Evening star., 1927-12-05

Joe Waicotr and one over England's
famous champion. Dick Burge.
las told to Z. p. Rucker.)
n Y fight with Morris McNally
HH at Saginaw, my first ring ap-
v1 pearance, was in the old Sag
j inaw Auditorium. The day
1 y1 before the scrap asked
my brother Billy II he didn't think
McNaly knew too much for q green
Say Kid" Billy replied, "you can
beaf any man in the world at your
weight. No one can hurt you, the
Way you can SOCK"
Billy q confidence was justified. In
tringa language, I murdered McNally,
| for an his glove education. The fight
lasted less than two rounds.
Z 8McNaiiy had been well thought OF
locally and the amazed Saginaw pro.
moters decided they must have re-
verge for their pupil. They imported
an experienced 130.pounder, Billy
White. Only old.time fight fans will
appreciate what q compliment this
was to me.
+ I.stopped White in three rounds.
one OF the spectators when White
was counted out was the great Pixie
Johnson. Pixie had just lost long,
| hard battle with Ike Weir, the Belfast
| Spider, and had been defeated by
| Tommy Warren by narrow margin.
All these names were internationally
known.
Pixie Johnson's Challenge.
| When Pixie Johnson saw me knock
White kicking he stood up at the ring
side and challenged me, offering to
| stop me In eight rounds or forfeit the
entire purse.
"Happy daysr' exclaimed Bill as he
accepted in my behalf. kid, you're
made now. This fight will get you
known all over the country"
News of the match caused much ex.
| citement, and when Pixie and ! faced
each other in Boardwell's Opera House
| the place was packed. All of Saginaw
was there. But the best the wise ones
allowed me was to stay the limit with
a man Of Pixie Johnson's class.
Well, Pixie showed me plenty OF
| gloves and gave me a boxing lesson
| but he didn't stop me. almost
stopped him and he was lucky to be
on his feet at the finish. I gave him
| a worse beating than he got from Ike
| Weir.
This victory got me known through
. out the country, and led to one Of the
most remarkable events in the history
] of the prize ring, fight that lasted all
night, the longest bout on record UP
| to that time.
| One of the classiest featherweights
of the country was George Siddons. He
was a master boxer and he could hit
plenty. Siddons and were matched
to fight to finish at catchweights.
Couldn't See for Three Days.
| We met at old man Putnam's road
| house, just outside Saginaw. Admis
sion was SO and the place was jammed
| although half the ticketholders weren't
| there because they didn't know where
| the fight was to be.
| After II rounds of terrific fighting
the referee stopped the slaughter and
called the battle a draw. l looked
more like a baboon than human
| when left the ring. couldn't see
for three days.
Did we fight in those days? I'll say
we did.
A year later a longer battle was
| fought by Ike Weir and frankie Muir.
ply. They went S0.odd rounds.
! But the Siddons tale 10 only half told.
| A month after our first meeting
when our wounds werc beginning to
l
ids and fought another bloody draw
| IS savage rounds. We started fighting
| at midnight in AL Carroll's roadhouse
| at Reeds Lake. At dawn we were
| still at 1t. Street car drivers and con
ductors began coming up to watch the
struggle, and as we were afraid Of the
police, we decided to call it night
| and another draw.
| Gloves Without Padding.
| This battle was fought with gloves
that originally weighed two ounces,
but the hair had been removed. /
leave 1t to the readers imagination
to picture Siddons and me at the fin.
| ish.
/ Siddons visited me in Detroit a cou-
| pie of years ago and we had a fine
chat over old times. George looked
prosperous and healthy. He told me
! he now was teaching boxing.
Sam Easton of Cleveland. one Of