ELMIRA TELEGRAM NEW YORK SEPTEMBER 10, 1905 JIMMY BRITT vs BATTLING NELSON

NELSON'S THE BOY Battling Gave James Edward Britt His in the 18th Round THE FIGHT WENT A FAST CLIP Game of Give and Take Witnessed by More Than _ Ten Thousand People - The Long-Disputed _ Supremacy No Longer in Balance - Nelson _ Right There With the Goods From First Tap _ of the Gong

[By Associated Press] _ San Francisco, Cal. Sept, 9. - In a fight that had many novel features, Battling Nelson, of Chicago, knocked out Jimmy Britt, of San Francisco, at Colma, this afternoon. The end came in the eighteenth round and was a fairly won victory. The suroundings, the crowd, the bitterness of the men toward each other, the uncertainty as to whether there would be a fight at all up to within a quarter of an hour before the fight actually began, to- gether with the cleverness and the endurance displayed by the two box- ers, made the fight one of the great in- terest to followers of fighting. _ It was the success of a strong, en- during fighter against a clever, cool man. From the first, until Referee Graney finished the count of ten sec- onds, Nelson forced the fighting. Though suffering many bruising blows on the face and body, and being at times very tired, Nelson never gave ground. he came back after every at- tack by Britt, always ready to exchange blows. For the rushing, forcing, per- sistent tactics of Nelson, Britt could find no effective counter. The Califor- nian tried every blow known to him to stop his tireless opponent. In every way Britt failed, although he punished Nelson severely, knocking him down once and staggering him several times. _ Only once, in the third round, did it appear to those close enough to judge the tide of battle, that Britt might win. In this round Britt reached the most vulnerable spot on Nelson's muscled body, the stomach, with two terrific right-hand blows, that carried pun- ishment. Nelson faltered for a mo- ment and doubled over. Quickly turn- ing his attention to Nelson's face, Britt sent a terrible right cross that dropped the Dane to his knees. _There was a shout from Britt's sup- porters, but Nelson got up before the timer could reach the count of two. The call for the time of the succeeding round found Nelson fresh. Nelson was always the first to begin rounds, though not always the first to land a blow. Time after time he would glide along after Britt, much after the style of Fitzsimmons, never clever on his feet, but always seeking to shorten the distance between his opponent and himself. Tireless persistence and dis- regard of physical punishment char- acterized Nelson's fighting through- out. _ Britt fought gamely at all times, but after his spurt in the third, the Cali- fornia fighter weakened, perceptably, to those seated close to the ring side. Britt had used all his strength, all his clev- erness and all his blows in the third and he had failed to achieve a knock- out. Britt appeared to realize as he took his corner after the fourth round that he was unable to hurt his oppo- nent. Nelson also seemed to reach this decision at the same time and subse- quently took Britt's blows with more confidence and without flinching. Ex- cept in spots, these rounds were all pretty much alike. _ Nelson always forcing, Britt always giving ground; Britt trying to keep Nelson at the end of his snappy left hand and the Dane using every means to get inside the circumference of the Californian's hands. Whenever Nel- son broke down the defense or ac- cepted the blows aimed at him, he would hammer away at the body, al- ways coming out of a clinch swing- ing at the jaw. The agreement of the two men to break at the call of the referee and the referee's interpreta- tion of the rules and their strict en- forcement, seemed to be in Nelson's favor. _ Graney told the men before the fight that they must break at his command, and he carried out his intention. The refereeing was successful, according to popular opinion. _ In the fifth Britt held and advantage, staggering Nelson with a series of blows and making a desperate effort to win. This was the first round in which both threw aside all knowledge of box- ing and exchanged viciously, each hoping to end the fight with one blind- ing delivered lucky blow. Both were bleeding at the close of this round, but Nelson was the stronger. It did not seem possible that a fight could be much fiercer than the fifth, but the succeeding period of three minutes brought the vast crowd to its feet and kept it there throughput the round. _ The fighters slugged each other ceaselessly. Both were bleeding and weary, but always game. In the last minut of the sixth Nelson suddenly took the lead, annd getting Britt in a corner, beat him about the body and face until he went weaving about the ring vainly trying to protect himself. _Britt took a terrific beating about the body, unable for a time to block Nelson's blows; but, in a flash, Britt took a brace. He set himself in the middle of the ring and met Nelson with two punishing swings to the face. Nelson halted and Britt leaped forward. He slugged and swung in one last desperate effort, but again the gong ended the round, like the prev- ious critical, at an opportune time for Nelson. _ In the eighth Nelson had Britt in trouble, staggering the Californian with a left and driving him to the ropes. Britt's seconds were in a frenzy, shout- ing all sorts of orders. Above all was the voice of "Spider" Kelly, who shout- ed; "Cover up, Jimmy!" Jimmy obeyed and probably saved himself from going down in this round. After the eighth Britt appeared to tire fast. The pace was slower and in Nelson's favor. _ In the tenth and eleventh Nelson con- tinued to wear out Britt, In the twelfth Britt rallied suddenly and battered Nelson for two minutes. Nelson covered his jaw and took most of the blows on the nose, ear, or stomach. Britt wore himself out and finished the round tired. It became evident to Britt's sec- onds after the twelfth that their man was being beaten. They sought to bols- ter his wavering confidence with cheer- ful remarks, but Britt appeared to realize that he was beaten. _ In the thirteenth Britt took a beat- ing with gameness. The fourteenth was the most exiting one. Nelson, knowing Britt was tiring fast, had before him determination to end the battle. In five seconds he had Britt staggering, his guard lowered and all but out. Time and again Nelson planted left hand blows on Britt's face driving him against the ropes. Over-eagerness on Nelson's part prolonged the fight beyond this round. Seeing his brother beaten down, Willie Britt shouted: "Swing Jimmy, swing!" Setting himself to meet Nelson, Britt swung his right hand with all the strength in his body. _ The blow landed and Nelson was not only stopped, but seemed to give gound. Britt pressed the advantage and, with his feet set far apart to steady himself, once more he met Nelson with full arm swings, finally forcing the Dane to clinch. The gong sounded while they were standing head to head, slashing at each other with both hands. _ The crowd arose and cheered the desperate struggle in the fourteenth round compelled both men to show up in the next two rounds, and no de- cisive work was done by either, though Nelson showed more strength when- ever they came to a clinch. The sev- enteenth was Nelson's by a good mar- gin. _ The eighteenth proved the end for Britt. A detailed account of that round, which lasted about two min- utes, shows little difference from the preceding rounds. Britt was tired, but seemed willing. Nelson forced him about the ring and gave many body blows, always boring in. He cornered Britt and drove him against the ropes. Britt squirmed out and sent in a ter- rific left to the stomach that appeared to hurt Nelson. Nelson covered his body and Britt swung for his face. _ [up to a half hour after midnight this morning the Associated Press was unable to supply the Telegram with a full ac- count of the fight, stating earlier the story was "delayed by wire trouble west." - Editor Telegram.]

BEFORE THE BATTLE Scenes and Incidents In and About The Arena

_ Ringside, Colma, Sept. 9 - The scenes just outside the high fence around the arena before the beginning of the fight had all the appearances of a frontier mining camp or the im- mediate vicinity of a circus. Taking advantage of the fact that they were outside the city and county of San Francisco, and across the border line of San Maeto county, gambling sharps operated games of infinite variety, As is usual at the great sporting events there was a crowd of hangers on out- side as large as the inside, and these freely played the games. Thousands of dollars changed hands. On many of the roulette and faro tables hun- dreds of dollars were stacked in coin in plain view of the crowds. Many games were conducted by women, who reaped a rich harvest. _ Almost every available automobile in San Francisco had been engaged to bring sporting men to the ringside. Improvised garages outside the arena were filled with machines. Several taaly-ho parties lent a spectacular feature to the scene. Large delegations of ring followers came from all the large cities and numerous eastern points. There was no disorder. The main portion of the crowd did not be- gin to arrive until 1 o'clock when they poured through the gates. The ushers became confused and the asiles were badly congested. The first question asked was: _ "Who will be the referee?" _ When they found that question was still unsettled, the sentiment was free- ly expressed that there "would be a fight or a shooting scrape." The un- certainty practically brought betting to a standstill. The pool room concession had prepared to handle the big crowd of betters, but no business was done, although odds of 10 to 6 were offered, Britt being the favorite. As the hour set for the fight approached the crowd became restless and nervous, many standing upon the seats. A score of women came in with escorts, each one being cheered. Nolan still persisted in his refusal to bringNelson into the ring until a referee satisfactory to himself should be selected, and at 1:15 p.m. the uncertainty was as great as ever. After the boxers weighed in at Corbett's in San Francisco this fore- noon, they got into autos with their re- spective managers and trainers and started for Colma. A chill wind car- ried a heavy fog in from the ocean and the men appeared thoroughly chilled. _ _ JEFFRIES MAKES _ _ HIS APPEARANCE _ J.J. Jeffries came through the gates to the arena at 1:20 and took a seat at the ring side. He was cheered by the crowd, but paid no attention to the demonstration. Jeffries said he was on hand to act, as he had been chosen by the fighters and the club. He knew nothing about what they intended to do aside from that, he said. Nelson's father came up to Jeff and told him that he wanted the re- tired champion to act as referee. Jeff declared he did not want to referee. At 1:30 Nolan left the arena and de- clared he would not return until the question was settled. Seated in a box close to the ring side were Mrs. James J. Jeffries and Mrs. William Delaney, with escorts. Promptly at 1:30, the hour scheduled for the fighters to ap- pear, the crowd sent up a shout, "Sit down," and kept it up until all seat-holders were in their places. At 1:40, Manager Coffroth came into the ring and called Willis Britt up and told him to bring Jimmy in. "I have told Nolan that I would give him unti 2 o'clock to produce Nelson. Your contract calls for the men to be in the ring at 1:30 p.m. If Nelson is not on hand at 2 p.m. I will call for the for- feit." _ "Why don't you provide a dressing room?" said Nolan. "You have a room," said Coffroth. Immediately Nolan went out. Britt came into the ring at 1:53, accompanied by his seconds, "Spider" Kelly, Sam Berger and "Tiv" Kreling. Britt selected the southwest corner. He was fully dress- ed, wearing a long overcoat over a thick sweater and trousers. As soon as Britt got into the ring, Manager Coffroth sent word to Nelson that Brritt was on hand and ordered Nelson to appear immediatly. There was no sign of him, however, and after a while Willie Britt demanded that Nel- son be produced at once, adding: "I'm not going to keep my man here all day. That fellow Nelson was to be here at 1:30. It is now after 2 o'clock and he had better show up here soon if there's going to be a fight." _ "It's pretty tough," said Coffroth, "to get up against this situation ahter six months work getting this match, and perfecting all arrangements, to say nothing of the expense I have been put to." _ _ GRANEY IS _ _ FINALLY SELECTED _ At 2:10 Jeffries came into the ring. It was said at that time that Nelson absolutely refused to appear. Billy Jor- dan then made this announcement: _ "Gentlemen: Mr. Nelson refuses to come into the ring unless they select a man other than Jim Jeffries for re- feree." _ A great chorus of jeers and cries had interrupted him. _ "Mr. Britt," continued Jordan, "will not stand for anyone other than Jeff- ries. Now, gentlemen, three rousing cheers for the undefeated champion of the world, J.J. Jeffries." _ Three cheers were given. After a long wrangle, it was announced that Jeffries had retired from the field, and Graney was selected. The announce- ment that the referee question had been settled caused a change in the betting and many wagers were made, Britt being the favorite at 10 to 6. At 2:33 Nelson appeared. On his way down he was greeted with jeering and hooting. He was accompanied by Harry Foley, Martin Murphy, Billy Nolan and Fred Landers. _ _ ALL BETS _ _ ARE DECLARED OFF _ Nelson was introduced as the "hard- est nut to crack in the lightweight class, "Battling Nelson." This intro- duction was cooly received. Britt was then introduced as the "pride of Cali- fornia" and he was loudly cheered. Challenges flew thick and fast. Eddie Hanlon, Jimmy Gardner, Aurello Hererra and Willie Fitzgerald were some of those who want to meet the winner. An announcement that came as a surprise was that Graney declar- ed all bets off on the contest. The mov- ing picture machines were started as soon as Nelson entered the ring. Graney explained with reference to his declaring bets off, that it only applied to bets made previous to his selection and acceptance as referee; that all others could stand. THEY GET BUSY After a Day of Wrangling the Mill Finally Starts _ Graney called the men to the cen- ter and gave them instructions. "You boys are going to fight under the Marquis of Queensberry rules," he said. "My interpretation of these rules is that there must be no holding. I don't want to put my hands on you. When I say break, I want you to break without any unnecessary de- lay." The men shook hands, strip- ped quickly and the ring was cleared. Britt wore red trunks, trimmed with the national colors. Nelson had on pale green trunks with a pink belt. At 2:47 the word was given and the fight was on.

THEIR FORMS

Nelson	_	Britt
5 ft. 7 inches 133 pounds 67 inches 15 inches 34 1/2 inches 37 inches 25 inches 12 inches 11 1/2 inches 7 3/4 inches 20 inches 14 inches 7 inches	height weight reach neck chest normal chest expanded waist biceps forearm wrist thigh calf ankle	5 ft 6 inches 133 pounds 65 1/2 inches 15 inches 35 1/2 inches 38 inches 28 inches 12 inches 10 1/2 inches 7 inches 19 1/2 inches 13 inches 7 inches

TELEGRAM KEPT BUSY LAST NIGHT

_ If there is any doubt of the extent of interest manifested in the Nelson- Britt fight of yesterday afternoon, just ask the girls who manipulate the electric fluid carring wires at either of the local exchanges. Churchmen managed to scrape up a personal or two to telephone the Telegram and incidentally asked how the fight came off. Others inquired because their neighbors wanted to know. _ In fact, the Telegram plugs at both centrals were badly disfigured during the evening, but the men behind the guns in the editorial sanctum looked pleasant and obliged all who called. There was a good deal of humor in it anyway and it was good for the ear- ache to listen to the involuntary ut- terances of those who secured the in formation. _ Some merely grunted; others gave vent to joyous exclaimations and not a few expressed disappointment. There were the usual number of "I-told-you- sos." Ninety-nine out of a hundred would "thank you" before hanging up the receiver. The "number-please" girls say that many who called the Telegram, immediately also, called either one or the other of the evening papers, but the bells rang to empty rooms. The telephone calls for in- formation began to come in before 2 o'clock in the afternoon. When the real result was announced about 7 p.m., many doubted the correctness of the report and there was a clamor for more news and detail. _ Not all pretend to be sportively inclined, yet there are few who are not anxious to learn the result of tests of strength, endurance and phys- ical science. Perhaps, they don't ap- prove of the game and wouldn't at- tend a fighting match if they had the opportunity, but they want to know how it came out. The Telegram was glad to give its friends all the infor- mation in its possession. It always is.

EMIRA TELEGRAM SEPTMEBER 10, 1905

WEATHER GUESS:

MORE NEWS OF THE DAY:

Referee Graney (Elmira Telegram on August 16, 1903)

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