Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-05
Defending q Title.

A MONG those introduced in the
n ring Just before Sammy Man
II deli successfully defended his
L lightweight title against Antonio
Canzoneri was oscar Mathew
Battling Nelson, more Familiarity known
as plain Battling Nelson. 1t took SAM
my Mandell only 10 rounds to demon
strate that he still was the lightweight
champion. and there were gate receipts
of more than $l25,000-not vast sum
In these DAYS of million-dollar gates, OF
talk Of million dollar gates.
After being introduced, Battling Mel
son seated himself at the ringside and
watched with a brooding look. 1t might
have been that he was reminisctng and
thinking about the days of the long
fights and the short purses. In 10
rounds, when he was champion. Bat
Ting Nelson rarely even got started
If the bouts of his time had been
limited to 10 rounds, he never would
have been champion. He would have
been merely a good catcher" as the
boys call 1t.
1t took Battling Nelson something
like 81 rounds to win the lightweight
championship from Joe Cans. the
greatest lightweight OF them all.
at Goldf1eld, New, which Nelson lost
on a foul after being battered until
his face looked like nothing human.
Then there was the bout in San
Francisco, scheduled for As rounds
but which Nelson won in the seven
tenth, after Cans, who was a
victim Of tuberculosis in an advanced
stage. dropped from sheer exhaustion.
For acquiring the championship in
this fight Nelson received only a few
thousand dollars and a broken rib
There was a return bout with Cans
in which Nelson successfully defended
the title" and for this one Nelson prob
ably received about one-fifth of what
Mandell was paid the other night.
The Battler must have had some
poignant memories Of his unsuccessful
defense of his title against Ad Wolgast,
who used to be called by the euphonious
name of the Cadillac Bearcat." That
was at Point Richmond, Calf, and not
so long after Nelson had acquired the
title over which Mandell and Canzoneri
held their petting party the other night
AS was the custom in California at
the time in the event OF championship
contest, this bout was scheduled to &c
the conventional As rounds. It almost
did go the limit It was stopped in the
forty-second round, when Nelson, with
| one eye completely closed and the Other
reduced to a narrow slit, staggered
| but staggered forward.
All the time Wolgast continued to
| hammer the battered face. For four
rounds the crowd, comparatively
slim one, had been shouting, stop
i'll" But the tradition was that
Nelson could not be knocked out,
and it was the unwritten law Of the
period never to take away cham
pionship while the champion was on
his feet.
| But 1t was apparent that Nelson was
| going completely blind, for, as he came
| out of his corner for that round, he
seemed to be feeling for his opponent
Wolgast was weary enough, but he hac
his eyesight and some spring left In hi
legs, while Nelson was coming forward
with legs wide apart to keep himself
! from falling.
Finally the referee stepped between
1 them and pushed Nelson back into hi!
. corner, where he slumped against the
! ropes. Then he gathered what strength
he had left and growled feeble protes
through bruised lips.
Yes, watching Mandell defend thu
lightweight title must have brought ;
flood Of memories to that former de
fender Of the title.