The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-08-12
BOXERS
GREAT MONEY GETTERS


drew a gate of s29,OOo for their recent
championship battle the fact was again
strikingly demonstrated that the light.
weights of fistiana are the ones in high-
est favor with lovers of boxing OF
course there have been greater receipts
than $4,000 for ring battle, but these
other record houses were attracted from
the country over, while Richie and
Rivers drew their patronage almost en-.
tirely from the territory tributary to
San Francisco.
There is no question but that for ac.
tual lighting qualities and spectacular
ring men the lightweight division has
always led the other classes, and this
TACT is what has tended to make the
l33-pound boys such prime favorites
with the public.
What brilliant array of champions
have reigned in the lightweight class.
McAuliife, Layigne, Erne, Cans, Mel
son, WOlgast, Ritchie-oach champion
in every sense of the word.
Ia the old days OF twenty odd years
ago, Jack McAuliffe, one of the three
famous american Jacks" was the
king pin in his division, and there are
many who still maintain that his equal
never drew on a pair of fighting gloves.
Three Real Champions.
When McAuliHe was the champion
lightweight of the world, Jack Demp-
sey was the middleweight leader and
the ouly John H. was the heavyweight
holder. The trio was fondly known as
1.-The Three American Jacks" They
were steadfast friends and great
| combination. Dempsey and McAuliffe
were inscparable. They worked togeth-
| er rs boys in cooper shop at Williams
burg near Brooklyn. When Dempsey
fought, McAulifle generally seconded
the NOnpareil, and when McAuliife
boxed, Dempsey was usually his chief
second. And in the COrbett Sullivan
bout Jack McAuliife seconded his old
pal, John l.. Sullivan.
McAuliilc was u most dashing fight
er and picturesque character. lie was
always full of rollickiDg Irish humor
and the DOssessor of clever intelli-
gence. Jack loved the good things of
| life, aid when he started to train for
n contest il was nothing unusual for
| him to show up for the training period
weighing AS high as Ia pounds.
| McAulfIe beat such great ones as
| Horace Leeds. Stanton Abbott, Jimmy
Carroll, Billy Meyers, the Streator Cy-
clone, AMI that sort, and he s the only
| lightweight boxer in the history of the
sport who retired undefeated champion.
Had Nerve of Steel.
r To show the consummate skill of Me
Auliile only one of his battles need be
reenlled. This was his first fight with
BILLY Myers, the "Streator Cyclone. {"
In those old days everything was fair
in boxing contest. McAuliife met
Myers in an Illinois mining town. The
pair fought in big loft over a livery
stable. Myers friends were out in
legion and they came prepared to see
their man win by fair means or foul.
The miners in that day were an I'M
cOuth lot. They armed themselves with
slung shots and small clubs. McAuliffe
knew the conditions he was up against,
but the iron heart of Irish Jack never
qualted. lie went dancing into that
hell hole like "A Dervish dancing his
Mullah 5 tunes into battle.
McAulitlc and Myers started the bat
tie. The uncouth miners, armed with
slung shot and short club, stood as
close to the ropes as they could get,
and more than one of them brandished
an ugly weapon in an attempt to in.
iure Williamsburg Jack.
But McAuliffe was equal to the emer.
gency He kept Myers close to the
center of the ring and himself out of
reach of those terrinc weapons, and he
gave Myers a most unholy beating; still
hn nal la Ynt lrnt al. A
Aulilfc met Myers in the first battle OF
the famous New Orleans carnival
where McAulifle and Myers, Skelly and
Dixon and Sullivan and Corbett fought
This was back in 1892. McAuliffC
knocked out Myers in fifteen rounds.
Lavigne Worthy Successor.
When McAuliffe felt himself slip
! ping, little cherub of a lightweight
+ George Layigne by name and the Sa
! ginaw Kid by reputation, was coming
: along famously, McAuliffe felt that h,
was through, and he passed the emblem
+ along TO Lavigne.
] What n worthy successor Many o.
+ the old.timers still hold that the eUua
: of the little Larigne kid was neve
: seen between the ropes. Wash Z he tn,
+ lad who beat the terrible Joe Wlcott
i the Barbados Terror, in two meetings
4 And wasn't it the little Lavigne VIII
4 invaded England and beat the grea
. Dick Burgc, a man who frequently de
X fled Jack MeAuliiIe What more nigh
X be asked of q mani
4 About that Lavigne- Burge battl,
. thore runs pretty little yarn. Burg
X had tried TO get McAuliTe into fght
x but Burge would not make weight 10
X Jack and the match fell through. Sar
X Fitzpatrick, Lavignc's manager, too
n the negotiations mp where McAulif
4 left them of, lie accepted mate
x with Burge before the National Sport
n ing Club of London ON Burgess ow
terms and weight conditions.
Peggy Bettinson, matchmaker q
the club, commanded Fitzpatrick I
y. come TO England for the battle at one,
y Fitzpatrick obeyed orders, aud in con
~ pany with a cute little lad, who locke
u. like n thcwh, he Invaded the sacre
~, inuer oli,es Of the last word in spor
~ ing clubs, whore BottnsOu was sittiu
.n pulling q big choroot,
re-, Didn't Look the Part.
NJ Reiliusou pushed big chair out