BANDAGES ON FIGHTERS’ HANDS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, 24 July 1913, Page 28

BANDAGES ON FIGHTERS’ HANDS.

BARRED IN NEW YORK.

SOME MEMORABLE CONTESTS IN WHICH BANDAGES HAVE BEEN USED. American papers just to hand convey the news that the New York Boxing Commission has issued a mandate to the effect that the use of adhesive tape in connection with soft bandages for the hands should be forever barred under their jurisdiction. The action of the commission was brought about by the abuse, rather than the use of, tape. Ln passing it may be observed that youthful preliminary boxers are responsible for most of the troubles and problems that arise in connection with the game. Whenever a death occurs in the ring, a happening fortunately rare, it always turns out that some half-trained or physically unfit lad is the victim; never a star actor of the modern arena. The barring of the kidney blow in New York and England arose solely from the inability of novices to use it properly, with the result that many contests degenerated into wrestling matches, with the principals wriggling around in diverse strange attitudes while they pounded each other’s backs with the free hand. And now the misuse of tape by the brainless youngsters has resulted in a ruling that will work considerable damage *o high-class pugilists, unless the commission sees fit to moderate the decree a trifle. ALL USE BANDAGES. All of the leading boxers are accustomed to utilise tape for the protection of their hands, and if they are prevented from so doing it will be found in a majority of cases that they will prefer to remain on the defensive when in action, rather than run the risk of putting their knuckles to the bad. In both of those combats McCarty’s hands were protected by the regulation allowance of tape and bandages. Just what kind of a crippled condition they would have been in had they been compelled to do their work without the customary armour may he imagined. , As for Battling Nelson, the durable Dane’s hands break up every once In a while, whereupon Bat hies him to a bone-setter, has the injured members rounded into some semblance of form again, and keeps on milling merrily. But Nelson would not relish the idea of being compelled to dispense with the only aid that tends to hold these much battered bones in place. MAJORITY USE DISCRETION. None of the present-day champions can be accused of using tape unfairly, but as much cannot be said for some of the bygone heroes of the ring. Kid McCoy was perhaps the first of the battlers to employ tricky and doubtful methods in this connection. At an early stage of his career the Kid conceived the brilliant idea of bandaging his hands in the dressing-room before entering the ring. Over the soft bandages he poured a solution of Paris plaster and covered them with the tape. The plaster hardened, with the natural result that Mr. McCoy’s fists were each equipped with a species of cestus. When the gloves were “ broken ” in the middle and donned by the fighter there was nothing but a leather skin covering the two lumps of rigid plaster across the knuckles. Being hit by these formidable weapons was equivalent to a rap from a lead pipe. McCoy’s hands were fixed up in this elegant fashion when he slaughtered poor Peter Maher at Coney Island in five rounds, and the hapless Celt said after the bout, that the very first wallop which reached his jaw stunned him as though he had been jarred with a club. McCoy tried the same trick with Choynski a couple of weeks later, but foxy Joe was

wise to the deal and compelled the Kid to remove the “cestus” before hostilities commenced.

JEFFRIES’ SORRY PLIGHT.

Spectators of the second battle between Fitzsimmons and Jim Jeffries, which took place in ’Frisco in 1902, were surprised at the awful manner in which Jeff’s countenance was cut up during that eventful contest. Jeffries won in the eighth round by a knockout, but never in the history of glovedom did a victorious champion leave for his dressing-room in such a parlous condition. His under-lip was cut through to the teeth, each cheek gaped open to the bone; and the left eyebrow hung down like the wing of a sick crow. Four minutes after Jim was declared winner he was so blind that the late Billy Delaney had to lead him out of the ring. Afterwards it came to light that Fitz had utilised the

McCoy plastei* scheme to such advantage that every punch he landed was warranted to tear neat little sections of flesh from his human tarALWAYS BOTHERED FITZSIMMONS. Fitzsimmons’ hands were always a fruitful source of trouble to their owner. During his early days in the ring, when milling round Australia, the lanky Cornishman knew not the use of tape and bandages, and his freckled fists suffered accordingly. After he went to America Fitz adopted the Yankee fashion of protecting his hands, but they went back on him several times just the same. Previous to the battle at Carson City with Jim Corbett, Fitz broke a knuckle in his right hand on the head of Ernest Rober, the wrestler, who formed part of his training staff. This was not made public until the battle was over, but it was noticeable in the early stages of the fray that Fitz kept the right pretty well in reserve.

Nearly seven years later when Fitzsimmons was opposed to George Gardner in San Francisco he swung a right to the head that upset his antagonist. It was a thundering wallop which would have spelt curtains for Gardner had it landed an inch or so lower. This occurred at an early stage of the bout and the force of the punch faily shattred Fitz’s hand. Nobody suspected the existence of the injury, however, and the blow taught Gardner such respect for the “old un’s” punching powers that he kept at long range for the rest of the journty. Fitzsimmons continued to force matters, bluffing leads with his right, but scoring points with his left hand; and finally won a decision after 20 rounds of milling.

Charley Mitchell, the veteran English heavyweight champion, was wont to declare that he never knew what it was to hurt his hands while fighting with the “bare uns” under the

London prize ring rules, but was compelled to exercise the utmost caution in order to preserve them when wielding the gloves. At first sight this statement seems a trifle incomprehensible, for it would appear as though the “mufflers” ought to act as a defence rather than a crippling agent. But there were two contributory causes which favoured the men of the old-time ring—one being the different style of attack they employed—the other the hardening process to which their hands were subjected to for months before an engagement.