Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1919-10-14
NEGRO FIGHTERS
GIVE REAL SHOW
AT IRVINE PARK
Mix Comedy With Train
ing Stunts And Entertain
Large Audience = Hay
den Confident Of Vic
tory = Is AS Fast AS
Lightning And A Good
Ring General

Mixing clever boxing and gymnas-
tics with rich negro comedy, Speedball
HAYDEN and his retinue of trainers en-
tertained a crowd of several hundred
persons at the new training quarters
at Irvine park, Ninth avenue and Grant
street, yesterday afternoon. The pro-
gram staged by Hayden, Blackburn,
Burton and Rogers is well worth wit
Messing, whether you be boxing fan,
a lover of sports or devotee of good
old fashioned southern negro fun
making.
Hayden showed a world of stuff in
his work yesterday, not only in the
way of ring. generalship, but in the
matter of rich, natural comedy, at
which he is seemingly past master.
And in this comedy work is reflected
the care free spirit of the boxer who
is to go 10 rounds with Rufus Williams
before the Phoenix Athletic club a,
Arcadia hall Friday evening.
Hayden Is Confident
It indicates, among other things, a
confidence supreme: not that he is
overconfident, but that he is not wor-
rying He works hard, yet at the same
time finds little breathing spells be-
tween rounds to play. The way he
performs one is inclined to believe that
it is all play for the soldier boxer.
Speedball looks almost twice the
size of Williams, but his trainers state
that he can make the 152-pound weight
limit agreed upon with ease. He is al
most down to that weight now, it is
stated, but he has the appearance of a
165 pound man.
rroiddlaxueiDhtc IA YFpGanf
have had longer reach than that pos
! sessed by the Columbus boy. Standing
erect. his long, gorilla-iike arms extend
almost TO his knees. He knows how
to use those hands, too, as hundreds
who have watched him in his worl
will testify.
Although big middleweight, Hay
| den dances around the ring like ban
tamweight. He's as light on his feet a,
SO per cent of the featherweight boxers
and the way he flashes around thu
| ring is a revelation. Speedball is {
| good name for him, but Lightning
would have been better.
He's a truck horse for work. Start
| ing early in the morning, he is at it al
most continuously until shutdown. Bill
of frame, he needs lots of work to keel
in the best of condition, yet after NOR
than an hour of the hardest kind o
gymnasium work yesterday afternoon
he did not seem to have tired a mite
His wind seemed as good as when h
first appeared on the floor and he wa
skipping the rope, punching the bae
shadow boxing, wrestling or boxing al
most continuously during the 65-min
ute period. He did not rest a second O
| the ap4fra rarind
Eighteen Miles on Road
Early in the day he worked Is mile
on the ground, going south from Phoe
nix to the mountain range and theme
back He gave his training partner
more than they were accustomed I
and they were obliged to return to thi
city in an automobile. The jaunt too
nearly three hours.
Hayden works out each afternoon g
Irvine park from 5 until $50 oclocl
where his training partners, Burton
Blackburn and Rogers, aid him in put
ting on real show.
Williams works out daily at the ]
A. c. training quarters on East Wash
ington street each afternoon, startin
at $50 o'clock. Williams is alread
down to weight, he announced at II
conclusion of his training yesterda
afternoon, and in consequence wi
spend the remaining four days priC
to the match in tapering off.
Fred McManus and Kid I.ayma
who go six rounds in the semi fin
event, are also rounding into good cor
dition. Layman showed exceptional
well in his workout yesterday and
confident that he will be able to ste
the Tucson boy before the full s
. rounds are completed.
: The Friday night program will be Il
, last offered by the Phoenix Athlet
! club for period of two weeks, Il
, October "a date having been cancelle