The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-04-14
What Edgren Says
An Authoritative Sport Feature by
the Foremost Sporting Writer
and Cartoonist in America.
No in Series of Articles Punches Used by American Fighters
The, Left-Haud Punches.
By ROBERT EDGREN.

boxing was Of the hit and get away
order, nearly all of the lighting being
done with the left hand the right re-
served for a finishing blow. This IS tho
safest style Of boxing. and skilful
tighter with a fast left hand can easily
beat down q stronger and clumsier OPP
ponent in q long fight
A curious thing that have often no
ticed in left-handed fighters Is the pc
culiar development Of the left arm ABB
Attell had a wonderful left hand When
/ first saw him hight. at Alex Gregg3ans'
old club on Howard street. in San Fran
cisco, Abe was two-handed slugBer.
His right arm was larger and stronger
than his left as Is usually the case
with any naturally Hght-handed person
After years Of boxing Attelrs left arm
became larger and stronger than his
right That was natural, as the LETT
hand was extended and used continually
In hitting. I have noticed the same de-
yelopment In Jeffries. Fitzsimmona
famous ringsters-
One Of the most remarkable left
handed httters ever known IN the
American ring was Dial Hawkins Dial
was brought UP in Virginia City. Ne
vada, and as boy did quite little fight
ing in that old mining camp. When he
went to San Francisco he had taught
himself style of fighting that was an
his own. He had studied out a use Of
the left hand that no other fighter had
at that time. Dial practiccd striking, a
blow by reaching out slowly to full arms
length and then suddenly twisting his
wrist, turning the palm Of hts caeuched
hand down and slightly lifting the ell
bow. This blow was the shortest left
hand blow ever used by any fighter. 1t
Travelled only three or four inches and
il knocked a man down as If he had been
struck with a baseball bat
Frank FSrne one Of the fastest hight
weight champions Of his time. was
caught and nearly knocked out by that
blow. Erne was watching Hawkins
left. In the first round. as the men
came together. Hawkins reached out
slowly with that left. Erne told me he
thought Hawkins intended to pull down
his guard which was held high. Erne
saw Hawkins hand poised motionless in
the air just above Brne's own protecting
right forearm-and then he heard the
referee count seven" realized that he
was lying on his back, and managed to
get up.
What happened was Just this Haw-
kins reached out slowly until his hand
was near enough to deliver his peculiar
blow. It didn't look like a punch. and
Erne didn't move to set out Of range.
Hawkins gave his wrist and forearm
q twist and his clenched glove struck
on Er1cs high guard the blow would
have reached his chin, as Hawkins IN
tended. and Erne would have been
knocked out.
Hawkins knocked out scores Of fight
tors with that blow. In each Of his two
fights with the great Joe Cans he drop
ped Cans for n nine-sccond count in the
first round, with his punch 1t was
blow even the spectators could hardly
see delivered and tho effect Of 1t was
as startling 10 the onlookcrs as TO the
recipient.
They Stayed Down When McGoortys
Loft Landed.
Another great onr punch lett-handcd
hitter was Eddi" McGoorty. l saw him
knock out Jack Harrison. English mid
dlcweisht champion. and Dave Smith.
Australian middewGight champion, each
with almost the first blow of the battle.
Mctiourtys blow WAS longer than OARS
being NOR" of Il left hook. But it was
delivered with the SAME twisl Of the
wrist.
Kid Mccoy became famous through
use Of his "cork-scrrw punch He could
knock down Il man Of twice his strength
with that short blow. l always thought
that the crafty Kid borrowed that blow
from Dial Hawkins. Hc used 1t In much