CHAPTER XXI.

NZ Truth, Issue 276, 8 October 1910, Page 8

CHAPTER XXI.

| Bow I Fought the Akroa Giant. | Gus' Ruhlm's mamagier,. Billy Matti i en, was at the ringside on • the, I night I boxed Baker. He had just ar- ; rived on the" Coast with Ruhlin and I Steve O'Bonnell. Before the con-, jtest Mad-dean jumped into the ring and i challenged the winner for Ruihlin. He i wanted to make the challenge sound (good, and on the spur of tJhe I moment -he called Gus "tine Akron [Giant." The name mode a hit with fohe crowd, and it stuck to Rufclin ■ from tfaat time on. ■ According to the articles, Ruhlin .was to get 2000 dollars if he beat me and 1 500 dollars if he lost. I workißd'.on perceratage—4o. per cea*t oi the j gross receipts win or 20 ' per cent, jilose. Delaney and I figured that I becoming popular m .San. FranFrisco, and that there'd be a big house.. What we didn't figure on was ithe fact that RuMin was unknown, and thus few people thought he'd be fable to give me a hard fight. The house was a little shy of what we expected. When we got Into the ring I was Jin fine shape but for my hands, wihich I had been battered badly m training, and- were so puffed up that I couldn't | get the gloves on. Delaraey told Maxl* ' | den that the gloves . were too small I for .me. . . ! "Jeff's got an lawful/big pair ol I Bands," he said, without telling, wtoy iitheyi were "big;" I- T^rere was some delay while we 'Waited to see if we' could get Jaeger gloves, but finally. I toad the gloves 'cut so.that I could pall them on. . :' Rigtrt at -.the. start/ißu'Min surprised Ime a little by rushing m with." a couple of. swings. I made him miss and jabbed -him with my left. Isn. the second round I punched him hard, and had no trouble at all m landing. Delaney thought I had Gus. going. As I started up for the third Billy said: go. finish him, Jim." ! I started out to make slhort work j of the Akron Giant, but here I got a new sensation. As Ruhlin and I came together I looked pasi Mm and saw Billy Madden leaning across the edge of the ring and looking to un~ der the ropes. I was just about to reach out with my left when, Madden suddenly yelled "Akron!" Brag! Ruhlin was m on top of me .like a ton of rock. Before I knew what was coming he was battering away with both hands and hammering me off my balance and against the ropes. He hit me some great punches, I'll say that for G-us. He was 1 inside my left, and m that moment I made, up my mind I hadn't learned all there was to learn about -boxing by i a long shot. I suddenly realised ' how green and inexperienced I was. j,' I was pretty well punched up for a moment just then, but while I was getting clear I studied out my Kne of work, and from that time on 1 was ready for everything tbat came my way. Gus- tried to get close aigain and I met him with a good left hook that stood him up straight. As soon as the lourth began'l-rush-ed to close quarters myself and swung both hands on. Ruhlin's chin. Gus was rattled for a moment, and over m his corner BiHy Madden was yelling "Cleveland !" so loudly that I could liear it above all the noise from the crowd. Gus backed away, and as I followed him jabbed me Eard on the nose. I pushed m against the jab and swung my left for his jaw as if I was swinging a .club. It caught Gue across the face, arid he went down as if he had .been shot. He took a nine second count. The crowd was yelling so hard •wtien Ruhlin got up tbat he. couldn't •:i»ear Ms signals. He jabbed and kept I?-away until the bell rang. ■It was all rough fighting from that on. Along m the middle of tlie i fight I nearly got the Akron Giant ; again. I landed two or three hard j over his heart, and swung the hand on his jaw, sending him staggering. But he was landing on ;,-nre with both hands? too. From that U.time until the eighteenth ihe outboxhed me without getting into any dan:,gerous mix-ups. When I came out j-for that round I hit up the pace and &ept planting my right over Ruhlin's: rfceart until he weakened and. lost his ; speed. In the .twentieth I tried my |>vbest to finish him. And m the last I, minute of the round I landed on his I head with my left so hard that the I blow knocked him flat and gave him la very.bad ear. It nearly (broke my Isjwrist, too, and tlie next? day my I forearm was badly swollen- from the Jreffect of tbat onefolow. Ruhlin' was. #nearly out when the last toell rang,; ijbnt tffie referee considered Iris good 1 mfirork all through the jbont amd call ad M-it a "draw" m spite of the two MknocHdowns. It was a rough hard || fight, and we were both well pqundmed tip at the end of It. . {