Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-12-11
MIKE GIBBONS
ONE OF rings
CLEVEREST MEN
BY Lat,,st Mail "
Ky ROBERT F'DGREN,

! NEW IORk.--lts a long time since
we've had as clever Il middleweight
fighter as Mike Gibbons The only
thing that We don know about, in
Mikes case, is the tNtpnt Of his Cour.
age. He hasn't ben IN danger Of
! Knockout in any CT his fights. The
only man who could make him hop
around on the defensive was Eddie
McGooFty Mike met Eddie shortly
after McGOoSty had knocked out both
Dave Smith, champion OF Australia,
and Jack Harrison, champion Of Eng
land, in half dozen punches each.
He knew that McGOOrty bad the punch
| OF a fast heayyweiEht-an and Mike sure
! ~ used caution on that occasion. IL
was only in the last round that he
! turned loose all Ms fighting power
and showed what he might have been
! able to do If he had tried In time.
Fights Like keIeheT.
Gibbons is the onfy middleweight in
sight now who could follow Stanley
ketchefs example and fight heavy
weights. While not the furiously ag-
gressive fighter that Ketchel was, by
4 any means. he might have as good n
chance as Ketchel because OF his re-
markable skill.
! He Is the only real middleweight
we've seen lately who knew a feint
from a marshmalluw. Mike teints all
the time-feints with his head, his
hands. his body, his knees, his feet.
He doesn't hop and skip about like a
| Freddie Welsh, wasting twice as much
energy dancing as he uses up fighting.
Every movement Of Mike Gibbons
means something and has it's purpose.
| He makes his man give the opening
he wants. and then drives q blow
through to exactly the spot he wants
: to hit And he can hit hard-like
heavyweight. His punch isn't exactly
like McGoorty's crusher, although he
can land clean knockout on coca.
sion. He hits constantly, and all Of
his blows join In producing dazing,
Earring effect. When his opponent
tries to clinch he is especially effec.
! tive. He twists around and pokes
through blows that no other fighter
ever thought of. Each hook and jab
and cuff has a jar in IT, Young Mike
Donovan was beaten by Gibbons
shcrt, Earring blows rather than by the
few hard hooks he landed s=s,,+l-..
HAS Great lab.
Mike has that chief standby OF the
clever boxer-a great left fab. But he
lands 1t with more OF kick" than
any of the others. II keeps his rivals
head bebbing back nearly to his shout.
der blades. -.
While he usually fights the head"
in boxing parlance, he hits at the body
when he wants to make an opening
, by bringing his mans guard low. To
drop that guard is fatal for Gibbons
can bit equally hard at all angles, and
is always ready.
One Of the finest things about his
! boxing is the perfect defense he has
in his ability to avoid welldireeted
/ blows Mike has one of the quickest
eyes in the world--or rather two of
them. He sees punch start, auto
, matically calculates its reach and di.
rection, and moves head or body JUS
enough to avoid It. Usually he lodges
a blow without moving his feet--a
speciality of that former great fighter.
Young Critic of Australia. Critic used
to make bets that he could stand on a
handkerchief and avoid blows for
three minutes without shifting this
footing. Unless against a top-notcher,
Gibbons could undoubtedly do the
same thing, especially II he was at
liberty to hit back.
When Mike first came to New York
he was a strong. wiry youngster. half
developed. Boxing has broadened his
shoulders. covered his back with
mass Of we'll trained muscles, and en-
larged his arms, neck and chest. He's
a powerful man for his weight, which,
ike Tommy Ryal's when he was
champion. is several pounds under the
weight limit of the middleweight class.
He is as strong as most heavyweights.
And he knows how to use his strength.
Run Out Of Opponents.
II he goes on fighting as well as he
did against Donovan, Nike is going 10
run out of middleweight opponents in
a very short time. Without doubt.
he's the king Of his class in short
bouts. Whether he can fight 20
rounds as well remains to be seen
when he tries to convince the western
middleweights. like Clabby and Chip,
that he's a real champion. Ten-round
bouts. OF course. don't decide cham.
pionship discussions except in the
event Of knockClt.t -.
golfer loses confidence on the