THE AUSTRALIAN RING.

NZ Truth, Issue 555, 5 February 1916, Page 11

THE AUSTRALIAN RING.

REMINISCENCES AND RECORDS. (By "Boxer Major.") i Cppyright : All Rights Reserved by the Author. ■ BOOK II.— CHAPTER LXIX. I

All patrons of Larry Foley's White Horse Hall will remember a splendid-ly-built, very clever and gentlemanly-middle-weight named Billy Smith, who was contemporary with poor Billy McCarthy — now a cripple through an accident, and an occupant of the Old Men's Refuge at Lidcombe — Tom Meadows, Jim Burge, Jim Fogarty, et hoc. Smith fought McCarthy several times, and, like that old war-horse, got dissatisfied with the poor reward for skill and pains, and lit out for the Land of Promise, California. Billy was a good-looking, grave and respectful-mannered young fellow; straight as a gun-barrel, clean limbed, and always fit. Unlilce many others he did not hang around. Foley's hotel between contests, but would vanish to the country and then suddenly reappear and have a fight. Hence he was not so well-known to habitues as the regular town-dwellers were. Those who did know Smith, however, liked him well; for he really was a very likeable- young chap. I well remember the first time I saw him m the ring, and what a great impression his appearance made on me. Neither before nor since have I seen a boxer with such a calm, cool, pleasant bearing. He shaped m the true Mace fashion, erect and graceful, and, instead of glaring ferociously at his man he regarded him with a look of almost regret at having to engage him m battle. Yet .he was a splendid performer, a great boxer, and a dangerous fighter. In or out of the ring he was nature's gentleman. He had quite a successful career m California, and was still connected with the game when I was over there towards the end of 1899. Tim Hegarty came over while I was there, and Billy Smith was engaged to train him and spar with him; and thus I renewed acquaintance with him through my visits to Hegarty's training quarters out towards the Ocean Beach. Parenthetically; that was the first time 1 ever saw women attend a boxers' gymnasium to see the men at their exercises. Billy had thickened and coarsened a lot m the nine or. ten years that had elapsed since we. had met; but, except for more freedom m speech and a touch. of sarcastic humor, ho was still the same old Billy, and lord, didn't he love, to talk old Sydney with me! Hegarty was about the worst conversationalist possible. He simply could j not understand that Smith, the exile, j. was greedy for news, and wanted to hear of this, that, and t'other one he had been pally with m the dear old homeland. Hence I am afraid that Billy often kept him waiting while he yarned with me over old times. Speaking of Hegarty reminds me that Smith was not the only Sydney man who handled him m California. He met at least one other, m the person of one Ross, a man very well known as a. competitor m Carrington 300 yds, quarter and half-mile events; and Ross urged upon Tim the advisability of having him as his manager. The feather and light-weight crack had deliberately broken hia agreement with Tom James, the chief steward of the vessel he went over m, and a very good friend to many an Australian boxer; just as soon as ever he got foot on American soil. A shrewd little crook, Hegarty knew that a contract made In Australia was not binding m America, and he just tore up the "scrap of paper" and told Mr. James to whistle for the money he had advanced for passages, etc., for himself and his lovely little wife. Well, Hegarty thought it a great scheme to get hold of a fellow-coun-tryman who was well versed m American ways, and engaged Ross right away The ex-ped was working at the great Union Ironworks m San

Francisco, having done the Pacific Slope from Sydney several years before the time of which I write; but he chucked his job to manage Tim. The boxer had been matched, immediately after his arrival, with Tim Callahan, then considerable of a lightweight star from the East, but he sustained an injury, and Joe Bernstein was substituted for Hegarty, and, more by token, robbed of the decision. That injury was achieved by, I have always thought, the deliberate action of a lightweight named Billy De Courcey; a hard little nut who was pretty prominent on the Pacific Coast m those days. This De Courcey went out to Hegarty's quarters, a "road-house" kept by an ex-Sydney man whose name I forget, and offered his services for a spar. He was notoriously hard, and when Tim undertook to show him how Australians could fight, Billy turned the back of his head to Tim's right hand swipe and Hegarty broke his wrist. That put the set on Tim's fight with the other Tim; and bad luck it was, too, for sports had come all the ■ way from New York, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, Buffalo and even New Orleans, to see this famous Australian fight his first battle on American soil. Needless to say, I had" got boom pars into nearly every paper m California, to help my countryman, and boom pars do travel m Yankeeland; believe me. But to get back to Ross. The exCarrington runner proved an excellent manager. ,He sure did boost Tim's fight with Aurelio Herrerra, at Bakerfield, the new oil- field town. There was a big gate, and Hegarty fought like seven devils. When he went to collect his share of the box-office receipts, something like £250, Mr. Ross not being on hand, he found that the money had been paid over to his manager, who had given a receipt for it; and that his fellow* countryman had lit out for parts unknown. Ross had made the rise he had been telling me for months he wanted to make, so as to get East, but he made it at Hegarty's expense, and Tim did not get one red cent. What with De Courcey and Ross, Tim Hegarty was up against it on that trip. No wonder he got back to Australia as soon as 'he could raise the beaihs. Anyhow, he deserved nothing better, for the way he cheated that real white man, Tom James, who had befriended him. But I began to write about Billy Smith, and I know the old hands will enjoy this chapter. • The following is the account of Smith's battle at the California Club, San Francisco, m 1801, with Tom McCarthy, of Boston, at that time accounted one of the best middleweights m the States. It was originally lifted from the S.F. "Chronicle": — "Smith, who is of the tenacious, dogged and aggressive style of fighter, advanced with determined front on his man, and McCarthy . danced out of range, showing great and somewhat unnecessary agility, as well as superior quickness with both hands and feet. Smith lost no time m feinting, but, after a few strides around his nimble antagonist, plunged m and planted his left with a swing on the Bostonian's neck that sent him back a couple of feet and made the men who had bet 2 to 1 on his chance give a gasp of surI prise. The Bostonian had scarcely shaken himself together when the aggressive Sydneyito was upon him with j another rush, and bang came Smith's right on his ribs and a rattling left on [ his muzzle that made him blink like a Christmas doll. The double viHltatlon rattled the boxer from Beanlown most unmistakably, for he missed v right cross-counter at Smith's jaw and iiwune a harmless uppercut that cut a wide circle m tho air and threw him off his balance. This was not a good

beginning, and the round ended with other rushes by Smith, who was fighting- m a most determined and aggressive fashion. At each rush, the Australian either hooked his left on the Bostonian's jaw or drove his formidable right into his ribs. McCarthy scored some fairly effective counters, but the first one for Smith, whose lefthand hooks and swings at the head were a revelation to ring-goers, while his rushes were as wicked as a Texas steer's, and about as pleasant to stop. The Bostonian's backers thought with anguish of their 2 to 1 bets as the round closed and Smith walked to his corner very confident, while McCarthy took his chair with anything- but a jubilant look on his countenance. "The second was a longer range round than the first, McCarthy waiting for a chance to counter, and Smith striding around him about G feot away between rushes. i^Carthy scored some good counters, but an ugly left on the nose brought the claret m profusion, and lie went to his corner bleeding freely. "The Australian made up m the third round for the comparative tameness of the second, for he came like a cyclone at the. Hub representative right away, and once more swung the left with destructive force towards McCarthy's molars. The Bostonian was on the alert, however, and turned the assault with a counter left that caught the belligerent Australian on the ear, and all but tloored him. In the expressive vernacular of Billy Jordan, it was a 'cuckoo,' and the Bostonian's backers gave vent to their pent-up feelings, m- a yell of joy, but it was I short-lived. The Australian's knees j had scarcely ceased to quiver when he rushed again at the Bostonian slogger, and using both hands on his ribs, regardless of return smashes on the muzzle, drove him into his own corner, and. after a terrific rally, floored him there with a swinging right on the shoulder. The Bostonian was up at pneo, and fighting cleverly to stem the tide of battle; but he and his backers were anything but sorry when the gong ended the disastrous round. "A good fight is never lost, however, until it is over, and m a clever battle there are often many turns. The third round looked like a Waterloo for the favorite, but tho fourth brought gladness to the hearts of McCarthy's backers. The Bostonian began by stopping one of Smith's rushes with a staggering cross-counter on the jaw. This only made the Australian more belligerent, and ho actually chased McCarthy twice round the ring like a mad bull on the trail of a fugitive picnicker. This did not hurt the Bostonian, though, and when he turned on his pursuer he scored some effective counters and several lippercuts that made the Sydney man's beefsteak grinders rattle like a dice-box. Altogether, it was McCarthy's round, and even money for 100 dollars was offered near the 'Chronicle' reporter's corner. "The moment timo was called for tho fifth round Smith rushed and got an ugly left on tho nose that staggered him. Ho rushed again, and planted his right m McCarthy's ribs. He rushed once more, and a hot rally took place till McCarthy landed heavily with tho right on the jaw and nearly dropped him. The pace had been very fast for the Bostonian, and, instead of following up his advantage, he was glad to draw off for repairs, and m this made a sad mistake, for the next instant Smith was on him again with another rush, and both fought In hammer and tongs stylo until the round ended. It looked anybody's fight, except that Smith had unmlstakubly the superior stomach for punishment. The hard knocks only made him more formidable, while they instilled a pensiveness into the Bostonian's countenance that had a corresponding effect on his backers. A terrific left counter m the stomach stopped the Australian's opening rush m the sixth round; but again McCarthy failed to follow up the advantage, and as before, the Sydneylte came back at him like a bulldog:, but tho round was pretty even. McCurthy fighting very cleverly and scoring a number of good counters. "The seventh was another even round, the Australian forcing the fight regardless of return blown until he got a ohance to plant his favorite right In tho stomach, which he did several tlmeß with insttint effect on the Ltoatonlan. who Mhowed a marked aversion to that kind of visitation. "Evidently Smith had found this the winning trick, for the moment the eighth round began he abandoned the long range and clever style of righting: of the last throe rounds and rushed his man as m the opening round, regardless of consequences. A sensational rally followed, Smith fighting ills man across. the Hn»f to the ropes, where, after gettinK a couple of disastrous rights on the Bostonlun's stomach, he dropped him with a left on the jaw. McCurthy got up so slowly uelore the ton seconds expired thut it looked all over with him, and practically it was. He tried to light back, but his efforts were comparatively feeble, and after being crowded across the ring and into his own corner, he wuh floored then with a left on the mouth, once more tho UoHtunian fcot to his feot and ugain a right sent him down. He mude a lust effort, and arose, but a light blow toppled him ucross the ropes and ho uunk down to thfl floor and wag counted out. The blown In his Ktomuch had whipped | him, I "Smith, like a game man, made no wild efforts to punish ht« bout en adversary InHhe final Ktugo of the buttle, and, after flooring him, each time walked quietly away and nave him plenty of time to Ret to his feel. It wus ft game and clover buttle and the best man won. Neither nhowed any marks of punlnhment. "The puifle wus 1000 dollar* and the attendance the largest seen at the California Club for many months." (To be continued.)