and then Tom O'Rorke took
him to London, where In June, 1890.
he defeated Nunc Wallace, bantam
champion Of England in the eighteen
rounds. Nine months later he again
fought Mccarthy for the bantam
championship of America and won it
at Troy. N. Y. in twenty-five rounds.
Next he met Abe Willis. the Austria
liam champion, at San Francisco and
knocked him out in the five rounds.
Dixon became bantam champion of
the world as a result of this feat.
There being no good mel left in the
bantam class for him to meet he
fought several fea~therweights and
whipped them. one after another. A
year after his battle with Willis he
was matched with Fred johnson for
the worlds featherweight champion
ship. They struggled at Coney Island
for a $4,000 purse and Dixon dropped
johnson for the count in the four
teenth round.
Dixon continued in the game until
1906. In 1900 he lost the feather
WSi6uS lItie W Terry MCNIOf0rn.
WalcOtt n Cans Marvcls.
In the '9Os. Joe Walcott blazed a
trail for lightweights. welterweights
and m~iddleweishts that was hard to
follow. Waloott was a w~elterWeight,
but he trained down to 1873. pounds
for Kid Lavigne when the kid was
champion at that weight in 1896 and
the Michigander gave him a terrific
lacing. Before the Lavigne fight. and
after Mo lo0ff u.oS lynfxyarco1lSy faar4N
He was animalistic in his attack and
est blished q string of k%nockouts.
Walcott was a powerful puncher and
never hesitated TO fight a man from
ten to sixty pounds heavier than him
self.
His first fight with Mysterious Billy
Smith was one of the most brutal ever
sets of articles and after fifteen fierce
rounds had been reeled OFF. Smiths
handler. Jim Westcott. told the ref
cree the battle was over. The deci
sion was a draw and the hackers of
Smith thus saved their money.
Walcott became welterweight
champion after the title had passed
back and forth between Rube Ferns.
Matty Matthews and Mysterious Billy
Smith. He was the greatest demon
welterweight of two decades. Wall
colt got his schooling under George
Dixon. who took him in hand when
he came from Barbados.
Cans In Game 10 Years.
Joe Cans was the name of a boxing
marvel from Baltimore who arose to
the heights of lightweight champion
in 1902 after eleven years of mixing.
He was the third negro to become a
titled head. His career was sixteen
years long. The curtains were low
cred on him when Bat Nelson stopped
him twice in 1907.
Cans was the greatest knocker-out
of the ring. S%ixty-one forms buried
their faces in the carpet at the behest
of his thudding fists. Cans was both
a fighter and a boxer-a true artist
He had an y for distance that was
remarkable and his blows rarely trav-
eled over a couple Of inches. He vas
also a fine blocker. In 1902. at Fort
Erie. Ont. he felled Frank Erne in a
round and won the lightweight blue
ribbon. His best fights were with Hal
Hawkins. as dangerous a man as him.
self: Frank Erne and Bat Nelson.
Cans put Hawkins away twice after
Hawkins had rocked him groggy, the
first contest going two rounds and the
other three rounds. He won over
Nelson on a foul in AZ rounds and
lost in II and II rounds respectively.
These three negroes were h most
famed in the history OF pugilism.
Now Dixon n Cans are dead, and
Walcott. who attempted to come
back at Boston a few months ago,
and won a couple Of bouts. ia report
SEEKS IMMIGRANTS.
Fredericton. N. B.. March s.-Plans
1 MI a No, 1900. 100000