A"TERRIBLE TURK."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7924, 1 February 1904, Page 3

A"TERRIBLE TURK."

[FrOM Otm Cobbespondbnt."} LONDON, December 19. In a sense the much-boomed wrestling match between the much-travelled Tom Cannon and Ahmed Madrali, the huge Turk, who has been specially brought over to England by Antonio Pierri mainly with a view to "taking <lov,n the number" of George Hackenschmidt, who recently defeated the "Terrible Greek" in decisive fashion, was a grievous disappointment. Cannon is one of the finest living exponents of the GrjBCO-Rpman style of wrestling, but he is not so young as he was, and the artifices ho has learned during his long career availed nothing against the elephantine strength of Madrali, who stands inches over six feet* and is built on extremely substantial .lines all over. ' Compared with Madrali. the Englishman was an undersized athlete/ and the sporting crowd that filled the Pavilion Theatre of Varieties last Wednesday to witness! the pair wrestle for £50 a. side, felt sorry for Cannon before the work began. The Briton having won the .toss, chose tg wrestle first in his own particular style, Graaco-Roman io wit, . at which Ahmed does not profess to be a flier. Ho certainly is cot clever at this style of wrestling, which allows of no hold below the waist, but-his strength is so great that, given a grip of any sort, he can fetch any ordinary man down. Cannon never had a " look in," andi during the llmin 19sec he held out against the Turk, he was all but the seconds on the carpet. Hb cleverness iv .defence was remarkable, but Madrali's bone^breaking grips soon leduced him to a state ci feebleness, and the Turk, exerting all his power, turned him over and pinned ■him firimy down. Then, after a decent interval, .i?j» pair faced ope another for a fall in th^ - J «7h-a*-catch-can style, at which Madras., -uinna io be a world-whipper. Th c bout was exceeding brief. Madrali went for Cannon, and slung him down on the carpet. The Briton wriggled a few times, and then getting his man's arm "locked/ Madrali rolled him over and pinned hini ■down in just about 90sec. Cannon having donned ai dressing-gown, then made a speech, in which he declared 1 Ahmed the best man he has ever met. And after the curtain had descended, he still discoursed of Ahmed's merits. " I never once* got at his back," he. said. " The moment he touched me I knew it was all up. Never have I felt such strength, and I have wrestled in every quarter of thagld.be. Only a few weeks back I met Hackenschmidt. He threw me after ninety minutes. Ahmed takes eleven. He is the finest wrestler that I 'know anything about." Thus Cannon, with enthusiasm, of his conqueror. And if anybody can speak with authority, it should! be Cannon, who has been wrestling for some thirty years. One could have wished a few of those years away, for ho was giving lumps of weight as well as time. But Cannon did not attempt to explain hi? defeat on the ground of ape, or on any other ground, save that Ahmed is the bost wrestler in the world l . He is certainly the strongest we rave ever seen in England, and t?-'day Cannon 5a a mai?s of bnrises from wrist to shoulder as the result of Ahmed's vyce-like grips. Hackensohmidt, powerful a* he undoubtedly is, will find the Turk much, more- than his match in brute strength should 1 the pair ever come together.