The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-09-24
TODAY'S ANNIVERSARY

With the exception of Tommy Burns who stood five feet seven, Tom Savers was the smallest man who ever held the worlds heavyweight cham pionship title Savers was born in England 88 years ago today, and won his spurs by beating number Of goo6 men before he challenged Bill Perry, the Tipton Slasher, who was then champion, in 1857. Savers was five feet eight. but weighed little over 15O pounds when he tackled the big six-foot Perry, who tipped the beam at over 200. Facing each other, 8 comparison between the two men was almost ludicrous. Perry had punch like the kick of a mule, and when his little adversary advanced with an insolent smile on his face, the Slasher immediately tried to wipe it off and end the bout with a single blow. He rushed the little fellow, his arms working like fails, but Savers was not there. Instead. the, Slasher got a stiff one on the nose that drew blood. This maddened the giant and transformed him into the likeness of an angry bull. He forgot the little ring wisdom he had ever known, and rushed about blindly, but the nimble Savers easily avaded his charges, and constantly landed blows on the cham pions face Round and round Savers danced about, adding fuel to the
 flames that consumed the champion by jeering remarks. One round lasted 30 minutes before the Slasher got to l times this happened during the bout, but Savers escaped the full force of the devastating blows. and wriggled away when Perry sought to follow up his advantage.
 The end came in the ninth when the Slasher, exhausted by the long chase after the elusive Savers, went down before the many blows that the little fellow sent to his unprotected face. In those days a round lasted until one or the other went down, and if he did not get up in half a minute the
 bout was over. Perry was unable to
 rise while the fatal half minute licked off, and Savers became worlds cham
 pion.
 The next battle in which Savers
 took part was with Heenan, an Irish
 American. The Hibernian was having IalI the better of it when the police
 interfered to cave the Briton. h.
 censed at this treatment, Heenan lstarted a rough house." knocking out
 Sayers's second, bowled over a few
 policemen, thro*tled Savers, took a
 crack a a number of spectators, sent
 the referee to Idreamland, and then
 hastily took himself off. The referee, when he recovered, gave the decision to Savers, who remained the unde- , feated champion until his voluntary , retirement in 1860.
 Fight fans were in a state of ex- cited expectation on this date in 1S8i when Jake Kilrain sailed for Eng , land to fight Jem Smith, the British , champion, for the worlds title. Smitt , had issued a challenge to fight any man in the world, and Sullivan was
 expected to accept the defiS but fol
 some reason John L. backed out
 Jake Kilrain, who had also vainly at
 tempted to get Sullivan face to face
 with him in the ring, then volun , teered to fight the Britisher. Shortl! before sailing Kilrain was presented , at Baltimore with the Fox belt er1l ; blematio of the heavyweight cham ; pfonship of America, and the cost 2 ,liest pugilistic trophy ever awarded Charlie Mitchell accompanied Kilrai1
 to England, and it was arranged tha = the fight between Kilra1n and Smitl e take place in December on an islant S in the Seine, near Rouen, France, fo = the belt, the championship of tn l. world. and S5. 5.000 a side. The mel Il fought 106 rounds, when darkness pu
 an end to the contest, which wa
 called a draw, although Kilrain hal
 the shade. When Kilrain returned t
 America Sullivan consented to mee l. him, and Jake lost in 75 rounds.