The Washington herald., 1913-03-09
SPORTING PUBLIC
UPHOLD WOLGAST
Michigan Wildcat Still a Rug
ged Battler, Despite
Bad Breaks.
HAS NOT GONE BACK
Fight with Harlem" Tommy Murphy
Proves to Fans that He Has
Not Blown Up.
HAS NOT GONE BACK
BY w. w. NAUGHTON.

San Francisco. March S.-After see
ing Ad Wolgast in action with Tommy
Murphy, sporting men of thoughtful
turn have come to the conclusion that
even il Wolgast has gone back" he
is still fit ring company for anything
of his weight that walks i'm two shoes.
1t is doubtful il wolEast in his palm
lest days could have stood the stress
of as bliZzardy a bout and shown less
signs of fatigue. II was an affair to
test the mettle of the most rugged
fighters, let alone one whose vitality
was supposed TO have suffered through
an appendicitis operation. As A result
of it all it is not likely that the pos
sible effects of wolgast's hospital az
periences year ago will enter so
much into the discussion about chances
when he stands forth to fight again.
Ii he does the square thing by himself
in the training line and is then de-
feated by Willie Ritchie. Joe Rivers or
Tommy Murphy. as the case may be.
there will scarcely be disposition
on the part of the sporting public to
attribute the reverse to sloughing
away of Wolgast's fighting ability The
verdict I'm thinking will be that VOL
CAST simply met his master. and that
the same man would have beaten Ad
probably at any time in his career.
Not Yet All In.
When the suspicion exists that a
pugilist has gone back" those look
ing at him in action naturally expect
to see him blow UP" when well ham
mered and carried along at an unusu-
ally fast pace. Well. Wolgast tided
over an experience of that kind in the
Murphy affair. so that even if he lacks
the dash OF ante-appendicitts days, he
retains his powers Of recupcration in
marked degree. And as long as nature
comes to mans aid as quickly as she
did in Wolgast's case, il is sheer non
sense TO list him as wreck.
For nine rounds Murphy jabbed and
j"lted Wolgast until the eX-champions
face was not fair to look upon. Ad. was
well peppered around the ribs, too. but
il was the face that Murphy used as Il
target in the main. And the action
that was crowded into every round of
The nine was sufficient TO keep the
watchers pop-cyed.
Lights Into Murphy.
II took Wolgast the better part Of
nine rounds to dccid" that in quick
spasms of fighting. where short-arm
uppercutS were the blows used. he
was running a poor second to the Har-
lem lad. The writer watched the men
closely in all the breaSt-to-breast ral-
lies. and it looked to me many times
that Murphy was sending in two
punches to Wolgast's one. Taking the
mems faces as scoreboards, it would
he easy enough to substantiate a claim
OF this kind.
When Ad made up his mind Murphy
had it on him at inhghting. the wild
stead of being all too ready to fight
shoulder to shoulder and root until
split out by the referee. he. squared
himself and put every ounce of energy
lie boasted into body punches.
The effect was immediate. 1t showed
in the look of suffering that came in
Murphy's eyes. 1t showed in the way
Murphy's seconds began to urge their man
to box with him. instead of piling in
opeH-mouthed. And it showed in the
change of Wolgast's appearance. He
had found a way TO stand off mercurial
Murphy and from being the swollen
faced and probably discouraged under
dog. Woleast took on the snappy-eyed,
animated look of the fellow who is
getting the upper hand.
Ii looked bad for Murphy for sew
eral rounds. This was while Wolgast,
with fine judgment and notable smash
that both looked and sounded as
though they hurt.
Wolgast. tired from his own efforts
and the indomtable fighting spirit OF
the Harlem lightweight. which possi-
bly, tagged slightly in some of the
cruel rounds between the thirteenth
and the seventeenth. asserted itself
again. The pace. which has been fierce
throughout. became fiercer than ever
and the concluding rounds found VOL
CAST forced to fight the way that suited
Murphy best. II all ended with the
men as fairly entitled to equal credits
as any pair OF horses that ever raced
level muzzlcd under the WIRE albeit of
the two Wolgast was probably the more
tired.
Wants Second Fight.
There will be another match, of
course, and between you and I and the
Eatepost il will be as acceptable to
San Francisco followers of the game
as any bout that could be arranged.
They, the followers. know what to ex-
pect. 1t isn't case of footworker
and infighter. but of two fellows who
box alike and who will be assiduous in
their efforts 10 harm each other as a
couple of Kilkenny cats from bell to
bell
Just who would be favorite in an
other match L wouldnt undertake to
say. Sitting in the press benches after
The crowds had swarmed into the ring
the thought came to me that wolgast
would probably render a much better
account OF himself with a longer spell
OF training. 1 felt that Murphy had
fought to his last ounce and that it
would scarcely be possible for him to
improve on his Washington's Birthday
showing. Later, when I heard that Muir
ply had injured one of his hands Sc
yerely in one of the early rounds and had
therefore been hampered, changed my
views to some extent
After that again learned that VOL
CAST also had sustained an injury to
his arm during the breakneck mill, and
then my ideas of what another fight
might show became foggy.
But. with many others. / admitted
that the time had not come for placing
this youngster Wolgast with the has
beens.