The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-03-24
N M,AULIFFE, OLD
 LIGHTWEIGHT KING,
 BEGINS BOTH YEAR

Many a sport who sat at the ring side not so very long ago and cheer ed Jack McAuliffe on to victory will emit hoot of incredulity at the statement that the dashing williams burg Jack will begin his fifitieth year today. Yet it even so, pal We are getting along, and, aIth o1gh It seems but yesterday, it was a long, long time ago that happy Irish Jack dis played his proWess in the squared cir cIe. McAuliffe, the only HghtV eight champion who retired undefeated. was born in Cork on March 24, 1866. Tn his youth he worked in Palmer cooperage in the Wf1liannsbure secz tion of Brooklyn. There he wrest1ed and boxed with the other WorEnnen, including Jack Dempsey, afterward lightweight and mtddleweight cham pion, and Jack SkeIly, who become a famous sfeathe erweigIlt. Jack received his first lessons in the manly art from an old cooper who was pretty good with his fists, and who started the three famous Jacks on the road to fame and fortune. The lads tied aprons on their fists instead or glove. and many thrilling battle was pull ed off in the cooperage yard.
 It was in 1884 when his friend Jack Dempsey was the lightweight champion, that McAu1iffe entered the professional arena. During hia ffrst two years in the ring he fought tweu- ty battles and won all Of them In 1885 he claimed the TEhtwei el7e championship of America, Dempsey having become a Knidd dleWefght In 1856 he whipped Jack Hopper in ssv- enteen rounds in New York and Billy Frazier in twenty7one rounds in New York
 Early in 1887 Irish Jack fought one of the several desperate battles of his career. Harry Gilmore was his op- ponent, and the fight was staged iu Ilawrence Mass. The men fought with skin tight gloves. and after tvver-' weight rounds Gf1moress seconds tossed in the sponge, their mans nose having been broken. Jack was in a l bad way. for his eyes were bunEed l shut and he could scarcely see. Later that year McAuHffe had an
 other close call in a battle with Je1u
 the English champion and the fight was for the worlds title. After sew 1 enty four rounds had been fought 1 McAuIiffe was about all in and hi1 friends broke into the ring and stop ped the fight. Carney had the best
 Of it, but the affair was called a draw In 1889 McAuliffe fought Bflly l Myer in a little mining town in hi l nois. Early in the bout Jack broke
 his arm but he used his good wing so effectively that he got a draw af- I ter sixty-foIr rounds Of fighting and I stalling. Vast sums had been wager ed on the result by McAuliffe's back
 CTS and the miners who looked upon
 the streator Cyclone as their hero.
 The miners did everything in their power to intimldate Jack, and even | threatened him with clubs and sIung shots. but he was game to the core 1 and saved the money of those who I had put their money on him. Later
 he gave Ndyer thorough beating tu 1 the New Orleans tournament in which I Corbett defeated Sullivan.
 l McAuliffe retired undefeated in ] 1898 and turned his title over to Kid
 I.ayigne. Betting on the ponies was l his favorite occupation and he won
 and lost several juicy fortunes on the l turf
 McAuliffe believes that the boxers
 of today cannot. compare with the old
 crowd, and declares that the pugilists
 of the present period are lacking iu I gray matter.