The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-11-12

@oA VuIAI, WHICH OueFe0 94V,U
simmons and Hall.
A lot Of people began to sniff
something malodorous before the
fight, when the betting went to 10
to in Halls favor against all
rightful judgment. But, If so. Fftz
wrecked such q scheme by knock
ing Hall out in the first minute of
the fourth round by a right half
arm uppercut. After that Hall
seems to have rented himself out
for defeats
I must not forget to mention that
thing pulled by the original cheese
champion. Al Mccoy, OF Brooklyn.
against Mike O'Dowd. This Mccoy
did his little act in Brooklyn on
November IA, 1917, the night boxing
under the Frawley law went out OF
existence. O'Dowd, as per schedule,
won by K. o.. In the sixth round.
III say for Mike that he was In
great shape that night and Mccoy
was as fat as q pig.
What was to occur was so wide
" known I'm advance that very
little Sucker" money was about.
II was one fight Of which one
might say paradOxicaIly that sit
was such good fake it was on
the level" In other words, there
was no double crossing. And /
don't believe the boys did It to
trim any bettOrs. Mccoy knew
he was an unpopular champion,
knew that O'DOwd could heat him
any way, and did what he thought
was the best thing for the game
land himself, incidentalIy-lost
his title to q more popular and
capable fighter.
Considering fakes, there rises a
figure that is pathetic perfectly
made man physically for his game,
q man of paramount skill and a
brave heart driven to shady ring
practices by the color Of his skin
and the cupidity of Al I1erfor0.
Baltimore gambler, who for q long
time absolutely controlled him. ]
mean Joe Cans.
Joe's good name, Joe's rightful
place in pugfhsm, meant nothing to
Herford. Every topnotch fighter in
the lightweight class knew that
Cans was his master except little
Terry McGovern, who didn't believe
that Of any man. To get Joe in the
ring with the so-called best Of them,
Herford would have to agree to
make Joe lose-on a foul or some
way or another.
And Cans could always support
backing because down deep the pub
lie knew how good he was. And his
manager would always be betting
the other way-or pretty nearly al
waysI
Finally Cans, honest in heart,
sickened OF the part Of faker.
He came out with a clean breast
Of all the fakes he had been
forced to engage in and. matched
with Battling Nelson, then white
champion lightweight OF the world,
he battered the champion for forty
one rounds, blinded him and was
declared the winner when Nelson
in desperation deliberately fouled
Cans.
Had it been the Cans Of his
premier days who figured in that
fight he would have come pretty
near to tearing Nelson's head off
his shoulders. But the Cans Of
that great fight was q fading
Cans. He already had been
touched by tuberculosis. Ad-
dftiOnaIIy, Billy Nolan, shrewd-
est and trlckiest Of managers,
played the sharpest OF tricks on
Cans to further handicap him.
Nolan didn't believe Cans could
come down to 1873 pounds, as
stipulated, and still be strong. But
as the time Of battle grew near
and Nelan learned that Cans was
making the weight and would enter
the ring in fine fettle at that
figure, he suddenly declared that
the rules called for. Cans to make
1913 pounds and no more in his full
ring announcement of socks, shoes,
trunks, and gloves.
He forced Cans to make the
scale in full ring regalia at 2
O'Clock and again at the moment
of entering the ring.
In other words, he forced Cans
TO sweat off a pound and a half
Of flesh before o'clock on the
day of the fight and to keep it
sweated off until the instant he
entered the ring. Cans fought
Nelson twice afterward only to
be knocked out in seventeen rounds
in the first battle and in the
twenty-first of The next.
But the Cans who faced Nelson
N-h hdS OJiS the SHddOW OF the
real Cans. He was not only fight
Ing Nelson but was in the midst
of battle with a deadlier foe
consumption.
In the record of fake fights,
Jack DOwdell, as referee i'm
battle" between Tim Kearns and
New York Jack O'Brien, fought
in New York city, suddenly step
pea between the men as O'Brien
had his man all basted up ex.
cept for a few finishing touches
and declared Kearns winner on n
foul that nobody ever saw and
DOwdell never was able to con.
vince the public or the expert
witnesses that nc ever saw him.
self.
The demOnias = WaIcott went