Joe Gans

by Colleen Aycock

  Announcements were made regarding honored guests, one of which was that the Athletic Club had sent President Roosevelt a telegram, and although there was no reply, his son was thought to be at ringside. The crowd again cheered and someone yelled, “Show yourself and turn your face toward the moving picture.”27 Then Sullivan introduced Tex Rickard, “Give him three cheers!” and the spectators responded accordingly.

  With his face gaunt, Gans poses for a re-match, July 4, 1908, with Battling Nelson at Colma, California. Referee Jack Welch and veteran announcer Billy Jordan stand behind the two boxers. After the bout, Jack Welch announced that he had “refereed his last fight.” Betting was heavy for the fight, at 10 to 4 odds for Gans. Tex Rickard, promoter for the previous fight between Gans and Nelson, bet over $25,000 on Gans (photograph by Dana Bros., San Francisco 1908).

  While Jimmy Britt was being dragged up into the ring from his front-row seat, Rickard announced that Jack Welch of San Francisco would be the official timekeeper. Britt was presented to the crowd. When the applause died, he announced that he would take on the winner of the bout. Then Eddie Hanlon and Eddie Graney were introduced and each shook hands with the contestants, wishing them the best of luck. Then bantamweight Frankie Neil was introduced. And finally, Sullivan introduced referee, George Siler. Siler had achieved a degree of fame as a referee and sports writer, most notably in Chicago before prize fighting was outlawed in the Windy City.

  Before the referee could begin the coin toss, Nelson asked Sullivan to announce that he, too, didn’t want his men to throw in the sponge for him. He would only be considered beaten if Siler asked him. And the crowd cheered. Then the arena was cleared and the fighters were brought to the center to pose for the moving-picture camera. The cheers for the men were evenly divided. They returned to their corner and Sullivan announced that the world lightweight championship would be a “fight to the finish,” which in those days meant 45 rounds, or until a fighter could not continue. Siler called the men to the center of the ring and gave them their boxing instructions.

  Nelson and Gans then left the ring for the beginning of the preliminary bout, Nelson to hisses and Gans to cheers. A purse of $1000 was offered between two lightweights, Bob Lundie of San Francisco and Jack Clifford of Los Angeles. In the second round, the Montana fighter landed a right to Lundie’s jaw and he was knocked down. The referee counted nine before he could rise, but as he did so, Clifford pounded him with another right to the jaw, knocking him out and leaving the spectators to languish in the hot sun for forty-five minutes between bouts. People continued to bet as hawkers peddled their wares through the crowd.

  A round-by-round description was reported over the wires via Western Union as crowds gathered, amassed in saloons and hotel lobbies, and stood outside telegraph offices throughout the United States to hear the live reports, reports that would appear in the newspapers the next day.28 One young boy with his father in Amarillo, Texas, went to the train station to hear the fight returns and explained, years later, how frightened he was of the results should Gans win. His heart raced with every report. He said that everyone expected all hell to let loose and riots to occur in the streets should the black man win.

  Anticipation mounted as the fighters waited for the bout to begin. Heart-beats per minute are monitored by marathon runners and prize fighters as closely as blood pressure is monitored by physicians. A novice amateur may fight six minutes and feel afterward as if he just worked an eighteen-hour shift on the loading docks. The nerve-racked amateur’s heart would begin racing in the dressing room, and he would already be tired when the fight begins, just from the anticipation. As they awaited the call to the ring, Gans would be calming his mind prior to walking into the valley of the shadow of death, keeping his heart rate low.

  Siler called the fighters to the center. They touched gloves.

  Goldfield’s telephone and telegraph line arrived in January of 1904, ahead of the first train in September of 1905. After each of the 42 rounds of the “Epic Battle in the Desert,” telegraph messenger boys were sent with the ringside stenographer’s report to the Goldfield Telephone and Telegraph office about a mile away from the boxing stadium. Listeners waited anxiously for the results at telegraph, newspaper, or other offices that leased a line across the nation. Incoming bets kept stenographers busy in the telegraph office. In his book Gold in Them Hills, C.B. Glasscock reports that incoming tolls to Goldfield from Western Union during the year 1906 amounted to $240,000, which excluded those that came into banks and brokerage offices on private lines. Publicity from the world-famous fight started the Western frontier’s final gold rush.

  Gans Batters the Dane, Dominates Early Rounds

  The wire report told the story this way.

  Round 1—Gans led off with two light lefts for the face and they clinched. Nelson received a right on the body and Gans quickly shot a right and left to the face. He followed it with a right to the face and Nelson sent three left swings for the jaw.

  Gans in a mix shot his right twice to the face and out-boxed his man at every point of the game. Gans jarred Nelson with two rights to the jaw and followed with a left to the face.

  After breaking from a clinch Nelson walloped his right to the jaw and followed with a left to the same place. Gans then peppered Nelson’s face with trip-hammer rights and lefts to the face and jaw and kept this up until the gong rang. Gans went to his corner with a big lead. Blood flowed from Nelson’s ears as he went to his seat.

  NELSON THE AGGRESSOR.

  Round 2—Both were up quickly; Nelson was the aggressor, Gans uppercut twice with his right and then jarred Nelson with two terrific punches to the jaw. He followed it with a straight right to jaw. Nelson seemed impervious to punishment and came in all the time.

  Gans measured his distance and time and again shot his short-arm rights to the Battler’s face. They went to close quarters and Gans uppercut Nelson twice to the jaw. At close quarters he chopped Nelson on the jaw again with a stiff right.

  Nelson fought him to a clinch and landed a terrific right to face. In a mixup Gans rocked Nelson’s head with two wicked rights to the face and followed it with a short-arm jolt to the ear. As the gong rang Gans worked a hard left to jaw. Gans had a good lead and outboxed and outgeneraled his man throughout.

  A FURIOUS MIX.

  Round 3—Nelson tried to get close and Gans whipped his right to the ear. At close quarters Gans uppercut twice with his right to the chin, and as they fought at close range Gans swung right and left to the head.

  Nelson got in a high right over the eyes and Gans hooked a wicked right to the abdomen and Nelson shot a straight left to the face. Several of Nelson’s swings went wild. They went to a furious mix in the middle of the ring, in which Gans drew blood from Nelson’s nose with a straight left.

  Nelson got in a good right to the face as the bell rang. Nelson was being outpointed, but he never gave ground and seemed to thrive on Gans’ punishment. It was Gans’ round.

  BATTLER’S FAINT SMILE.

  Round 4—Nelson missed a left for the body. Nelson charged Gans, but his blows invariably fell into a clinch. Gans worked his right and left to the face. Nelson went after Gans’ body and bored in with his head, the black man backing steadily away, but at the same time peppering his man with right and left to the face.

  Nelson caught Gans a terrific swing to the jaw and then drove Gans against the ropes, landing both hands to head. Nelson was then bleeding from the nose. He kept after Gans, but this time Gans shot a straight right to the face, which he duplicated a moment later. Gans then put a right to the abdomen and the bell rang.

  Nelson brought the great crowd to its feet as he went to his corner with a faint smile on his face. Nelson had a shade the better of it.

  DANE’S WILD SWINGS.

  Round 5—Gans shot a left to the nose as Nelson rushed in and they went to close quarters. Nelson swung a right to the ear, forcing Gans about the ring. Nelson drove a right to the kidneys, but the black man rocked Nels
on’s head with a series of lefts and rights.

  Nelson swung back wildly and Gans smashed Nelson’s sore nose with a terrific right drive. Gans brought blood afresh from Nelson’s sore nose with stinging left punches. In a mix Gans uppercut with his right to the jaw.

  Not for a moment did Nelson break ground. He swung heavily to Gans’ face with his left, but was rebuked by a stiff right to face. The gong clanged and Nelson went to his seat spitting blood. Nelson was badly punished in this round. The betting was now 2 to 1 in favor of Gans.

  On the film spectators can be seen waving money around, placing bets. The fight odds were moving as fluidly as the prices on the New York stock exchange. In both corners, the fighters were fanned by huge towels by their seconds in an effort to stave off the heat.

  BLACK BOY IS RUSHED.

  Round 6—Nelson rushed Gans, but the Negro smashed him on the face three times with his right and easily avoided Nelson’s attempts to land. Nelson bored in, forcing Gans to the ropes.

  The crowd objected to Nelson’s boring tactics, especially with his head against Gans’ chest. After breaking from a clinch Gans planted his right to the jaw and followed it with several terrific right drives to the face, sending blood from Nelson’s mouth in a stream.

  Gans sent Nelson’s head back, hammering his man almost at will. Nelson fought back desperately, but could not locate his antagonist. Nelson was in bad shape when he took his chair. His face was cut into ribbons. Gans had a big lead and here looked a sure winner.

  WORKED LIKE IRON MAN.

  Round 7—As usual, Nelson forced Gans about the ring. Gans contenting himself with watching for an opening. Gans pecked away at the face with left and right blows.

  Nelson missed two right swings and Gans met him with a fusillade of right and left punches to the face that staggered the Dane. Gans received a slight punch on the body as they worked into a corner. Gans swung right twice to face and Nelson swung wildly.

  Nelson neatly ducked two right swings again and Gans kept up a merciless hammering on his face. The bell rang and Nelson went to his corner with blood streaming from mouth and nose. In spite of all the punishment Nelson did not break ground at any time.

  JOE LANDED AT WILL.

  Round 8—Gans had no trouble in avoiding Nelson’s onslaught and met Nelson with a right swing over the kidneys. He then swung right and left to Nelson’s face and found no trouble in getting away from Nelson’s swings.

  Gans played with the Dane, sending a raking right to jaw, and then on a shift worked a left to face. Nelson swung desperately for Gans’ face, but seldom found the black man. They closed in, mixing it roughly.

  Gans swung his right and left with fearful force and Nelson slipped to his knees. He got up in a jiffy and Gans went at him fiercely and landed almost at will. The gong was a great relief to Nelson, as he appeared groggy when he fell into his seat.

  SHOULDER TO SHOULDER.

  Round 9—They stood should to shoulder in the center of the ring. Gans walloped the Dane with right and left to the face. Nelson tried desperately to work in two hard swings to the body and for his pains received wallops of the short-arm variety to the jaw.

  At close quarters Nelson swung his left twice to Gans’ jaw and a moment later swung right to same place. They mixed it—furiously, Nelson getting four punches to the other man’s one.

  Nelson swung right and left hard to Gans’ jaw, but Gans more than evened matters by sending the Dane back with rapid-fire rights and lefts to the jaw. Gans bled slightly from the mouth after the bell rang.

  A SHADE OF CHAMPION.

  Round 10—Gans met Nelson with a straight left to face. “Stay with him; don’t let him get away!” was the injunction from the Battler’s corner. They went in close and Gans smothered Nelson with rights and a succession of lefts to the face.

  Nelson bored in with and whipped his right and left to the Negro’s jaw. Nelson then brought blood from Gans’ mouth in a stream with a succession of lefts and rights to that member.

  A terrific mix-up resulted at close quarters. Both men fought at fearful pace. Nelson having the better of heart breaking rally. The men bled from mouth and ears. Nelson had a shade on most of this round.

  At this point, had this been a modern-era fight of ten rounds, Gans would have been the decided victor by a wide margin, so badly was Nelson cut to ribbons. After ten rounds both men knew that there would be no easy victory. Nelson repeatedly head-butted Gans and hit below the belt. Siler later told the Associated Press that while he knew Nelson was head-butting whenever he saw an opportunity, he did not disqualify him because no other referee had disqualified him for the same actions and the people came to see a fight. Nelson would, two years later, tell the press that his life’s only ambition had been to defeat the great Old Master, Joe Gans. For both men, it was a matter of victory or death, there would be no surrender.

  LITTLE TO CHOOSE HERE.

  Round 11—They closed, with Gans fighting hard and with the request of Referee Siler that Nelson stop butting with his head. Nelson apparently realized that his only chance was to fight breast to breast, and, judging from preceding rounds, he was the better man at this game.

  Nelson started a stream of blood from Gans’ mouth by two wicked uppercuts. They broke from a clinch and Gans immediately whipped in two rights to Nelson’s jaw.

  Gans was cautioned to keep away, but Nelson kept at close quarters. Nelson finally swung a light left to the mouth as bell rang. If anything, Nelson had a slight lead in this round.

  BUTTED JOE ON JAW.

  Round 12—Nelson rushed on, and they fought shoulder to shoulder for an advantage. Gans, getting Nelson away from him, whipped a stiff right to face. Nelson forced Gans against the ropes and slipped to the floor. Gans held out his hand and assisted him to his feet, and they immediately renewed hostilities.

  Gans rested himself and seemed content to permit Nelson to do the leading. They fought breast to breast like two bulls, and Nelson butted Gans on the jaw with his head. They bent very low, head to head, in a monotonous fashion, each seeking to fight according to the style best adapted to his peculiar style.

  The bell rang. Gans had a slight lead of a tame round. Siler said he thought Gans was resting up.

  MUCH WRESTLING HERE.

  Round 13—Nelson rushed in, sending Gans back with two left and two right swings to the face. At close quarters Nelson uppercut with his left and right to the mouth, and a moment later swung his left to the mouth, bringing blood again from Gans.

  Both men resorted to wrestling tactics, Gans being chief offender. They exchanged right swings to face in the middle of the ring and went to a clinch. They again fought breast to breast, and at these close quarters, Gans worked his right and left several times to the jaw.

  They went to close quarters again, and Nelson worked in two left uppercuts to the jaw that made the champion wince. The latter, however, had a shade the better of the round.

  A KICKING MATCH.

  Round 14—Both men fought at close quarters, but very few blows were landed. In a shoulder-to-shoulder contest, Nelson sent Gans against the ropes with a right to the head. Nelson smashed Gans’ body with a right. At the close of the round Nelson kicked at Gans, and the latter promptly retaliated in kind. The belligerents had to be separated by their handlers.

  CROWD CHEERS BALTIMOREAN.

  Round 15—This opened with a clinch, and Nelson butted and elbowed Gans constantly. He was warned to desist by Siler, and the seconds yelled foul in unison. No attention was paid to the claim, and the men roughed it at close quarters, Nelson forcing Gans to the ropes.

  The men fought at such close quarters, or, rather, wrestled, that little execution could be accomplished. Nelson, in a break-away, was sent to floor with right straight to face.

  Nelson looked a bit shaky, and he got to his feet and immediately went to close quarters to protect himself from further long-distance swats. The crowd cheered Gans lustily as he went to his corner.

  Gan
s and Nelson had already fought as long as Ali and Frazier in their first match at Madison Square Garden, which left both of the heavyweights in a debilitated state. At this point Gans was the winner by a huge margin. The entire Ali-Frazier trilogy consisted of a total of 41 rounds, one less than was fought on this day at Goldfield.

  DANE KEPT ON ROUGHING.

  Round 16—Nelson missed left and right swings, Gans dancing away. Gans tried to keep Nelson at a distance, but Nelson followed about the ring, trying to land some vicious right swings.

  Gans whipped his right to jaw and Nelson wrestled Gans about ring, Gans holding on. Nelson scored with stiff right to the face and once more they leaned one against the other. Gans wrestled Nelson clear through the ropes and in falling Nelson pulled the negro after him.