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(W1LL1AMS-CLARKE MILL IS CLASSIEST CONTEST IN MANY SEASONS HlRE“FIGHTING GHOST” OAIIIUES BATTLE UNTIL FINAL SI'EC-TACT LAR ROUND.Had Jeff Clarke used the same tac-* tics In his battle with barney Williams I last night as Williams used between I the fifth and fifteenth rounds, tin ■ 'boxing beauties would have needed I * flve-mlle race track and not a | squared circle. In the opening five sessions and the last time minutes there wes some of the classiest bst-I tling ever seen In Joplin. It would I have required a real expert to have picked a shade of diffeience In the I two men.j For nine rounds of the IS, however. Clarke tried every known method to Induce Williams to fight with him and to stop the road work around the edge of the ring. Williams wore holes In the mat clear around the ring In his efforts to escape the “flghtfng ghost,” who seemed possessed of an Idea to send the Philadelphia boy Into slumbtr. land.The largest crowd that has ever assembled to see a loval contest was at ths ringside at the Club theatre last night The frKnds of both scrappers were about es evenly divided as possible. If anything, the visiting lad was gfven the better ovation of the two. II As a curtain raiser little Jimmy Pappas. the Greek d mon, tore Into Battling Smith, a Muskogee product who evidently borrowed his name. Although Smith outweighed the little Greek. Pappas carried the fight and kept the mill going at a great rate for six rounds. Smith hardly landed a Mow, though he succeeded In stopping | a great many with his faceGeorge Bell, a clever 8prlngf!eld lad.I went to th mat In the third round of what was to have been an eight-round go. The Springfield boy couldn’t deliver the goods with the enthusiastic “Bull” Morrow of Joplin. The Joplin boy fought like a windmill, willing to stand up for a give and tako session, during which he twtc» floored Bell In the second round. In the third round he put the finishing touches on the Job end Referee Tommy Dixon stopped the fight.The preliminaries were good appetisers. and the big crowd was eagerfor thf main attraction, as Clarke and Williams came through ths ropes. As the men examined th g» wes to make sure there were no hotseshoes tucked away In them. Williams received a big ovation from his many friends made in the last two weeks. Clarke also had his backers, who ware not as noisy In the opening preliminaries.The opening rounds were fast and furious. Both men seemed Intent upon landing a sleep producer- Williams need the same tactics as In his mill of two weeks previous and mad# Cleiite bring the fight to him. In shifting around he gave Clarke equal punishment Clarke constantly tried Ills powerful right uppercut, but the white boy was alert and kept blocked Williams tried a wide swing for the J»w at every opportunity, but the ghost had his shoulder In the way every time.After the fifth round Williams began his road work- He took to the ropes and gave one of the best exhibitions of covering up and getting away from tight places that has ever been seen here. He took a good punishment end this fact coupled with the fact that he stayed «n the ring and on his ( ft was all that entitled him to claims a* a participant In th mill.| In the tenth and eleventh rounds Clarke made a big e fort to end things He gave Williams a hard gruelling, but failed to stop the show In the fifteenth Wl’llame came from His corner and took sn equal share In carrying the scrap Hie e©me-tlaek', entirely wiped out hie tactics for the nine preceding sessions and he ended the last lap thf better of the two.While Clerks took up the aggressBe work willingly he failed to put the finishing touches on the mill. Upon I his aggressive work. however. he would be given the advantage of the decision had any been rendered. The crowd was satisfied when the mill , closed that they bsd seen the b(st real I contest that has ever been staged in J Eouthwest Missouri.
Newspaper Details
Joplin News Herald
Joplin, Missouri, US
Thu, Dec 28, 1911
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Joplin P.
MO, USA 18 Aug 2024
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