The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-03-08


Under blistering summer sun and
with the thermometer registering
beyond 100. such were the weather
conditions when John l.. Sullivan and
Jake Kilrain fought their uever-to-
beforgotten bare knuckle BATTLE on
July S. 1889, The bout was staged in
Richburg, Miss, In a sequestured spot
far removed from police Interference.
Both fighters started Oft at top
speed with the first call of time. The
big champion, smarting under the
taunts OF Kilrain and his supporters,
was a rushing fury, = Backed by the
new found strength that had come
from training under Billy Muldoons
orders. the big Bostonian went at
Kilrain like and avalanche. hoping to
crush Fighting Jake" by the sheer
force of his attack. But Kilrain made
II a gtve-and-take affair.
Realizing that this was perhaps the
only chance he would ever have to
win the championship and all the gold
that comes to prize ring warrior,
kilrain fought az never before In his
career. Rarely did he back from the
sullivan onslaughts during the early
rounds and the battle resolved Itself
to-toe those giant stood, smashing
away at each other with all the power
in their massive frames.
After q time, Sullivan's superiority
ga a ringrnan began to show. And
then kilrain. in desperation, resort
ed to foul ring tactics. He roughed
Sullivan whenever the chance came !;
he hit low and IL liz said he atten pied
gouging tactics in clinches. When
those tricks failed to stop the champ
ion, Kilrain went farther. to the ex-
era. He used his spikes
Under London prize ring rules.
when battles were staged on the turf,
a fighter was permitted TO wear spikes
under the ball of his foot. That was
merely TO prevent him from slipping
on the turf. To use them In gsshing
an opponent was considered the foul
est OF ring tricks. Jake Rilrain. un
able to stem the furious attack of
John L. Sullivan by any other means.
used those spikes to rip the legs OF
the champion. And he made q g31sst-
ly job of IL,
In almost every clinch Kilrain
would lift his foot, jam the spike in
TO sullivsn's legs and then rip. Soon
the legs Of Sullivan were transformed
into "a cut and bleeding m ass. with the
flesh hanging down in slivers. And
the turf on which the ring was
stretched became red and soggy
mass
For Il time John l. submitted TO
Kilrain's foul work without retsIia =
ton. But az last John l. protested to
the referee who paid no attention to
him. Then John L. decided 10 do a
little rough work himself. Three
times in succession, after he had
beaten kllrain to the turf. John +.
Jumped on his PROSTATE foe. going
down with his knees sinking into the
pit of Kilrain's stomach. Then John
l. jumped upon the chest of Kilrain
| for good measure"
Kilrain made protests against Sui
hvan's rough tactics but the referee.
who had not paid any attention to
Ktlrains fouIing, evered up matters
by ignoring the claims or Fighting
Jake"
The whirlwiud pace at which the
men travelled in the early lighting
w-earied them. After the thirtieth
round they began to slow down. Along
about the thirty fifth. nausea seized
Sullivan and the big champion was
near collapse from the heat But
gamely he answered the call OF
| Time" for the next period of fight