The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-07
Battling Nelson Begins
 2Oth Year in Ring

Oscar Battling Matthew Nelson. the Durable {Dane- began his twentieth year in the ring yesterday, for. it was away back in 1896 that the future lightweight champion fought his first regular bout. Bat was then only four teen years old, but he had been scrap ping with the youngsters of Hegewich, fI1., from the time he first learned to toddle. NeIson'S first opponent was a circus boy called Wallace's Kid The showmen thought their pride was a. world wonder, but the pugnacious lit tie Dane knocked him out in the first round. It has been several years since Nelson has displayed much class as a scrapper, but he can't be weaned from the game. and every once in while, and sometimes oftener, he stages a scrap with some second-rater, and busts into print with a challenge to Freddie Welsh. Nelson modestly ad- 11its that he isn't as good as he once was, but he is seemingly serious in entertaining the motion that he has got sWe1sh's number.
 It has been over five years since Nelson lost the lightweight laurels to Ad Wolgast at Point Richmond, Cal. The Dane took an awful beating for forty rounds, and was game to the core, but he didn't stand a. chance and Eddie Smith, the referee, put a stop to the bout to save the Battler from being ki1Ied.
 Bat Ne1son,s exit from the cham pionship was in a. blaze of glory, and it's dramatic features was surpassed only by the downfall of John l.. Sul1i- van at New Orleans on Sept. z, 1892, Just twenty three years ago come to- morrow. The untamed Old Roman was overcome with surprise when he saw shis title slipping away from him but Fhe fought ganely on. In the tWenty-firstE round the slippery Cor bett5 t5saw his chance and tore into old John L.,1 and the champion tottered and collapsed like a punctured bal loon. But. the cheers of the crowd were for they conquered man rather than for the victor when the Old Rofnan mumb1ed, stI fought once too often, but I am glad I was defeated by an American.
 Another dramatic finish to a. bril- liant ring career was the defeat of Jack Dempsey by Bob Fitzsinmons
 From the first it was apparent that the Nonparei1 was not there with the old tim e stuff, and that the battle was all in the hands of the lanFky Australian. Jack, I don't want to knock you oilt'' said F'itz in the eleventh round, and begged Dempsey to quit. But there wasn't any such word in Jacks voca- bulary. "I'l1 never quit" he groaned. You'll have to knock me out.' Jack McAuHfes Dempseys second and old pal, begged the NonpareiI to stop. but in vains In the thirteenth round F7itz- simmons, seeing tl1a1 there was netF1- ing else to do,. shot out his right arm with all his terrible strength and the blow, landing flush on Dempsey chin, finished the unequal struggle When Stanley Ketchel lost the mid dleweight title to Billy Papke in Los Angeles. seven years ago come tomor- row, the Michigan. Assassin was virtually tout on his feet'' from the l first round,A due to a tremendous right i hand blow, but hehstruggIed- on for a | dozen rounds before he finally took the count He took awful punishment i from the Illinois TunderboIt'' and
 was seemingly blind and deaf to his
 surroundings in the latter rounds