Show KID lA VIGNE i HAD EDGE ON THE LIGHTWEIGHTS 1 Battle With Joe Wolcott Stamped Him as Premier iJ BY ROBERT f- f l There have bc n many miny great that It Isn't th the e easiest thing in tn tho world to select the one man who b b Still deserves deseno to called greatest one of or the lightweight champions the loOman who brought the worlds world's championship cham cham- title to America performed two feats In the tho ring that stand tand out above the things that made other champions famous After Arter winning the American title ho went to England Ty land nd whipped the best t t champion England ever e produced scaled below pounds himself and andT I T let the tho Englishman havo hav at least ten tenI I pounds advantage His other teat feat and andI V I am Inclined to think It the greatest vcr performed b by a lightweight watho wa wag the tho defeating of Joo Wolcott Volcott whose fighting prowess as welterweight champion champlon resulted In an Interesting collection of or nicknames Wolcott Volcott was The Tho Black Demon The Giant Killer Tho Barbados Barbado worder Ho He was neither Demon nor KUler i to George Lavigne And Lavigne a pound shaver with other men either Ho He fought them at nt all weights I v His last Jast great battle was with t taus Billy Smith but h-but but that comes sInter later cn en In the star story George George- was born at Saginaw Mich Uch In 1871 He was of ot French dc- dc Up in the lumber woods he grew rew I broad Instead of ot tall When he began beran fighting at tho age o of eighteen he was wasas as fine a piece picco of oC machinery for Cor that profession as an any that over ever prop propelled led a boxing glove Just how much of ot a fighting man La Igne was can be guessed from the fact that his first professional ln a a ring was n against the great George and It went vent 77 rounds to a draw wasn't satisfied fied that the youngster r could coul stand stant him off so 80 he came back less legs than two months later and fought again The first I fight was March 1 1 1399 the second April 25 1899 The Thc first was fought at the at Grand Rapids Again Ag ln LavIgne held SIddons to a draw In five fifty rounds That was vas about enough fighting for awhile Lavigne didn't dabble In the game again until November No when he travelled to San Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco and beat Joe Sotto in hl thirty After that fight h ne went fuji like a rocket The names of or th the inen men he defeated welt well known then Griffin Andy Bow Bowen n Jack hand Jimmy Hanler When hen he had Cleaned cleaned up this bunch and had drawn with the clever Young oung and Solly Smith h ho went Into what was probably the most desp desperate fight In the annals of the gam came This was with Joe Walcott afterward champion Walcott alcott WOO was a not thought that any It nas Vias terror n L 11 hi I hl man an in mo VU ni u nj- nj C have a chalice chanco against him Yet et Sam am arranged the match and a round fifteen round ell fight ht was pulled off ocr at Maspeth alcott smiled when the fight started The The- slim wido red white boy bo looked so soft sott a mark He began at once to rush and tear at Lavigne Lav La igne with all the ferocity that gained the name namo Black Demon Tp amazement Lavigne didn't t tf f dance danco about and try tn to spar Instead he met rush with rush Walcott s tx Inch teen arms flailed away furiously Blood flew from Crom tho Mis Miss s mouth and nose and ears carR at every Sm- Sm f r pact In a few ew rounds one of or tears cars was nearly nearl torn off ocr Yet the thc hardest hardiest hard hard- iest est blows had not dazed or weakened weaken d him him He bent to his work vork even more i aggressive c than the t black J hla to Wolcott turned In his corner Tom and said MUd f manager Elista Usta Tom rom this bo boy aint human I fi r J hurt him him himA A 1 In the last few rounds round I no c 1 and his hiR efforts II cowed by meeting courage and anel i superior to his own began becan t n siow down don hard rips Into the body doubled him up and md when the fifteen teen rounds round ha l been fought tossed I was wall nil all In The rhe crowd upon Its rs a ring hero wh sc Dame and fame will live c while books are written t After Wolcott olcott Lavigne f ought fO Tom Tommy m my Ryan H and Jack t six round decision no-decision bouts bouls then call J for England Eng land to fight Dick Burge Burge e was the Mol of or all Great Britain Ho was waR called lI lightweight champion having fought out non the title at pounds the English v pl ht He had grown beyond that weight and had knocked out a number numb r ot ur middle and heavy y weights Everywhere v ly hl the Cross of fit St George e the name nuno of or BUr Burge e was spoken with respectful awo nwe No o Englishman dreamed that h he could be beaten La was Va matched match d with DUI Burge at pounds A day before befort the Ight Mr 11 of tho National Sporting Sporting- Club sorrowfully told Sam that It was Impo Impossible for Burge to even get down near the weight Ill fight him anyway declared LaI La- La I ne Let him weigh Then rhen in justice to you as champion iio ui America sa said III Mr lr we will will publicly public announce that this tight fight fights Is s not for the worlds world's championship You ou should not be forced to risk los los- ng your claim to that title lItle I 1 insist on its being for or the tho cham cham- said I dont don't care If f he weighs a a. ton Ill I'll lick him Burge refused to weigh at all before the he rI fight ht He was a middleweight But well below wont went In to tight The confident Englishmen had the shock of their lives that night Thoy elo offering 3 to 1 on their champion champion cham cham- pion who stood a head above the slender slender slen slen- der American A few Americans present pres ent made wagers La l nc sitting In his corner corn r waiting for tor tho bell heard an Englishman otter offer odds on Dur p. p Turning with a A. grin VI L. said Ill take you ou for five v I admire your OUr courage said eald the Englishman but I dont don't like to take talce your our money t Oh that's all right r retorted La La- Ill take yours And tho bet was on When time came to pay up after the tI fight hl the tho Englishman silent silently Ian d a n. check for La- La nearly nearl fell rell down He lIe tho thought he was betting In dollars So did Jat- Jat rick who had cheerfully wagered the entire not realizing that every time ho he mentioned a sum he was betting betting bet bet- ting times as much in English En money Sam and Geor George e would have ben in In an awful hole f they had lost But there was no such thing as 08 los los- ing Tho Saginaw Kid went into Burgo like a wildcat and fought Just as ho he hat had fought Wolcott olcott until at last the wonderful English champion was beaten beat beat- en down to stay ata In tho seventeenth round La was a great reat champion Tie He won mw many other hard lights after that He made Joe Wolcott Volcott quit cold in twelve twel rounds in San I Francisco But Dut ho bo had begun to dissipate When the unbeaten and all lI light lightweight ht- ht weight ht was matched with Mysterious l Billy Smith for the welterweight title he neglected his training drank heavIly heavily ily at quarters and went into the ring In poor condition Ht h thIn that fight to Smith with the tho old fury ur until In tho fourteenth round Smith drove over a terrible rl right ht counter that knocked the famous Camous Kid groggy gro s on onI his I feet arms s1 dropped to h his ll u T-T T A li I a IP IA lIUo Ut 1 u J J 14 ma i at n au 14 stood tood like a rock while Smith hurled blow blo bloater after ater blow against his chin Refusing Refusing Re Re- fusing to go down he was beaten across the tho ring and back again as At last eyes es closed swaying he h stood In There as ns Smith was drawing draw draw- inK ing hack back his right fist 1st for the final punch Lavigne brother leaped through the rope anti and tossed In the fateful sponge The Kid unable to realize that he had been beaten re refused refused re- re fused to tu speak to his brother for two years afterward and to to this da day belI believes be be- lI that ho he would have recuperated In miraculous wa way and yet et the tide of oC defeat to victory victor That was practically the end of or I La as j a great r at fighter Frank Euro Enre him In twenty thc rounds less than four months ll t. t and amI took his lightweight crown awa away Then n I O l Knocked him out in nineteen lounds Ho traveled 1 to Eu Europe rope boxed In Paris camp came hack back I EU-I and andr r foupht u ht again but drifted back to ob ob- like all defeated champions Once later he tried again He was as beautifully symmetrical nl as ever but the speed and stamina were not in him Today Toda LavIgne teaches boxing In a small western town The fortunes he hewon won were dissipated long ago I |