TAKING THE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 21992, 30 March 1935, Page 20

TAKING THE COURT

KNOCK-SUTS, CURIOUS AND FURIOUS “Doherty, you danged die-hard!” cried Abe Hicken in amazement as Bill Doherty camo through the ropes after lie had delivered one of the most sensational knock-out punches ever seen in Hicken’s hall. “ You’ve broken the heart—and the jaw, too, I think—of tho best middle-weight in Melbourne; you’ve given a law-abiding referee the shock of his life; and you nearly gave me heart failure in tho first round. I thought the crowd was going to pull the place down. But here’s a fiver, and you can come and do it all over again whenever you feel like it-!”

These words made music in the ears of tweuty-two-year-old Bill Doherty, just gaining Jiis title of tho “ Fighting Quarrymftn ” (writes Frank Cornish in the ‘ Melbourne Argus’). That night in 1890, out of work owing to the great maritime strike,’he had gone to Hicken’s hall, at the corner of Russell and Little Collins streets, hoping to earn a few shillings in a bout with some youth liko himself. So small was the audience that the chief boxers had refused to fight. In desperation Abe Hicken matched Doherty against Fred Preston, both of whom he invited from the audience. Preston was a “really classy middle-weight who had beaten some good men,” and Doherty was just a youngster entering the game. Hero is Doherty’s version of the fight;—

“ So far above me in merit was Preston that within a second of tho opening words ‘Box on!’ he had scut mo to tho floor. Before the count of ten I rose, but only to run into a straight left and tumble to the boards again. Once more X struggled to my feet before the count was over, but once more, before I could land a blow, he whipped his right in past my guard and floored me. That was the third time—yet. it is a solemn, sorrowful fact that three times more I bit the cHust before the round ended. Six times down in tho first round was my record, without lauding a blow on my antagonist and without being counted out! ... “ When we advanced to meet each other at the beginning of the second round there was a moment of stillness and quiet. ... A second later there came a hoarse roar of astonishment that shook the building, for I had carefully ‘ measured ’ Fred Preston as well as I was able to—l could hardly see out of my puffed, discoloured eyes—measured him and led with my left, and then in perfect time hit him on the chin with my right. Down he went and out, to lie there like a log long past the count of ten!” Nearly six years later, when Doherty was middle-weight champion of Australia, he created a world’s record in Johannesburg for a quick knockout. Matched against George Cooper, of England, Doherty entered the ring “ sick, sore, sorry, and discouraged.” He had overtrained and had a heavy cold in the head as well. He was further worried because, as favourite, large amounts of money had been laid on him, and he doubted his staying power should the fight go many rounds. But he was lucky. When Joe Goddard, who was referee, said “ Box on!” Cooper at once hit out with his left. Doherty evaded tins easily and reached Cooper’s jaw with his right. This blow had “ every advantage which it is possible to stack up in favour of a punch.” Cooper, slightly off balance, was leaning toward Doherty, whose right, already drawn back, came from down near his hip. When it landed Doherty had only the ball of his left foot on the floor. His whole weight was concentrated in his right fist. Five seconds it was from the referee’s words to tho thud of that punch. Ten more it took to count Cooper out. But even as he had fallen the crowd cried “ A record! A record!” It was—a world’s record. A knockout in 15see! Perhaps the greatest Australian exponent of the knock-out was hard-hit-ting Billy Farnan, the South Melbourne Blacksmith.” Farnau’s fights were rarely decided on points. “ Farnan hits too thundering hard!” smiled Peter Jackson when asked if he had any complaints after his defeat by Farnan in the Victoria Hall, Bourke street. Here is the impression Elijah Jackson, another famous boxer of those days, received of this victory of Farnan’s :• — “ Jackson hit Farnan very hard several times at tho commencement of tho last round, but did not make any impression on him. Then Farnan landed a right on Jackson’s ribs, and tho sound of it was like the sound of a brass band. Jackson dropped his hands and seemed to lean on the ropes. Farnan hit him twice more; then the gong went, and Jackson looked toward his corner. He made as if to walk to it, but fell. When he was lying in his corner his second said: ‘ Will you go another round, Peter?’ ‘I will,’ he replied, ‘ if I can stand up.’ He tried, but he could not stand up, so the fight was over.” When Farnan fought Charley Richson, in Newton and Nathan’s Athletic Hall, Melbourne, he knocked Richardson off his feet with his famous rib punch near tho heart. * Striking his head on tho unpadded floor of those days, Richardson went out and remained out for some hours. Yet probably the most curious knock-out administered by Farnan was to the celebrated knuekie-fightcr known as “ Dubhn.” Early in round two Farnan knocked “ Dubho ” down. " Dubho ” rose dazedly, - turned bin back on Farnan, lifted his foot on to tho lower rope, bent over it ns though he would lace Ills hoot, and thou sank unconscious to tho floor. For more than two hours he slept blissfully in his dressing room, to wake little the worse for tho experience. Bare, hard boards put another good fighter to sleep in Curran’s Hall, over tho Commotion Hotel, in Gertrude

street, Fitzroy. On a certain Monday night in the early ’eighties Tut Ryan hit Bill Wyatt on the point of the jaw. Striking his head on the iloor, Wyatt went out and stayed out. Billy Curran sent for a doctor, who ordered Wyatt to the Melbourne Hospital. There he lay unconscious until 10 o’clock the following Saturday morning. When a friend remarked to Ryan that evening, “I see Bill Wyatt came to all right, Tut,” Ryan replied: “ Yes,” I was getting anxious about him. In fact, I couldn’t sleep—and ho couldn’t wake!”