The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-01-28
7wo Champs Fight But Not For Their 71tIe
When Nelson Entered Ring In First Professional Bout, Band
 Played Down Went McGinty"
By BILLY ROCHE Famous Referee and Manager)

When Battling Nelson entered the ring for his first professional fight the band played Down Went McGinty" But Bat soon made them change their tune.
 Oscar Matthew Battling Nelson was born in Copenhagen June 5, 1882. He had six brothers and a sister. When Bat was year old the family migrated to America, settled in Hegewisch, III. The popu- lation consisted of Danes and Swedes and they were always at swords points. Nelson had to fight almost from infancy.
 At 13 young Nelson quit school to work as ice cutter on Lake Mich igan at IS cents a day. The heavy outdoor work inured him to hard ship and further toughened his naturally tough physique.
 In the fall of '96 Wallace's circus came to town. By this time Nelson had changed his vocation to meat cutter. Travelling with the circus was pug meeting all corners. He was billed as the "world-renowned Unknown"
 In order to get the gang into the show, Nelson offered to try for the dollar given to anyone who could stand three full rounds before the famous" Unknown.
 AS the Hegewisch kid climbed into the ring the band started its Down Went McGinty" but it was the Unknown who went down-for keeps in the first round.
 RUNS AWAY FROM HOME
 After Bat beat Ole Olson for the championship of Hegewisch, his father forbade him ever to fight again. So on June 15 young Battling left note saying Going away, ma, to seek by fortune" and hopped the first freight going north.
 The next six years were lean and tough. Nelson ranged the midwest fighting wherever he could pick up a few bucks. He worked a spell at "Old IronsideS" restaurant, so called because of the toughness of its Is cent steak.
 He got his break when Joe Wal colt was unable to keep a date to fight Martin Canole for Alex Greg gains in San Francisco May 20, 1904. I'd seen Nelson fatten Spider Welsh in 16 rounds at Salt Lake City on April 6 and suggested Alec substi- tute Bat for Walcott. Nelson took the bout for $760. He kayoed Gamble in the 18th.
 There followed five luscious fight ing years for Nelson, in which he defeated the finest crop of light weights the division ever produced.
 Battling Nelson. 5-7k, 133, blue eyed, tow-headed descendant of Vikings, possessed a frame like the oaken vessels in which his ancestors sailed the seven seas. He was in- vulnerable - truly the Durable Dane"
 No other fighter took such terrific beatings like Nelson and came on to win. There was nothing of the fancy boxer about his style. He had a careless disregard for the hardest blows rained upon him, seemed in- destructible and immune to pain. He once fractured his left arm in the middle of a l5-round fight, which, he said, tended to make me some what cautious and possibly kept me from winning by K. O"
 BEAT SLUGGERS, BOXERS
 Never a great slugger, he beat the greatest SluggerS of his day bv slugging with them-Herrera, Cor belt, Hyland, Hanlon; never a great boxer, he knocked out the great boxers-Sims, Welsh, Can- ole, Britt, Cans; never great hit ter, he scored two second K. o. over Billy Rossler at Harvey, H., on April 5, 1902, which remained the quickest knockout on record til 26 years later when Al Fore man kayoed Ruby Levine in 11h seconds in Montreal.
 Pugilistically Nelson was an old man at 27 when he lost the title to Ad WolgaSt at Port Richmond, February 22, 1909, yet in the 40 gruelling rounds the shaggy Dane took nary back step.
 l still contend Nelson would have beaten Cans in their finish fight at Goldf1eld, September 3, 1906, if Bat hadn't fouled Joe in that historic 42nd round.
 Nelson fought about 150 fights, cleaned up more than a quarter million in his 20 years of fighting.
 If he'd turned fli .fforts to track athletics, Battling Nelson would have been the worlds greatest marathon runner.
 On second thought, I'd better make that obstacle racer.