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Show Speaking of Sports Fiction Pales Before Career Of Kid McCoy By ROBERT McSIIANE (Released by Western Newspaper Union I XJORMAN SELBY was the "real L1 McCoy." And Norman Selby took his own life recently in a Detroit De-troit (Mich.) hotel. i It was under the name of "Kid McCoy" that Selby became one of the best and most glamorous boxing box-ing champions of half a century ago. The "real McCoy" was originated when the Kid billed himself that way in opposition to a rival who also called himself McCoy. There were no tears shed at the Kid's funeral. He had caused too much trouble during his lifetime, had pulled too many mean tricks and was never too particular about how he fought as long as he was victorious. But Kid McCoy was a great fighter. fight-er. Boxing old timers remember him as a paralyzing puncher one of the hardest hitters the fight game has ever known. His skill was so great be could pit successfully his 160 pounds against the best heavyweights heavy-weights of his day. His cunning was almost diabolical, and it was his cunning which made so many enemies ene-mies for him. Lesson in Cunning McCoy reveled in victimizing his opponents. 1 lie old shoe lace gag was one of his best. In the midst of combat he would pause, point down, and tell his opponent to "hurry "hur-ry up, tie your shoe laces." When the victim looked, McCoy struck. Sailor Tom Sharkey, now living in San Francisco, recalls the Kid with no fond memories. He tells about their fight in New York back in 1899. The Kid came into the ring that tt.:,. - .;..;.;v;.;.::..:.:.. Sk. Wlil' lUftl lit aT KID (THE REAL) McCOY night with his gloves on. Sharkey's manager, Tommy Rourke, ordered the gloves removed. They were full of plaster. One good puncn couia have brought a permanent close to Sharkey's career. That's a fight Sharkey will never forget. Odds were 10 to 6 McCoy would beat him. When the Kid knocked him down in the first round the ringside odds went to 10 to 3. But the Sailor weathered the storm. He started working on his opponent's stomach; and the referee counted 10 over the Kid in the tenth round. Sharkey couldn't forget the matter of the loaded gloves. The most lurid fiction is tame when compared to McCoy's life story. At various stages in his career ca-reer he was a millionaire and a hobo. He was a world's boxing champion and a jailbird. He married mar-ried nine times three times to the same woman. He served eight of a 20-year sentence for murder. Once he was proprietor of a jewelry store, and once he swamped out saloons. It's almost impossible not to be melodramatic when writing of McCoy. Mc-Coy. He was a melodramatic person.' per-son.' His life was a series of fantastic fan-tastic adventures. Unpleasant Memory Tom Sharkey recalls another unpleasant un-pleasant incident in the Kid's life. "I remember," Tom says, "how he met Tommy Ryan, in 1896, after working as Ryan's sparring partner and learning all his tricks, still hiding hid-ing his own skill. He wrote Ryan he was dead broke and sick and wouldn't Ryan give him a chance to make some money? It would be just a workout for Ryan, but it meant a change for the Kid. He told Ryan he wouldn't even have to train. Ryan took him at his word and gave him the fight McCoy beat him unmercifully-and laughed The tables were once turned on McCoy, however. He was the vw. tim of an upset that ranks with he game's most inexplicable. Meeting Jack McCormick in 1899 in Chicago the Kid was rated a 100 to 1 sho to win. One second after the bell the Kid was stretched on the floor senseless. McCormick had knocked him out with the first punch. Ruo-o-ed Individualist A note was found beside MeCoy's body. His message was that he no longer could stand the "madness of UpcTh0aps-"the Kid was discour aged because there was no longer a spotlight shining upon him. je was a rugged-and ruthless-md. vidual. Only extremes meant any thing to him. He scorned the trodden path, always ) seek Jtory and excitement. When wj no longer be his he 4f first time, to throw in the UmeL |