Hide Article Text (OCR)
MiKE GIBBONS9ST.PA ULPHANTOM9CALLEDSELF-MADEBOXER.Clever St. Paul Miller Received Worst Punishment inSecond Ring Appearance, Besides BeingaPinched9 9for Violating the Lau).TMI* UJOfelC OU£HT TO HE. Ur*DEVELOP* AGuvsearly L,p£ wke wasA ^hE-ET KETAU uUORKEfc.By HARVEY T. WOODRUFF.M~ - IKE GTBBON8, nicknamad tha M 8t. Paul Phantom M t*caus* of hisextrsm# clavern#ts In tho» ring, la a sslf-madr boxer. Ha laid the foundat on for hla latar •ucceaa practically without Instruction while a member of the St. Paul T. M.C. A., Where boxing was permitted and encouraged. Of course : polished offhis tactics after observing other fighters of reputation, but he made hi* start toward fame and fortune before he had an opportunity to study masters in traart of self-defense.Aside from the usual qualities to bofound in the successful ringster. two features stand out In Gibbons sparring. On# is the way he shifts his head to avoid a blow. Tfcla is one of his best defensive moves, which he picked up early in his career and perfected, he asserts, after watching Abe Attel in action. The other Is a sort of right hand feint which is possessed by no other fighter of prominence now before the public. Gibbons himself was not aware of this feint until his attention was called to It by an experienced Instructor. This fact simply strengthens the assertion that Mike is a self-madeboxer.The Gibbons of the prlxc ring and the Gibbons of natty street clothes are two entirely different persons. Stripped for action, Gibbons U a powerful looking young fellow of pugnacious appearance and mien. Outside the ring lie mig* tMiKE l*JAS VTf^ONG.hoe education andWENT TO N(6HTCOHOO L~.That w caul if ewer ear wa - vM Inone of Mike's earliest, hardest, and least profitable battles. The aftermath c f the bout, as a matter of fact, nearly kept him from a profession which has enabled him to accumulate a fortune of $00,000 when only 20 years old after six yeari in the professional arena Here is Mike’s version of the affair:M I had Just won my first professional fight from a boxer named Hay Moore, stopping him in the third round. The fight took place in the woods near tl hits Bear Hake* Minn., and 200 or 800 pet pie went out on the street cars to see it. My end was $40, which looked pretty goodto me.M Full of confidence, I was matched against a fellow named Herbert Cather-wood for another bush fight, with a purse of 923 for my end. C atherwood had a pretty good reputation In the northwest, and to m way of thinking he deserved It.Well, sir, the first ten rounds of that fightwere awful. He gave me this * tin ear ‘and this broken nose, the only two permanent marks I ever got In the ring. He certainly handed me a fine beating for ten rounds, hut 1 came strong at the endand earned u draw.HE $HE’S A arATBJ iAJMM NOT £lt;6-MTlNlt;£.and could do It now if it were recess** laughtd Mike _____Three brothers and three sisters comprise the rest of the family, ^ack, one of the older brothers now employed by thedreat Northern railroad, once was amateur ca'ch as catch can wrestling champion of the northwest, but did not amount to much a# a professional. He was alto * fair boxer, and it was from him Mlks received his first pointers, h younger brother, Tom, has a good name among ire middle weights and sn especially good rarne with Brother Mikf.$T*££;a« it5 OHl bfULSUfc,held this fob for tw* yaora. fBassrttt#itnulng at his trad#, and was mmmmmby Brother Tom.?HANTO(yV.'VMS SECOND PlOMT vjAS A EEAfe CAT.knew of It and •» d that was a!! with th*glove* for me. **n* night a couple ofwork* later I heard lomc ore com* to the door and a*k, ‘ Doe* Mike Olbhon*.the boxer, live ! ere? '*• i could hoar the old inan'a answer.' Now. you git out of here. He’* retired. For father thought th«* caller wa* a promoter come to *lt;gn me for another flght, The funny part of It wan he was notout bu*h fighting. The deputy wa* a good fellow, *lt; he left without telling the old mnn ahout the pinch, but got m* later and 1 had to go to Stillwater. where 1 wa, »n*d fl and coat*, the total amounting to f-T .*lt;i H.' I got a puree of 2.1. a tinear.' a broken no,*. aevera! day, off work, and court ooete of 2#.tt from that one flght. I did quit for a time, but. r f couree. went back to the frame; and 1 have no?n. twts. at St Paul. Minn., where M* f»-sher we* employed a» a dyer In the Great Northern *hopa. He cornea of good lrl*h fighting itock, for both hla father end mother were horn In Count) Mao, eml-grating to the United Htai*« two year* before Mike wa* born, Gibbon* Hr la nearly to year, old but hale and hearty.Mike attended th* Gorman grade school tn Ht. Paul and went to th* Mechanic. Vrt* blih School for two ear* at ntght while under a four year »pprentlce,hlp a, a , e«t metal worker, which paid »ltwr day at the *?art and 2 per day tha la*tvear of hi, four year* apprenticeship. «fter which Mike earned U»T5 for a nin* hour day a* a Journeyman. Gibbon* be-rame an apprentice when 1« year. old. and quit hi* trade tn l»H. «hen hi* ng d* necam# numerou* enough to rajulr* hi.entire tin***.When Itrother Jack wa* married Mike borrowed hi* membership card In theht Paul Y. M C A. and tried hi* hand wreatlln*. then drifted Into boxing.itl won he wa* appointed boxing lr.»truc-,„r at the Y. M. C. A- at a salary of flOOthhon# fought hi* 8r*t profession •battle, eftar several ap pea cane** at etagfeagatr.et Her Moore la 1«». U prerloaalyreferred to. Th»n *ame the f'arerwoodtight temporary retirement, and rwdntryInto the ring Becaat# boxtn* wa# agatneethe law. puree* were ematt. andwell eattaded to batt a for K» and ft»P Br tha tlma be wae married. In 1W.Mtk* had eaved between end «*»lt;from hi* ring winning* and earning* aa a•heat metal worker He took a weddingtrio to Seattle and epent the balance lafurnishing Ms bouae. a bit of e*tra»ag.nee he never regrettedWhen hie reputation grew and puraea became larger Mike .U« had the eaaalore o* home and be now own* a comfort a hie ten room residence on Co«*o laae. valued at *10,(W«. where two eona. Rob-ert. 3 year, old. and Jack. 3 yeara oM.play on th* lake aand.The balance of Gibbons’ HfcOOE fortune „ invested in real eetate and mortgage*on Ht Paul property. HI# real eetate be Improve* a. f**t a. ?• taaW. with bourn, and bungalow*, which he aaltarBecauae he la a natural »•lt;*•* ** “ iddoe# conalderabl* work around hi.i bultd-t,«. himself Before he retire# he win• Ift t ••• g, a sa morlfPfl tin ihst I had to Itvt *I suppose you are good to your folksnnd support your father in bis advanced years V9 qw-rtsd th#? faithful blographsrw .. . m. — A a JkI ana
Newspaper Details
Anaconda Standard
Anaconda, Montana, US
Sun, Sep 13, 1914
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 06 Mar 2019
Other Publications Near Anaconda, Montana
Anaconda Standard
Anaconda Butte Miner
