Hide Article Text (OCR)
Chief. ANEW AND OLDWAY OF FIGHTINGFreddie Welsh and Johnny Summer 0 Represent the Two Styles in Their ContestWhen Freddie Welsh aud Johnny Summura went twenty rounds heroic the NfctLonal Sporting club of London November 8 Ike best two lightweight*1 u England met. • The old redoubtable JItn Corbett goes one better;-he declared It would be the greatest lightweight fight In litetory and that .no one Is likely to' see Its equal In tills generation. It was such in tnnny re* specls, although no knockout was scared, Welsh winning 011, points. He outclassed Ills rival from the oiitnct in cleverness, fnotwo.rlc, nldosloppiug and Infighting, ringing, the knell lt;m the old-style stand-up-anrt-punch gama or which Summers is a master, posses-b1uB besides a terrible, wallop. Having won, WcIbL now dcfieB Battling Nelson, and !» willing to moel tho American title holder here or on Eug-ll6h soli.John R. Coryell, English exjiort la mattcre pugilistic, gives a splendid resume of the battle, describing the shock niudo upon English sports by Welsh's new-fangled- they rnuy be dubbed Americanized — maneuvers, and supplement fid by an occoum of the new English champion's plans. It follows:“Fred Welsh in lightweight: clmra-Iilon of Knglaud. No one dlnputcs Ills title nov/; nod there is no one In Right lo contest 11. . lie lifld nlrcudy beaten every other claimant but John-ny SuiumerR, and him he niet and heat laut Monday night. He beat him sc. thoroughly through every round that there was but. one opinion on tho rcBUJl. Summers was so completely outclassed that even his incst ardent admirer* lost all hope for him by the fourth round. A3 lor Summers. I think ho was convinced by the third round that he hod no possible chance. ■ I never saw such a bewildered, dazed look on a man’* fitce os on hie ae the conviction gradually formed in hie brain that he could never hit Ills elusive* antagonist, but that his antagonist's tlstu scorned frightfully multiplied, * each gloved fist lauding at will.Both men were In the pink of condition; and I am sure Summers nov-pt fought better In Ills life. All that he knew he tried, but when he boxed be was 90 much out-boxed: that ha looked like a school boy; and when ho fought he was either mf.do to look foolish liecnuso ho could not land a blow, or he was so fiercely out-fought that his lees weakened under him, nnd he was glad to hold on.There Is 110 doubt ho would have been knocked out byi the fifteenth round if Welsh had been permuted to ficht iu the American wn. but over here they dctcfil lu-flglitlns and look upon 11 as a horrid Innovation not to be tolerated. They admire nnri lt;le-111 nnd open fighting—bitting und gf*l-ling away; Iliey arc shocked sit any blow thui Ih nut straight irom ihe shoulder. They saw Woluh gel under ur away or iuRlde of all hi* opponent's famous rights und leftsi wllli such ease as sucincd to Indicate I hut he knew Just what the other was going 10 tin: then they saw him dun In and smother poor Sutuiuen; In a perfectbull of blows whlchrvtr*vok*lt;l n»t over six or nine Jacket, but which lert Summers gusjdtig and weak. They saw their fuvoriio’B fucp pounded mil or shupol I hoy saw his’ legs weaken; Ihoy saw him hanging on: Ihuv saw him wiueo ubilcr tho punlulimeni on hia body; hut for the iuosi part they were' uul enlightened ;, buI only an*, sir- ’■ *r» •*; . *“Tho contnst hua 'cnutcd a vnfttamount of controversy. No one doubts-tor a rnunioiil that Summers was absolutely outclassed, gnd I have not heard even ti suggestion of nnothor content-between,! ho two boxers. Wnlah. Iu thn cbnmploil CWltbOUl any quec* lion, and yo\. the controversy rnges. and they rvaiif to kiiowi you know,'If Ihal la good fighting.A few or the best judges m' frankly that Welsh had dealt a death-: blow lo the olrt-fMhtoaefl, elierlaheil stylo of Standing stiulght up ;n .» regulation altitude, dancing grace fully, in find out With straight leads, right swings and ft fow uppercuts thrown in whenever the boxer huppens to remember thaL there are more than two effective blows to be used. It looks n3 If they were besting slowly and painfully to wake up over hern to the fnct that they must give more latitude to the boxer if they expect him to ho a fighter. • v:.\-Tlils If* the first time Welsh line fought In London since ho ML America last June. Hlb victories over tho tieol men here left London uucon-Yhicetl. It wbs quite-'dertnin In their rulnda that when he rict Johnny Summers, that splendid representative of the bent English traditions. his newfangled snblelleu of punch and footwork would be shown up In all their emptiness and futility, .They me now almoat*or much dazed as Summers wan, ault;l nothing else Is talked in sporting circles but Welsh and his new methods,There iR not left them even tha consolation of believing That some one else could have done . better than Summers; for he 1e admittedly the beat mail of his weight over here. And 11 must be said that ho !g infinitely better than bu showed Himself In'America. He is quick, cleveT and si roil g. His punch Is lerrlfic, and his courage and gamcness unimpeachable.It wns a beautiful fight for ono who understood ilte‘ nice points of the game; for it was a splendid Illustration of the difference between the new and the old atylcti or boxing. And although about two-thirds of Weloh'o marvelous ring craft, did uot display '-wing to the rulings of the. referee, enough was lit evidence to make the fight a very pretty nue.The bouse woo packed with tho usual aristocratic assemblage, and one might have fancied the houEc of lords bad adjourned and come down In n body. After his victor? was announced Welch wnS presented with Lord Lonsdale’s gold belt, which ho must defend for three yours before he can call U RliBolutaly his own. This Is the Aral belt ever given over here for a lightweight championship.I think It In tho luosi beautiful belt I have ever seen. ahd.I have seen most of tbc championship belts that have been given. It 13 of solid gold and la worth about (1,000..Or course; There is a groat Welsh boom an jiiHl now. TkD.-iuuslc balls are after lilm with offer? of 52,000 a week, but as yet ho lias not closed with any of them, though be pmhahly will In the cniiTse of a day or two. He wisa ylveu a groat reccptlcn when ho returned to Wales after the fight, nu«l a monster banquet, under the auspices of the leading meniucrs, of iho community, Is to bo beld.de bis liouor.It doesn't luoic aa.ir BattllnE Nelson could nfford lo dodgo^Welsh much longer. Now that Welsh is the recognized champion of England, his chal-lease to NelRon musl either bo taken notice of or the UaJler must lot his title paua by default to the man who offers to meet him on hln own terms; but whom hp has slde-st6j,ped fur so many months UiuL they rpn Into- yearn. If the lightweight champion of tho world will come over hure there is a big purs© waiting fix hlipj iiind W-eloh bus offered to back hi nisei f to the extent of $5,000 or $10,000; Yourn,' JOHN R. CJOEYELL■\/•nKtlnGP
Newspaper Details
Ogden Standard
Ogden, Utah, US
Wed, Dec 08, 1909
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
John H.
IL, USA 06 May 2017
Other Publications Near Ogden, Utah
Ogden City Evening Standard
Ogden Weekly Standard
Ogden Examiner
Ogden Standard
Ogden Standard
