Show Y UBY N EIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD 5 L Y McClure Newspaper Syndicate copyright in Canada and aid Great Britain All ri reserved LER w 10 a ey a. 2 a Fighter my Delaney's Delancy's place In InIng jahng Ing Pete Everett lej Si cherry herry rry tree in his used to climb Into It Billy would come nUl he nearly fell tell felled ed like an elephant ty good place to 3 d hills to climb Just wasn't tramping two wheeled cart and d jo 0 Redwood canyon canon m n and shot squirrels 2 Winchester There Thereto 10 to toj hunt When I indoors I went C. C The club had a aL afine al l a fine gymnasium U 11 mfr mr r was boxing in- in erea a lot of big men It eie- eie ow and then for forbes best bes s football team on it has become xing ila club J but last touch when Ithe mountains a day al re ec was tj j just t tm one Pacific ci coast t to m meet Sharkey leof years year start in Iti ought ij Long Shar- Shar her heT He came ashore in 1895 and allan alian Billy Smith in teD tet licking a soldier Drawing drawing with Alex ked out Ink lr- lr k key was such a rough put him against left eft et expecting to see rough housed Cor- Cor stand everybody went T Then p he fought taught Fitz- Fitz tarp gave him th the ff time e that that I met Shar- Shar lip Carson to see the I was spar- spar if ourse and nobody arkey was one of the 1 I saw Tom he ot He was walkIs walk- walk Is hest stuck out a for one of the him hin what he I and Fitzsimmons Fitzsimmon I r wan av thim said saidI I em both alo alors al- al Ian o 0 ors over ver and couldn't not to be much ittle itte fellow like that ble bl though than I two later ocTo oc- oc D II 1 J p To jp I t of confidence In 1 u beat it out was one game sailor natural fighter He but fighting l es ii ashore from the fight Ight in the ring and ad Water ater front with a afi tan Qan out some sailors sailors' fi into the was never lIck licked d Die ble i stories about how ne na- day while he was Just passing a dog rushed out b be- be at him The ti a a glimpse stick o of In rJ the hs of his I e eye and ld or r so r much c ion reach reached d around It d. d the dog on the lit it cold Then he hethe hethe hethe the road Toad at al the same ning to take a a. look ditch The only about out was finish finish- Ulon too teY While he pad for our fight a went along n afterward he told me dl didn't nt talk talIe much in lna Inta while hed he'd say was his limit along for two saying a word and asked yo reporter ter hoping to aid Sharkey passed with- with Then he turned uJ reporter looking for fores l es t more ore Sharkey's shed He had anthia an an- thia grunt or a nod back in his around around with no noId said Id In a low tone lk ike ka sure he hadn't i per man too much on- on r reporter porter Do you ou m n and I never ot if the world world- I f Lof of me after hear hear- I cm m two setbacks tHi title I her Stories o on T Tom V i I ird rd While he e was wasI Irp ok k house on the theT I T I nd then run down Jump into the ocean las Iwas was nearly always bad undertow there wlm like a a. seal and trouble The water come out grab and drag dash back to old work running back to the zen en a dit he wouldn't put rand tend spar with one the sunlight so that of real ac- ac parting partner and et the gloves They piece niece of ground back ns his d J and sparring the gp photo photo- part part- g ra asked Tom I want wantI 8 1 I want vant a II snapshot I I l' l a II ou nd hit have tin tIll oth ot I can catch u a uj J A. A r. r I rr I UES Tot TOM WAS R. R LI KEn IN A. A ROUGH c AND TUMBLE picture of him while hes he's falling Sure said Sharkey Then he posed his partner and asked if the camera man was ready All read ready said the photographer Fall as If It you were knocked cold He lie wll wiy said Sharkey suddenly swinging his right It was a genuine knockout and the sparring partner hit the ground so hard he be nearly broke his hip Sharkey was willing to pose for more pictures but his training staff de de- de- de dined When I was as offered a fight with Sharkey Sharkey Shar Shar- key Billy Delaney and I both felt like celebrating Things were coming doming my way and the championship didn't look far off oft As for Bill he sat Bat down and said Jim you can lick this sailor Theres There's nothing to it ft Billy wasn't much on giving out tips but he did tell tella a lot of his friends that I could beat Sharkey The fight was to be in Mechanics Mechanics' Mechanics Mechanics' Mechanics Mechanics' Me Me- pavilion Ma May 6 1898 CHAPTER Sharkey Gives Me a Good Fight The night I fought Sharkey was wa was was' more exciting tha than a In the the first first place the promoters got a cheap contractor and had the bleachers built up on the main floor of the Mechanics Mechanics' Mechanics Mechanics' Mechanics Mechanics' Me Me- pavilion in a great hurry These bleachers began to rise Just back of the boxes and the last rows were nearly as high as the gallery twenty feet above the floor On the afternoon of the fight the press box lOX which was hung from the gallery by wooden supports fell fen down dawn of its own weight That box was supposed to hold about twenty or thirty men It was hastily hastily has has- tily thy put up again and braced a little better bet bet- ter About 8 S o'clock hen the press press men began to arrive Big Bill BUI Naughton who weighs about climbed up on the stand Just as he reached his seat seat seat- crash down crash down went one of the grand grandstands grandstands grandstands stands on the main floor The seats fell like rows of blocks knocking each other over Nobody was hurt That was a low section Somebody told the reporters t about their e and Jt stand some aI falling of them ge down gw gwa made a In the a ler rush af afternoon at- at fh for Cor the floor But Bill kept his seat for tor a awhile awhile while having one end of the stand all to himself But Bob Edgren another hefty sporting man Joined him Keep away yelled Big Bill If It we two get up here at once the drop sure Bill beat It for the floor The preliminaries were on by this time While and Baker were fightIng fighting fight fight- ing another and higher section of seats fell carr carrying down about four or five hundred people The pavilion was pa packed ked from doors to gallery A few were vere hurt more or less this time A little after 9 o'clock a third section of seats went down with a crash that shook the building 1 I thought the roof I Tort To CNE T AT A. M J had fallen in There were shrieks and groans and all over the place people struggled to get out of the wreckage Baker and St stopped fighting until the referee ordered them to go on onto onto onto to attract the attention of the crowd and prevent a stampede All I had heard of ot this was from m my dressing room The ambulance came and carried the Injured away to hos hos' hospitais I Luckily even when th the highest section fell nobody was killed d. d Those who fell and were only bruised scrambled scrambled scrambled scram scram- bled for tor standing room and stayed to see seethe seethe seethe the fight When I came down to th the ring a a. few minutes ahead of Sharkey I 1 saw the most curious sight that ever confronted a fighter tighter On all the Immense floor of the pavilion there were only a couple of seat sent sections standing All the rest had fallen flat The crowd had climbed on the wreckage for standing room and It looked as If the tho ring was surrounded by low mounds covered with spectators Everybody was uneasy The air was full tull of dust duet Well WeH a fighter gets used to taking things s as they come I didn't waste much time looking around harkey Sharkey c came me Into the ring ready really to fight He had Spider I Kelly and Tim McGrail with him Billy Delaney and DC D. Witt Van Court and my brother Jack w Were wert r rIn In my corner Alex Greggains was the referee I looked over oer at Sharkey and 11 hi grinned HP lie was wai as as confident as 55 a II He looked liKe a f sawed awed off oft ules His skin was tanned lanned by th tho thoun sun un and wind and hin hiI muscles bulge out all over o In lu bi bier fames U Us 11 b m J an an- chora tattooed on his arms and a big ship in red and blue ink on his chest Do you see that ship on Sharkey's YIO sk g fan fr front I asked Billy Delaney Sure sal said 1 Bill Well keep your eye ee on it Im I'm going to sink it Il I said sald We began fighting Without waiting to feel Tom out I walked straight at him and he gave ground lIe He didn't like my looks much 1 I guess after the clever fellows he had been fighting But in a moment he ha Jumped at me with a wild swing It was no trouble at all to push him away with my left and make him miss Sharkey just out of trie navy al alwa's always always al- al ways was had a big bunch of sailors In the I Ringside seats to see him fight They paid their own way In and bet their heads off at any sort of odds No sailor ever thought the navys navy's champion champion- could be beaten There were at least a bundred hundred hundred hun bun dred sailors from the Olympia around the ring that night and every time Toni Tom swung at me they yelled like Indians When wed we'd ed come into a clinch Id I'd look over Toms Tom's shoulder at his crowd and give them a wink It was along In the fourth round I think when I landed a s. good stiff leftIn left leftIn leftin In the body that made Tom lose his head He lie closed in and began hitting In the clinch contrary to the rules we were vere fighting under I pushed him away and nailed bailed him on the chin with my left staggering him Sharkey gave ground and backed over oer toward his corner where all the sailors were Then he deliberately turned his head around to look at them One of the fellows outside the ring told me afterward afterward afterward after after- ward that Tom turned and winked to show that something was coming off lIe He was a foxy sailor all right His scheme was to draw me in to take a punch while his head was turned and then catch me with a wallop on the jaw Luckily I suspected something so when Tom whirled back all of a sudden with a wild left swing not even looking to see If It I was there ho missed me a foot There was steam enough In that punch to have done damage if It had landed I had taken a good lead ead now and was as forcing the fighting round after round While we were mixing there was another another another an an- other loud clashing crashing sound and we both while stepped e we back looked and around dropped dPP Up tip in our the hands gallery gallery gal gal- lery a section of temporary seats had caved in and a couple of hundred people people peo peo- pie slid down until they were wedged against the rail Luckily that was a strong rail otherwise they would have poured over on the heads of ot the crowd below In a moment we went on fight- fight Ing Just then down went another another section sec eec tion on the main floor In the seventh round Sharkey got vicious vicious vici vici- ous and rushed at me as If he wanted anted to throw me overboard Two or three times he Jammed me against the ropes Next time he tries that show him some of your strength sal said Van Court in my corner In the next round Tom came tearing at me with his head down like a bull I reached out and caught him by both shoulders Then I spread my feet to I get a good Rood hold on the floor and shook him like a school teacher shaking a boy That was the biggest surprise Sharkey ever had In his life He was used to everybody and using his strength to beat men he couldn't land on I gave him a few good shakes dod nd then walked forward slowly and pushing Tom half hal way ay across the ring ring- put his shoulders up against t the ropes e Cir pinned d him for a moment goa t. t dropped p my y hands a and stepped t back Tom looked at me with Ith funniest expression I ever saw caw and for forat forat forat at least a couple Of rounds he be was a perfect gentleman When hen he hit in a clinch after that he apologized In In- Inthe the middle of the fight Tom got the ducking habit and I timed him and knocked him down with a a. right on the Jaw He was as a 8 tough fellow He got up with a smile and ran at me swingIng swing swing- ing both fists ls l for au all he was worth But he was very wild He landed a afew afew few fel good clouts but for tor the most part partI I got there then first I began studying Sharkey out He was a 8 mark for a left hand Tom had a 8 habit of swinging swinging- twice Hed He'd come In with his left lett hand handheld handheld handheld held back swing it it- and instantly swing the right If h he missed you ou with the left he had a chance to score with the right But I found that when he pulled that left back it was as easy to nail him with a l lefton left lett letton ft on the jaw or shoot a right across inside Inside- before he could start his punch Toward th tM end of the fight tight I scored hard an and often At times Tom was as dizzy but he came out as strong as ever after atter each rest I tried hard to get him In the last laU round and I guess he tried hard too for he got in a couple of good swings At the finish Greggains gave gae me the decision Sharkey left the ring looking pretty glum but he hadn't anything to say except that hed he'd fight me again i iI I gave him the first chance at my title when I became champion CHAPTER My First Trip East and ast-and and a Disappoint Disappoint- ment I had cleaned up all the big heavy heavyweights heavyweights weights I in the west est now and there was nothing to do but to go east and make a cleanup there that would lead to a fight with Fitzsimmons for the championship My hopes went high when I was offered my first chance in New York The eastern eastern east east- em ern people wanted to see the man who had beaten P Peter ter Jackson and Tom Shar Shar- key Tom matched me against two men for ten rounds each the fights to take place at the Lenox A. A C. C in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York City The east seemed strange to me on this first trip back since my boyhood days Even the streets and the trees and the buildings were so BO different from ours in California that It seemed like going into a foreign country Even the people were different Today I have friends and acquaintances acquaintances acquaintances ac ac- ac- ac everywhere and can enjoy a visit to New York but the first time a afew afew afew few days clays of It left me homesick for my myown myown myown own California mountains As for Armstrong and ODonnell O'Donnell the themen themen men teen picked to fight tight me I didn't worry orry over them Armstrong I knew only by byr r reputation ODonnell O'Donnell I had met in San Francisco when hen he came cama to the coast with Madden and Ruhlin ODonnell O'Donnell was as clever as Jim Corbett In a gymnasium but he was as an unlucky big fellow As Aso Ase soon o as he stepped e Into t the ring to fight he became e so nervous o that h ie he forgot his skill I picked Armstrong for my first firstman firstman firstman man thinking Id I'd do the hardest before there was a chance of getting tired I couldn't hel help admiring the looks of big Bob when he stripped in the opposite opposite hest i site corner on the night of August 5 1897 He was like a great ze br statue Here at last I was going to fight a s. man taller than myself with with witha a greater reach equal erual strength and plenty of weight Armstrong was clever I knew that and he could hit He Ito was as a fine looking fighter even if he was black Armstrong was waiting when I stepped into the ring with Billy Delaney As soon as I reached my corner he came across and held out his hand with a wide smile that showed all of his teeth Billy Delaney whispered to me that Armstrong's Armstrongs Armstrongs Armstrong's Armstrongs Armstrong's Arm Arm- strongs strong's corner the southwest was considered considered considered con con- unlucky because of the number of losers losers- that had occupied it There were many many famous fighters around the ring that night I remember seeing Jim Corbett |