The Washington times., 1922-08-12
By ED. w. SMITH.

that seemingly tr1fling injury.
Yet for over seven years he strug.'
gled along In the boxing game, ut.
terly unable to give up or believe
that he was through with his life's
work.
He fought them all, and fought
them well. but 1t was plain to Mikes
friends that something was wrong
and that he would never again be
the old Mike Of former days. when
he could easily whip any OF them
anywhere near his poundage or
inches.
For several weeks lately Mike
was confined to q adrkened room
I'm his st. Paul home under con-
slant care Of eye specialists.
At one time they held out little
hope of saving the sight Of his left
eye, and two of them even hinted
that Mike might be partially blind
in both OF them IL he recovered at
all. He responded to treatment nice
ly and is all right now.
Gibbons was a fighter who never
was hurt in the ring during his en-
tire career, and 1t was a long one.
He began boxing in 1908. and was
hard at II right up to last winter.
He is thirty-five years old now and
finally satisfied to quit with what
he has.
He owns a big fiat building in ST.
Paul, as well as homes in Osakis.
Mimi, and st. Croix. Wis, both of
which are good hunting and fishing
places. He has a tidy bank accoun:
that will keep a number OF wolves
from the door.
Always q small man who could
do l5i pounds without taking
shirt off, he fought some Of the
toughest Of the tough and never
was decisively beaten.
His greatest fights were the two
he had with Jack Dillon when that
indianapolis man was at his verr
best. And Dillon right along In
there had beaten some Of the best
heavyweights of, the day and was
fairly itching for a chance to smash
one home on Fred Fulton, then con-
sidered one OF the most serious con.
tenders OF the day for the heavy
weight title.
Gibbons was a strange character
in that he was constantly giving him
self the worst Of II. He never took
himself serious enough to believe
hat he had won after a battle was
over.
His pet aversion was Jimmy Clab-
by, who always gave Mike a whale
Of a fight. He never quite could
solve the Hammond mans puzzling
system Of boxing, and freely admit
ted II.
Jimmy would rather have entered
a lions den than fight Mike. so
there you have the story of a couple
OF great boxers.
Mike had a queer experience in
New York. His first fight there
netted him exactly $6S. "I'l take
1t, because / need carfare to get
home," he told the promoter. He
won, got more fights. two OF them
with Harry Lewis, won them both.
one with knockout, and returned to
st. Paul with $1,000.
Mike made one big mistake I'm his
career, He took on Packey McFar-
land at lat pounds at o'clock at
Brighton Beach. He was half crazy
making the weight and Packey won
handily.
this, despite the fact that he got
record price, at that time, for max
ing the battle. His end was close
to 1000, a mere pittance In these
days.
How did you learn to hit so
well? I once asked Mike. D..
''In one Of my fisst fights had
both thumbs broken and had to hit
with my knuclxles," was his simple
response. Il never forgot the les.
SON."
At a benefit given Jack Dillon in
Indianapolis recently Mike paid his
own expenses to give tribute to the
once rn'Nhty Indianapolis man. 1t
happened that l was referee OF the
bout. Take Il easy" / cautioned
them, because Jack was in poor con-
dition.
II can very well --~-nmber when
1t wasn't that way" Mike responded
barking back to the vicious battles
that Dhlop always gave him.