SQUIRES-SULLIVAN FIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 54, 27 November 1907, Page 9

SQUIRES-SULLIVAN FIGHT.

THE AUSTRALIAN'S CAMENESS

PRAISED. .'

"I WAS FAIRLY OUTFOUGHT."-

The fight between Sullivan and Squires, which took.place- on September 28, is described in tho American files to hand by. tho Vancouver, mail. Tho San Francisco "Kxarainer" of September-29 says:—"Bill .Squires has boon, weighed in .the pugilistic balance .and, found wanting. . Following-on his defeat in less than two minutes., lighting by Tommy Uurns, .lie w ( as knocked but in the nineteenth . round .in tliajsamo ring by.. Twju- Sjtllivali' yesterday.. ,Th6ro is nothing left for Squires butto rotnrn to[his homo in Australia, and this he fully-recognises. ■. "Iliavo lost my'dash," he said at the conclusion of yesterday's bout. '.'I cannot punch like 1 used.to,.and I know it.' I,did.my best, and I was'fairly outfought." But .though going home a defeated man, Squires'will carry away with him a reputation . for extreme gumeness. lie bore tho seyorest kind of punishment' from Sullivan with sporting fortitude. In all, ho was knocked, down three times in the deciding round, the punch in each case bping a left hook on tho jaw.' Ho had arisen;after being floored the!third time, bu; ho was. so-palpably beaten that his .seconds intervened, and acknowledged defeat on his behalf. It was the kind of fight to delight, a ringsido gathering. As a matter of fact, it was described as tho best heavyweight contest seen in the. West since tho affair between Fitzsimmons and- Corbe.tt at Carson. Both men were punched scvorely. Ho seemed to havo Sullivan bothered in a few of the early rounds yesterday,, and in the clinchcs.it was noticeable that Squiros's enormous strength permitted him to bend his lighter opponent as a reed to the wind. Sullivan's face was scraped from Squires's-blows; and it really looked as though Bill would wear his man down inside 10 rounds. In-tho sixth round particularly, Squires, who seemed to- have settled down to his stride, fought cleverly and effectively. He' had blood streaming from Sullivan's-uose, and was driving in heart punches with his right in fierce nianner. Sullivan, who has a trick of swaying when he is cuffed, and allowing his head to, roll, came out of tight places with a slight smile on his lips, and from tho sixth round the aspect.of tho fight changed again and again, each man taking tho load in turn. ,, . The San Francisco "Call" says:—"Sullivan was a bitter disappointment to the crowd. Touted as a clevor man, up to all the tricks of tho game,.the 'Boston Twin' was a miserable failure as an artistic glove-swinger. It is lucky for Sullivan that he. was not pitted against a man with a punch. He stopped enorgh punches in the earliest 'part of the. fight to have put him;out many times,"but, fortunately for him and unfortunately ' for Squires, these punches had no steam behind them. Tho finish of the fight could be discerned by the wise ones many rounds before it came. When the men stepped into tho centre of the ring for the nineteenth round Sullivan feinted his weary opponent into .leaving an opening, and planted a straight left flush on tho jaw. Down went Bill in a heap. His hond was-clear, and he realised that ho still had a chance. While the timekeeper reeled off eight seconds Squires stayed down, then he ciimo up again slowly, only to fall again under a storm of rights and lefts. This tiino Bill seemed all in, but still his head was clear, and tho gameness wliich had marked his work throughout the bloody battle did not forsako him at the eleventh hour. Steadying himself while nine was called, Bill arose once inore to face tho music. With 'alacrity Sullivan again attacked his fagged enemy, and at. tho jopes down wont Bill again, and this timo tlici timekeeper was saved tho trouble of counting him out, for the towel was thrown into the centre of the ring by the Australian's seconds, and the fight was over. The large crowd thought that it had received a.run for its money, and cheer after cheer wont up as Sullivan stood in tbo centre of the ring, surrounded bv his seconds."

Sun Francisco always admires a game man, and when Squires left the ring, a sorry sight, bleeding, bruisoil, and beaten almost to a pulp, the crowd cheered him. The way ho had-stood up and taken punch after punch had won respect. Sullivan says:—"l wont into the ring weighing 1571b., probably 201b. or 301b. leas than-my opponent, which was a big handicap to give any man. Squires must be given credit for being a good, strong, brave ami willing fighter. At no time in" the contest v/ns I in any danger, for his blows did not affoot me. I was cautious during the early part of the fight, for I wanted to size my man up."