FAMOUS MIDDLEWEIGHT BOXER.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1310, 3 June 1915, Page 32

FAMOUS MIDDLEWEIGHT BOXER.

MIKE GIBBONS’ REMARKABLE CAREER. A FISTIC IDOL. Well-informed Jack Skelly, New York’s ex-boxer scribe, penned the following interesting article recently. The man written about has no peer in point of skill among middleweights the world over: — In this great age of boxing galore, there is no real fistic idol for the millions of fight fans throughout the world to pay homage to; no grand battler who stands out supremely above the heads of the immense host of ringsters now before the public to be idolised, honoured and worshipped like many fighting heores of the past. I mean such men as John L. Sullivan, Jack Dempsey, Jack McAuliffe, George (Kid) Lavigne, George Dixon, Joe Gans., Terry McGovern, Peter Jackson, Bob Fitzsimmons, Tommy Ryan, Stanley Ketchel, and many other great champions who fought hard, game, gruelling mills to a finish in their great ring careers. With all the army of glove warriors in the ring at present, there is not one who really looms up as a popular fistic idol; none who has shown by his steel and cleverness that he should be the popular king of Fistiana to-day. Jack Johnson, even though he is a negro, might have filled the bill if he had led a clean, decent life after he became champion. For five years he retained his title by his masterly cleverness and great punching prowess, but even among his own race he. is not very popular on account of his bad behaviour. They claimed he had a great opportunity to uplift the game and the standard of colour fighters, but he sacrificed all by his reckless conduct out of the ring. ALMOST THE IDEAL BOXER. Probably no man in the ring today comes so near wearing the popular fistic crown as Mike Gibbons, the wonderfully clever glove artist of St. Paul. He has all the earmarks of a champion; splendid fighting physique and an alert brain. He has a decisive kick in either fist, and is indeed a fine master of the manly art. As a scientist he stands head and shoulders over any of his competitors for the undecided middleweight championship crown. But it has always been a mystery to me why such a proficient professor of the ring does not battle 20-round bouts to a decision instead of going through those 10-session stalling matches that are always so doubtful and unsatisfactory to the public at large. If you will look over the fighting record of Mike Gibbons you will find that this great artist never boxed over 15 rounds in any bout during the past seven years he has been performing in the roped arena. And he has boxed four of these 15-round mills in his fine career, all of which were no-decision affairs or draws; not one of them a decisive battle. GIBBONS AS COMPARED WITH DEMPSEY. Sometime ago I made quite an extended comparison between Mike Gibbons and the late Jack Dempsey, as masters of the manly art. Of course, it is really foolish to compare the fighting abilities of both men, as Dempsey was a finished, decisive battler. The great majority of his mills were severe, punishing, finish fights with skin-tight gloves, the kind that tested a man’s grit, heart, and endurance to the very limit. Jack was a dead game man, although never a rugged, strong fellow. But he had the heart of a lion and the will power of a Napoleon. Often when defeat stared him in the face, he would gallantly turn the tide by his courageous and masterly tactics. So far Gibbons has never been put through the acid . test of gameness. He has never gone the long route with a worthy opponent who could punish him and really try him out as it were.

In my humble opinion I consider Jack Dempsey indeed the Nonpareil of the ring, and the greatest middleweight of modern times. But, really, poor Dempsey was never in poundage a middleweight. He was simply a welterweight, but he was so ambitious that he fought and won the heavier title just by pure grit and aspiration. Jack even went further than that, for he fought and defeated many men in the heavyweight class. .Among those I might mention Jim Fell, Dominick McCaffery, Tom McCarthy, Bill Gabig, Dave Campbell, and others. You don t see our skilful friend, Mr. Gibbons, giving away anv weight these days, do you? He is too wise indeed to allow an opponent any such advantage. It is a p i- ty Demnsey was not as shrewd as the St. Paul Phantom. If he was he might have retired from the arena undefeated and a much greater fistic hero than ever.

NOW IN ALL HIS GLORY. Mike Gibbons at present is the most likely contender for the middleweight crown in the fistic field. He seems to be still gaining ring knowledge and improving in many ways as he goes along. He is 27 years of age, and was born of Irish parents, the stock that produced the gamest and best fighters of the world. He can do 154 pounds at the ringside without any great effort. This, I contend, is the proper middleweight limit. The poundage Fitzsimmons, had when he won the title from Dempsey at New Orleans on January 14, 1891; buUthat is another story. Gibbons’ other measurements are as follows: —Chest (normal), 36%in.; chest (expanded), 38% in.; right forearm, 10%in.; left forearm, 10%in.; right and left wrists, 6%in.; waist, 30%in.; right and left thigh, 18%in.; 72in. of a reach. He presents a very perfect specP men of, a fighting gladiator indeed when stripped for action. GREAT FINANCIAL SUCCESS. Gibbons is probably one of the richest men now in the fistic limelight.

These who know him best claim he is worth 110,000 dollars in cold cash. All of which he has made by his clever fists within the ropes. He has a handsome home on a shore of Lake Coma, near St. Paul, a big motor, a six-cylinder machine, in his own garage, and other fine luxureis to enjoy life. Surrounded by his wife and two fine children, Mike enjoys his e’egant 10,000 dollars home immensely. He has a big dancing parlour on the top floor, where he enterains his friends. His two fads are music and dancing. He plays the violin and is ambitious to become a pianist without gloves. It is most likely that Michael will run his bank roll up to 200,000 dollars before he retires from the ring. But we would all like to see him in one of those testing 20-round decision affairs before he leaves the boxing game. As I have said before, I do not understand why such a very

clever pugilist should sidestep these extended contests that prove a man’s real grit, generalship, and endurance. With the middleweight championship in his reach, Gibbons should try and win it. With this mighty crown upon his brow he would indeed become the great fistic idol of to-day, and even a greater moneygetter than he is at present. Why not take a chance, Mike?