The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-24
Extra Sporting Page
Anniversary of Tom Savers, "Little
 Giant of the Ring

Tomorrow will be the eighty seventh anniversary of the birth of Tom Savers, the 1ightest man who ever held the heavyweight champion, and perhaps the greatest fighter Of ms poundage who ever lived. The Little Giant was born at Pirnl1co, near Brighton, England, May 25, 1928 He came Of that best Of all human fight ing breeds, the Irish Cockney. In ms youth he was a; brickIayer, and after ward worked in a railway construction camp and as a sort of bouncer at a pub
 Savers was feet 81z inches in height, and at his best he weighed only about 150 pounds. Although light for. a -rniddleweiSht, he fought his way up to the top of the heavy weight heap, and took part in a battle fo1. the worlds championship with the American giant, john c. Heenan. Tom fought his first ring engagement at the age of twenIy-one, defeating Ably Couch This was in 1849- His next battle was with Dan Collins, and Say CTS was again, the victor. Tom then took on Jack Grant, veteran of many long connbats, and whipped him in sixty y-four rounds, lasting two and "a half Hours. The Little Wonder and the Little Giant as Savers was then called, next challenged Nat Langham to fight for the mtddleweight cham pionship. This time Savers was de- feated, but not disgraced, and, as Langham refused to fight Tom again, Savers became the recognized cham pion of the nidd1eweights.
 Having cleaned up all the men in his division, Savers, like Bob Fitzsim- mons many years later, had to go for bigger game. In 1856 he was match ed with Harry Paulson, near-cham- pion. Harry weighed 172 pounds, while Tom then tipped the beam at a. demon, and at one time the odds were to 1 against Tom, but the plucky mid dleweight eventually conquered after hours and minutes. of fight Ing.
 Toms victory was a great surprise, as up to that time no middleweight had ever had the tenerity to fight top-notch heavyweights. By defeat ingN Aaron Jones, Sayers gained more Iaurels, and in 1857 his packers were willing to pit him against Bill Perry, the Tipton Slasher, who then held the British heavyweight title.
 The sIasher weighed ~ over 200 pounds and topped six feet by half an inch, giving him an advantage over Savers of four inches in height and over fifty pounds in weight The sporting public scoffed at such an un- money bet on Tom. Savers sIashed the ssSlasher'' .unmercifully, and at the end of the ninth round the champion was so far gone that his seconds tossed in the sponge.
 Savers defended the heavyweight title against Bill Benjamin. whom he defeated in three rounds. and Tom Paddock, who lasted tweaty-one rounds. In1S59 he whipped Bob Bret tie, and defeated Benjamin again.
 In 1860 Savers fought the last bat tie of his career, his opponent being John c. Heenan, an Irish-American. The contest aroused international in- terest, since the worlds title was in volYed. The ffBenica Boy,'' as Heenan was called, was a giant in stature, standing 6 feet 2 h inches. This fight ended in a riot, and the packers of | both men claimed the advantage. Heenan was almost blinded and Say CTS was badly battered, but neither ] man had any clear advantage. Savers retired from the ring after that. He travelled with a circus for a time, but was soon afflicted with tuberculosis and diabetes, from the effects of which he died just half a century ago this year. A handsome tomb still marks the last resting place of the Little Wonder