Show OLD LASTED LONG Kings lUngs of Prize Ring Had No Padded Gloves Either in inthe inthe inthe the Olden Days Some Reminiscences According to George Slier Siler the time old fights lasted much longer than the biffing bees of ot the present day This is rather remarkable considering the fact tact that the erstwhile erstwhile champs champs used to maul each other with their bare mitts while today the mitt wielders assault each other with their lunch hooks in like lady-like pil lows But nevertheless in the old days they went for hours Prof Proto Mike Donovan Dono Instructor of ot boxing boxing box box- ing to the New York Athletic club a position position po po- he has held twenty three years and a brother of Jerry Donovan one of ot the war horses of ot the old bare knuckle game made his debut in the squared circle circle cir clr cir cir- cle near St St. t. t Louis on July 25 Mike was wasI an eIt old eighteen It e ke youngster sl at t the time I e but took to the game like a d duck t big takes e brother ro to e-al e water Jerry y principally was i an rm important because g fa r f factor factor fac fac- his tor in it Mikes Mike's opponent in his maiden prize ring effort was young oung McCoy The money the kids battled for tor was which Mike won by defeating his man in eighty-eight eighty rounds Mike who was born in Chicago drifted to New York early in the He came with Ith a fair reputation as a fighter and clever mitt artist but when he put tip p his props with some of ot the classy Eastern ers era he was found sadly lacking in science New York was a bit too swift for tor young Donovan The next heard of ot him was at Philadelphia where he had gone to work at his trade ship The Quaker city boasted of a number of ot clever fighters fighters fighters fight fight- ers and boxers among them Billy McLean McLean Mc Mc- Lean the ex-baseball ex umpire Jim Murray and Harry HIcken Mike while at work at his trade devoted his leisure lelure time to perfecting himself In the manly art of self defense with the result that he re returned returned returned re- re turned to New York after an absence of ot three years an Al Al g glove V artist Billy Edwards then weight light champion was one of the cleverest boxers In tile the Empire State and when it was noised about that Donovan who only three years previous was considered a novice with the mitts would engage Billy In boxing bouts for blood followers of the game considered it a huge Joke Mike came boxed Billy and surprised those posted in the game by his marvelous cleverness From a rough shod crude clumsy novice Mike had In three short years developed into a glove artist of rare ability That bout changed his career ca ca- ca reer He dropped the ship calking business business business busi busi- ness shook the dust of the quiet Quaker city from his shoes and took up his residence residence resi resl dence in New York City Bill am tU McClellan was some pumpkins in the New York fighting game about that time and al although although although al- al though a a. bit over the weight middle-weight class Mikes Mike's division they were brought to to to- gether Donovan by some hook or crook although the better man was adjudged the loser He beat Bill in their second fight The last bout led to another match which took place in San Francisco Mike broke his right arm In that battle and fought himself Into a draw with his left Mike opened a boxing academy in the theold theold theolo old postoffice f building on Nassau a street f nt- nt olo upon his return u to New York and catered catered ca ca- only to the better class dass In 1880 as weight middle champion he heas was as matched to fight George Rooke at Nortons Norton's point the west end of Coney Island but the Brooklyn authorities interfered inter with the proceedings and the affair fell through Mike then accepted a position position position tion as officer under the writer at the old iron pier at Coney Island In the winter of 1883 he boxed six rounds with Prof Proto Walter Watson a are re recent recent re- re cent arrival from England for tor the position position position tion of boxing instructor to the New York Athletic club Mike bested Walter and a afew afew afew few months later Mike accompanied by bythe bythe bythe the writer waited upon the athletic committee com com- committee and closed the deal for tor Donovans Donovan's instructorship to the club which position he still holds Watson drifted to San Francisco was appointed boxing Instructor to the OlmpIa Olympia Olm pia la club and developed a a. number of good boxers boxers among them James J Corbett I A few days prior to the McCoy Donovan-McCoy light fight Jimmy Raff Raffel el and Ned Fitzgerald livened up matters at t Bear City Nev by battling for a purse This was a grueling affair as the men de depended depended de de- more on hard rough work than on science to win the money with the I result they both received a good lacing I Fitz however took down the coin in one twenty rounds During the same month a a. pair of fairly good men Billy Harrington and Jack Riley battled for tor a 1000 purse at Kingston That was a fight light in n all that the e eo word o I Implies s Bill BUI i was the b tt eI f e letter better versed I In die he e game and n beat Jack Jackin In n thirty-nine thirty rounds Jack however closed Bills Bill's right eye In the tenth session with a well-directed well left lett and broke his nose In the fourteenth round It looked like Ike his fight In that session but Bill took ook the upper hand after that and won with a clean knockout Pottsville Pa got itself Use on OD the pugilistic map on August 16 6 and Silas Faraday and Dick Dally were responsible for tor it The sports in town subscribed for tor the men to battle for forand forand forand and got an excellent run for their money as they milled It through seven fifty-seven rounds In which Dick landed the blow which netted him the money |