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GIANTS\jeifries-Sharkey ^\ill the MostMarvelous on Record.twenty-five HOII -In Which its Principals Went at LachOther Hammer and Tongs.CALIFORNIAN STILL THE CHAMPION.Ueforee Slier Awuril the Decision to Jeffries After a Mighty Contest In Which Blows Were Kx-changed That Would! i t il an Ox.New York. Nov. 4.— James J. Jeffries retains the championship of the world. Referee George Slier giving himthe decision over Sailor Tom Sharkey at the Coney Island Sporting club.It was one of the most marvelous battles that has taken place, and the greatest crowd that ever gathered in the Coney Island clubhouse witnessed the desperate struggle for supremacy.In five rounds Jeffries had the better of the fight—in the first two and in the last three. During the other 20 Sharkey forced the issue, and like a bull terrier was at hia man with both hands unceasingly. In those 20 rounds JeffriesJ great weight and brawn helped him* to hold off the sailor, and in the twenty-second round he swung in a couple of vicious upper cuts that made Sharkey groggy. Tom came hack again in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth, but was weakened greatly by Jeffries vicious blows.It seemed at first as though it would be a short fight, for in the second round Jeffries put the sailor to the ropes with a left on the jaw, and the referee began to call off the seconds as Sharkey kneeled on the floor. But from the third round on, Sharkey, with his vicious swings to the ribs and the jaw, kept the crowd on its feet, waiting for a knockout.Jeffries stood the terrific punishment and with his eye, nose and ear split came back just as viciously In the last three rounds and almost retrieved himself. Then came an unfortunate and unsatisfactory ending, Jeffries* glove flying off. bringing the fight to an end, although the crowd urged Sharkey to rush in and end it. Thishe tried to do, butJeffrics f, ugl.t himback and Referee Slier rushed to the4-rescue.A preliminary « vent, oi 10 rounds at12k pounds preceded the big cvlt; nt. .ad Kilt;i Goulette of Rochester, who looked a great deal like Jeffries on a smallrounis. The crowd shrieked from the louni of the gong to the close of each round. Both men were covered with lood, and Jeffries was bleeding badly Tom his nose, which Sharkey's savage, fight had split Suddenly in the twenty-second roundJeffries slt; eraed to take on new lit! Just, at the close of this round the jhampion swung right and left on lharkey’s jaw and almost took him off Ms feet. He reeled and the gong saved lim. He came back hard, however, inthe next, but Jeffries had the better of it. putting in two right upper cuts. Jeffries’ friends howled themselves aoarse, while Sharkey s urged him rvith loud cries to go in hard and rough it. He threw down his terrier-ike head, and though hia strength was iast leaving him, he had Jeffries guessing until the gong sounded.No one could say who would get in ;he knockout blow, and neither seemed ible to put enough force into the blow *o drop his man. And in the midst of :be twenty-fifth round, nearly one minute before the close. Jeffries’ glove ; Tew across the ring and Siler ran to 1 help him on with it. Sharkey held back until his friends yelled at him not to stop, and it was a three-cornered tight for a few seconds. The referee got Jeffries* giovr and tried to3raw it on. This was difficult to do, 9nd then Sharkey rushed. Jeffries threw up his gloved and ungloved hand and with the former uppercut Sharkey. Siler ran between them, and made a second attempt to assist Jeffries. The sailor waited a moment, but wildly excited by the shrieks of the spectators, he rushed again. Siler dragged Jeffries away and the gong rang. The referee pointed to Jeffries’ sorner and his seconds and friends cheered wildly.T he majority of those at the ringside j hardly thought Sharkey would get ' worse than a draw, for the sailor fought viciously, always after his man, with good judgment, and outpointed the champion. On the other hand Jeffries, while he had the better, by long odds, of the last three rounds, did very little leading in the other 22.Statements of the Principals.When seen in his dressing room after the contest Jeffries said: “Sharkey is the hardest and best man 1 ever met, and I hardly expect to meet a better in the future. Within six months I have met and defeated the best two men in the world, and willnow take a long rest, probably ninemonths or a year. Never again will I fight under the same conditions. The heat from the lights overhead tended to take away a great deal of my steam, and the glare of the floor weakened my eyes. My left arm, the one that j was injured while training, g;jjve out in the fourth round, and I could not use it properly for the rest of the battle, or the result would have been different, for I think i could have knocked him out.”Sharkey was inconsolable and cried - - H Hke a child when he went to his quar-scale. was beaten by Tommy Moran of ters and refused to talk, but TomI Brooklyn.George Siler refereed the big mill. Jeffries weighed 212 pounds and Sharkey 25 pounds less, but the latter* looked to be in better condition, the Californian being sallow and having staring eyes, and giving other evidences of not the *6st condition, The betting at the start was 100 to To onJeffries.V They shookwell. Jeffries several times,Ihands and shaped up led and then landed but was generally over or under. On the other hand, the sailor was wild, going into the tight withboth hands and swinging wildly, buthe did not land the first blow.' Again in the second round Sharkey was flopping around, and he came in for a nast U ft that roll* • sr.It looked then as though Sharkey was clearly outclassed. O Hour** how ever, gave the sailor a talking, and to the amazement of all Sharkey swung on Jeffries ribs and jaw almost at will, and there was a wild audbnce.As the fighting went along, round by round, the sailor fought his way intoAm hearts of those who marvelled atJeffries’ capacity for punishment. Tin' Californian crouched down low, and although hi eyes blazed, lie smiled and generally over at O’Rourke, who was coaching his man over the ropes. Sharkey's vicious punches begun to tell, and at the close of tin ■ vi nth it seemed as though Jeffries could hardly walk to his corner, and it seemed certain there would be a new champion.* IN SLAM-BANG STYLE.Sharkey's ear w'hh split in the eighth and it made him like a bull- He rushed, swinging rights and lefts, and landed nearly all of them, with Jeffries throwing himself over the -nilor. Th Californian pushed his man over the ropes at every opportunity, and in some of the rounds rested his great head on Sharkey’s shoulder mi much that he was hissed and Jeered, Jeffries landed a terrific upper cut in the tenth and Sharkey’s eyelid was split, but in the twelfth Sharkey got back with a balf dozen left swings and a straight right, and it was wouderful that theydid not end the fight. Jeffries hugged Uie sailor hard and shook his head ub he went to hia corner.Every round carried Sharkey acrosf the ring at the start, and he was fight ing the champion all over the canvas lu the fifteenth Jeffries made a blufl at forcing, but Sharkey was at him again like a bulldog and swung higt and low and landed almost every tim* be swung. The Californian made litth effort to lead. He preferred the de fenslve, and he was winded. Sharkey too, waa tiring fast, and they puncbee and swung and clinched and staggeretIII around (he ring for theO’Rourke, his manager, expressed the opinion that the sailor should have received the decision. He said that twoof Sharkey’s ribs were broken, and that during the last four rounds Tom’s left hand was useless, having been broken on Jeffries’ head.Although the decision was against him, he said Sharkey would not give up, but would seek another match, and the next time the result would be different. But I don’t think this fellow will want to tackle Tom again.” saidO’Rourke. “I’ll keep after him. though,until he agrees to another meeting, or make him crawl.”
Newspaper Details
Defiance Express
Defiance, Ohio, US
Thu, Nov 09, 1899
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
John H.
IL, USA 28 Feb 2018
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