Joe Gans

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RASTA666
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Joe Gans

Post by RASTA666 »

By Monte Cox:

Joe Gans, lightweight champion of the world from 1902-1908 (Odd, 45), whose talent, polished professional style, and punching power earned him the magnificent title of “The Old Master”, was as dominate a fighter as any who ever donned gloves. Gans was a defensive master as well as a devastating puncher. He attacked vital points with pinpoint accuracy and threw every punch perfectly, in combination's and with bewildering speed. He was a master at counter punching, of the now lost art of feinting, and at the neglected art of body punching. He was a complete fighter who could be champion in any age.

Gans great speed, power, combination punching ability and killer instinct is evident from newspaper accounts. The Sep. 28, 1904 San Francisco Chronicle reported, "Those who have watched Gans go through his work every day are amazed at his wonderful agility, his speed and his clean hitting ability." The Jan. 20, 1906 Chronicle summed up these qualities while describing the end of his fight with the highly regarded welterweight Mike "Twin" Sullivan, "He caught Sullivan partly turned away. A dusky right arm swung over with electric quickness. A sodden glove connected with the back of Sullivan's left ear. The Twin spun almost around from the force of the blow, and when he tried to steady himself he found that a straw colored tiger in the person of Joe Gans was upon him. Rights and lefts went with terrible swiftness to his opponents jaw. In went Gans right to the stomach, over circled his left to the jaw. And then Mike "Twin" Sullivan much the bigger and heavier man...fell backward to the canvas."

Gans excellent footwork was described as "beautiful side-stepping, and legwork" By Nat Fleischer in Black Dynamite. The Oct 1, 1904 San Francisco Chronicle reported that "Gans beautiful footwork became evident. He was in and away or inside as it suited him best, with will-o-the-wisp elusiveness." Jack Johnson speaking of Gans footwork said, (Ring 1941, 16), "Joe moved around like he was on wheels."

Gans was a masterful defensive fighter and counter-puncher. Against Kid McPartland, (Fleischer 1938, 142), “Gans blocked his rivals leads so well it was astounding. Gans presented a beautiful defense.” Against Elbows McFadden, (Fleischer 1938, 145), "He danced and ducked, countered and jabbed and simply bewildered his opponent. He was cool, calculating, shifty and blocked most of his opponents blows.” The great lightweight Jack Blackburn was “utterly unable to penetrate the champions defense” acording to the July 14, 1906 National Police Gazette. Against welterweight Mike “Twin” Sullivan, SF Chronicle Mar 18, 1906, “Gans superior cleverness at blocking saved him from any punishment and his quick counters invariably landed with great force.” Veteran boxing observer Billy Duffy agrees saying, Ring Magazine Oct 1926, that "as a counterer he was second to none."

Gans had a remarkable ability to stop his opponent's punches and he is considered, by many, as perhaps the best fighter ever at blocking and evading blows. Ben Benjamin wrote, Sept 7, 1907 San Fransisco Chronicle, that he "blocked blows in his incomparable style" and commented, "It is as a blocker that Gans is at his best. There never was a fighter who could block with such skill and precision as Gans. He is a perfect marvel at stopping, using either hand with equal facility. He rarely wastes a blow, his judgment on distance being almost perfect." The August 1960 Boxing Illustrated in This was Joe Gans said, “Gans was born with a sixth sense. They tell the story of how one of his opponents, after Joe had "carried" him for six rounds, asked The Old Master, "how do you do it?" And Joe just grinned and said, "I really dunno. I tried to figure it out, but I can't put it into words. I guess I just see what you're thinking and when the thought gets down around the elbow I just reach out and stop it.”

The Boston Globe Sep. 2, 1906, described Gans as "one of the most wonderful fighters from a scientific view that the world has ever known. There is not a trick or point that he does not know, and he has a terrific punch with either hand. His wallops travel only a short distance and are better than the far reaching ones. Gans has a beautiful left (jab) and can do great execution with it."

John L. Sullivan, former heavyweight champion of the world, said, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Sep. 2 1906, “I never liked a Negro as a fighting man…but Gans is the greatest lightweight the ring ever saw. He could lick them all on their best day. Gans is easily the fastest and cleverest man of his weight in the world. He can hit like a mule kicking with either hand.”

Bob Fitzsimmons declared that “Gans is the cleverest fighter, big or little that ever put on the gloves. He is also a hard hitter. He uses one hand as equally well as the other and can score a knockout with either”, Seattle Times, Sep. 2, 1906.

James W. Morrison, a referee who saw many of the greats up close, said, “Gans is careful, cool, exceptionally clever, is an excellent ring general, possessing superb footwork, and has the required punch in both hands, and can deliver it with effect at short as well as long range”, San Francisco Chronicle, Sep. 3, 1906.

McCallum (1975 p. 230) stated, “His stance gave him perfect defense. He stood erect, hands held at chin level, ready to block and counter. He moved sparingly and his trip-hammer punches traveled only a few inches. He was a past master of feinting but couldn’t be feinted.”

Detloff (2000 p. 142) wrote, “Check out Gans knockout total, and you can see that he had the punch to compete with bigger, stronger fighters. He could hit with surprising power for one who made a Hall of Fame career out of studying and perfecting the finer nuances of the game.”

Consider Gans fight with the great Sam Langford on Dec. 8, 1903. Langford was the most avoided fighter in boxing history. Sam was the larger of the two, a natural welterweight at the time. This fight was fought in Boston the day after Gans had fought a no decision bout with black welterweight Dave Holly in Philadelphia (Gans won the newspaper decision). This means that Gans had to travel by train up the eastern seaboard from Philly to Boston for a fight the very next day. Gans admitted that fighting two days in a row and making the trip had sapped his stamina. Nevertheless, Gans dominated early in the fight before fading from lag in the later rounds and losing a close decision. Fleischer penned, (1938, 164-165; 1939, 130), “Gans opened up the first round with a triple left hook. As Sam drew back after the third blow, Gans quick as a flash, sprang forward and landed a terrific right to the jaw, and from that point until the fifth round, Langford seemed scared stiff and did his utmost to avoid infighting.”


The Boston Globe described events in the following manner, “Langford was clever and the aggressor but he had a wholesome respect for the power behind Gans right glove. And Gans proved early in the bout that his good right hand was his stock in trade and ever after that Langford managed to keep his right hand in readiness to stop any lead at which the champion might make…both blocked so well and slipped rushes so dexterously and sparred so gingerly that the bout became monotonous”, Dec 9 Globe. In other words it was a chess match. This fight is considered as the only fight the real Gans lost in a period of more than ten years. Considering it was his second fight within 24 hours in cities 300 miles apart and the quality of his opposition, Gans did very well indeed.

Gans fought welterweight champion Joe Walcott, the original, rated as the # 1 welter of all time by Nat Fleischer in 1958, to a 15 round draw which most thought Gans won. The San Francisco Chronicle called it “a grand battle as fast and furious as any ever held in a San Francisco ring”, Oct 1, 1904. According to eyewitness accounts this fight could be described as an Ali-Frazier like battle with Gans jab dominating the first rounds before the stout Walcott came on with strong body punches in the early middle rounds. In the 10th, (Fleischer 1938, 166), Gans was “fast on his feet out-jabbing Walcott and not letting him get set.” The next rounds were repeats with Gans out boxing the tough Walcott. The 13th through 16th saw toe- to- toe action that was evenly fought with both fighters trying for a knockout. The last four rounds saw Gans in complete control of the tempo of the bout as he violently snapped Walcott’s head back with jabs and straight right hands, (Fleischer 1938, 167), “in such a manner as it took the house by storm.” “The decision was not well received by many of the spectators who seemed of the opinion that Gans should have been favored,” Boston Globe, Oct 1, 1904.

Young Corbett, the former featherweight champion, described the Walcott fight as an eyewitness two years later, Boston Globe Sep. 1, 1906, “Walcott, the way he was a couple of years ago (before his gun accident), could have whipped any of the present crop of heavyweights. Yet out in Frisco, I saw Gans fight Walcott to a standstill. Walcott was given a draw, but it was a fierce decision. Gans mastered him and out punched him all the way.”

Gans fought the extremely clever welterweight Mike “Twin” Sullivan three times, once being outweighed by as much as 13 pounds. He scored one draw and two victories by knockout. Sullivan was knocked out only by Gans and Stanley Ketchel until the latter part of his career.

Gans met Jack Blackburn, rated the # 3 lightweight of all time by Charley Rose in 1968, three times winning once by decision over 15 rounds with two no decision bouts where Gans was clearly better. For example, in Philly on Nov. 2, 1903 Gans reportedly (Fleischer 1938, 155), “outpunched Blackburn" from start to finish.” In their other no decision contest the National Police Gazette reported, July 14, 1906, "Champion outpoints Blackburn and proves superiority." Blackburn would go on to become a hall of fame trainer teaching Joe Louis his punching technique.

One of Gans top lightweight rivals was the hard punching Dal Hawkins, whom he met three times. San Franciscan fight promoter Jim Coffroth described Hawkins, Ring May 1943, "he was a keen, crafty, wonderful fighter and a man with the deadliest left hook that any lightweight ever carried into a prize ring." Hawkins won by 15 round decision in their first meeting, while Gans won both rematches by devastating early round knockouts in the second and third rounds respectively.

It is clear from eyewitness accounts that Joe Gans was a complete fighter equally impressive both as an offensive puncher and as a defensive master. The available films confirm this viewpoint. The best films of Gans are the Gans-Nelson 1 fight and a battle with Kid Herman. Although the old silent films lack the technological, zoom-lensed elegance of today, Gans nevertheless looks very "modern" on film. He appears smooth and the consummate fighter. He scores knockdowns of the granite chinned Nelson with either hand. His jab is strong as an offensive as well as a defensive weapon, he is the master of ring center, elusive up close, and nearly impossible to force to the ropes. He plants his feet yet remains quite mobile and dances gracefully out of danger when necessary. Gans moves quickly on his feet to cut off Kid Herman from escaping right before he knocks him out. He throws his final debilitating right hand just like Joe Louis and it lands with similar pound for pound impact. Gans also demonstrates strong combinations and excellent hand speed, especially in the early rounds of the Nelson fight. He can take a punch if he needs to, though he is rarely hit solidly, and he fights well when hurt. His defense is impeccable intercepting his opponents leads with his rear parrying hand and then countering masterfully. One of the most impressive things about Gans is his conditioning. In the Herman film he looks completely ripped with a washboard flat stomach complete with "six-pack" abs. His arms seem huge, with big, powerful and elongated muscles. Yet he was not prone to arm weariness in long fights. His strength and punching power are quite imposing. He appears to have no weakness as a fighter.

Gans was considered as the finest lightweight in the world before he finally got a shot against lightweight champion Frank Erne, who was also considered to be among the best fighters of any weight class at that time. They met on March 23, 1900 in New York. One modern writer mistakenly said Gans was “winning easily when he suffered a cut over his eye and abruptly quit” and “it buttressed the claims of those who said the fix was in.” Not so. According to researcher Arne Steinberg Gans eye was actually protruding from his eye socket! A vicious head butt had left Gans eye hanging on his face. The Chicago Times-Herald, Mar 24, reported “Baltimore man's eye dislodged from its socket by a head on collision.” The San Francisco Chronicle Mar 24, 1900, confirmed that, “Gans eye was started from its socket.” This was also reported by the Boston Globe. With such a horrendous injury Gans had no choice but to quit as one blow to his eye in that exposed position would have left him permanently blind.

It took Gans two years to secure a rematch, in which time he scored 22 knockouts in 32 bouts, including some 6 round no decision contests. His lone loss was a fight he threw against Terry McGovern that was one of two admitted fakes in his career, the other being the first Jimmy Britt fight. Gans went down several times against McGovern without being hit. The Dec 14 Chicago Record Herald reported that the “Bout Has Suspicious Look.” The fight's referee George Siler, one of the best and most well known 3rd men of the period, wrote in Dec 14 Chicago Tribune "If Gans was trying last night then I don't know much about the game." Such uproar occurred because of the obvious dive that Chicago's Mayor Harrison banned boxing in the city, a ban that lasted well into the next decade.

When Joe Gans got his second shot at champion Frank Erne, on May 12, 1902, he wasted no time in gaining the title by scoring a quick knockout. Gans spent a lot of time preparing for Erne’s favorite feint and jab maneuver. Gans proved to be a master at solving an opponent’s style when he countered an intended Erne left with a perfectly timed right that sent Erne crashing to the canvas. Gans won the championship with a sensational first round knockout at 1:40 of the round.

The 1987 Ring Record Book lists Joe Gans successful lightweight title defenses at 14, the actual number may 17. In either case Gans still holds the record for the division.

The Joe Gans-Battling Nelson fight in Goldfield, Nev. on Sep. 3, 1906 rates as the greatest lightweight championship bout ever contested. For 42 hard fought rounds the two lightweights engaged in a titanic struggle, which is the longest gloved championship match recorded under Marquis of Queensbury rules. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Sep 4, "Dancing lightly in and away, Gans hit Nelson when and where he pleased" and described Gans as "a marvel of speed and science." Gans scored two knockdowns and had his opponent out on his feet on two other occasions when the granite chinned Nelson was saved by the bell. In today’s fight game the fight would have been stopped long before the 42nd round when Bat purposely fouled out. Nelson absorbed a frightful beating, his left eye was closed and he was bleeding from his ears, mouth, and nose, as well as cuts on his face. Frankie Neil, a former bantamweight champion and a ringside eyewitness, said, “It looks as though Nelson, who was a very badly beaten man, took an easy way to quit", Chronicle Sep 4, 1906.

Joe Gans was forced to fight at unnaturally low weights for much of his career. Even though he was champion he often had to succumb to the dictates of his white opponents. Gans had trouble making 133 pounds ringside several times. If he were fighting today he would be a natural 140-pound fighter, though since he would not have to make weight ringside, he could easily make the 135-pound limit. In the first Nelson fight he was forced to make 133 ringside in full gear, this combined with the dehydrating Nevada sun and the grueling 42 round fight may have contributed to Gans contracting Tuberculosis (TB), which was one of the leading causes of death in that day.

Gans began to suffer from TB by at least 1908. TB is an infection disease that affects the lungs and causes difficulty in breathing with symptoms such as weakness and fatigue, chilling, chest pain, and sometimes coughing blood. The Greeks called tuberculosis "consumption" because it caused a total destruction of the body.

Gans was certainly suffering from the ravaging affects of tuberculosis by the time he lost the title in a rematch to Battling Nelson on July 4, 1908. The San Francisco Chronicle described Gans as “weakened and dull in the eyes” and said, “It was clear that it was a different Gans than the one who had fought at Goldfield.” Even more revealing was the report that “After the twelfth round Gans was suffering terribly. His skin turned a dull gray and he was shivering as though from ague” (fever). “It seemed as though his vitality had been stolen from him", Chronicle July 5th. Those are obvious signs of tuberculosis disease. Despite this the “first five rounds were Gans by a wide margin” (Fleischer 1938, 186). In the second round an uppercut staggered Nelson, in the third Gans drew blood. However he was so weakened by the disease that was killing him that he began to fade. Despite being desperately sick Gans fought on before succumbing as he said “to exhaustion” in the 17th round. Amazingly had it been a 15 round fight he would have made the distance. Certainly no one could ever question his courage.

Gans and Nelson fought again two months later. Gans made it 21 rounds this time a feat of will and strength that defies logic and reason. He again dominated the early rounds with well-timed and accurate punches. For the first few rounds Gans looked like the master of old. He used “clever ducking, and sidestepping, jabbing and sharp shooting” (Fleischer 1938, 187). But eventually the Dane’s fierce body punching wore down Gans sickly form. In both fights under modern rules Gans would have made the distance and perhaps even won in a 12 round bout, especially in the second fight. Nelson commented, “Gans gave me a tougher fight this time. Gans was certainly a game boy and took a lot of a beating", Chronicle Sep 10, 1908.

Gans fought one more time against former British champion Jabez White. “Even though his body was full of death germs, Gans still displayed some of his famous punching power” wrote Fleischer (1938, 189). The New York Daily Herald reported, “The way Gans boxed the sixth round it looked like he meant business. He let loose a right and Jabez went down flat. He arose at the count of nine. Gans hooked up another right to White’s jaw and down he went again. This time he looked out for good, but the bell saved him.” In the seventh he “popped an uppercut to Jabez’s chin. The Briton was knocked out this time. But again the bell saved him.” “He dropped him once more in the eighth” (Herald, Mar 13, 1909). Gans actually knocked out White twice in that 10 round fight. It was officially a no decision bout but Gans easily won the newspaper verdict. The following year Gans died in his mother’s arms. When he died he only weighed 84 pounds (Aug 1960 BI).

Joe Gans record according to the Boxing Register, the official Hall of Fame record book, is 120-8-9 (85 kayo’s) 18 No Decisions. Because of the hostile attitude towards black fighters he “often had to box to orders” (Odd, 45). McCallum wrote that “he frequently climbed into the ring handcuffed” (McCallum, 230) forced often by promises to gamblers and opponents managers to carry his opposition. Virtually all of his draws and no decisions were battles that he actually won. One must consider that Gans was the first black -American born- boxing champion, and he often suffered from racial prejudice and injustice and was sometimes forced to carry and even lose to white opponents. Willie Ritchie, lightweight champion from 1912-1914, who knew Gans, said, (Heller, 21) "Gans had to do as he was told by the white managers. They were crooks. They framed fights, and being a Negro the poor guy had to follow orders, otherwise he'd have starved to death."

Joe Gans deserves to be rated among the elite of the greatest pound for pound fighters of all time. Nat Fleischer rated Gans as the # 1 All Time Lightweight in 1958. Charley Rose considered Gans as the # 2 lightweight of all time in 1968 behind Benny Leonard. Herb Goldman rated him as the # 3 Lightweight of all time in 1987. Tad Dorgan, a boxing commentator and writer for the San Francisco Chronicle and New York Journal, who saw all the greats from James J. Corbett to Gene Tunney, rated Joe Gans as the greatest fighter he ever saw regardless of weight. Thomas S. Rice, of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, also rated Gans as the greatest lightweight ever. Jimmy Coffroth, the great San Francisco fight promoter, who saw many of the greats up until the time of his death in 1943 rated Gans as the king of all lightweights. McCallum in his "Survey of Oldtimers" 1975, has Gans rated as the # 1 all time lightweight. William Detloff rated Gans among the 20 greatest fighters of the 20th century in 2000.

In this writers opinion Joe Gans is the greatest lightweight of all time ahead of Benny Leonard, Roberto Duran, Henry Armstrong and Pernell Whittaker.
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Post by fsteddi »

Very Nice Rasta, real good find. Thanks for Posting
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Post by KSTAT124 »

An excellent read- RASTA, thanks for posting it.
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Re: Joe Gans

Post by fsteddi »

Came across this article written by Boxing historian Mike Silver and it should Really be added to this Post.

So which “Fight of the Century” deserves top honors? I think a very strong case can be made for the 1906 duel between Gans and Nelson, arguably one of the most incredible and disturbing boxing matches ever staged. The battle between “The Old Master” and “The Durable Dane” for the lightweight championship of the world was a fight for the ages. It took place in Goldfield, Nevada, a mining boomtown located halfway between Reno and Las Vegas. The town’s financial bigwigs, flush with money, decided that some kind of spectacular public attraction would draw further attention and generate additional infusions of cash into Goldfield’s mining stock. (Much of what they sold turned out to be worthless mining properties, but that’s another story.) A committee of distinguished citizens was formed to come up with proposals. One suggestion was that a giant hole be dug along the main street and filled with free beer. Another idea was to stage a camel race. Enter Tex Rickard, cattle rancher, gambling hall impresario and promoter extraordinaire. Rickard had already made and lost several fortunes. Sensing an opportunity, he proposed an all-star boxing match between two of the world’s best boxers—lightweight champion Joe Gans and his number one challenger “Battling” Nelson. The idea was immediately accepted.

Joe Gans, the first African American boxing champion, won the lightweight championship in 1902. Dubbed “The Old Master” because of his extraordinary skill, he had already cleaned out the lightweight division and was forced to take on welterweights and middleweights to keep active. The only serious challenger to his title was a boxing brute named Oscar Mathew “Battling” Nelson of Chicago, by way of Denmark. Nelson’s other nickname was “The Durable Dane.” He was the type of fighter who thrived on fights beyond 15 rounds. Nelson was a rough customer with a reputation as a dirty fighter. He seemed impervious to punishment and his stamina and relentless style was legendary. His trademark punch was a short left hook aimed at the liver, with thumb and forefinger extended to provide greater penetration. Nelson claimed the “White lightweight championship” and was confident he could defeat Gans in a “fight to the finish”—meaning a fight with no time limit. Such a fight could not end in a decision but would continue indefinitely until one of the contestants was either knocked out, quit or was disqualified.

Fights to the finish, a staple of the bare-knuckle era, were not uncommon in early turn of the century gloved fights, especially in the western states. A bout limited to 15 or 20 three-minute rounds would favor Gans. A fight to the finish against iron man Nelson was another matter. Gans, in need of cash, and having run out of challengers who would agree to fight him, consented to a finish fight. He was confident he could knock out Nelson.

Nelson’s almost super human ability to absorb punishment and his endless reserves of stamina was fascinating to some people. Among the curious was Columbia University’s rowing coach Dr. Walter B. Peet. He examined the “Durable Dane” for his endurance and found Nelson’s heartbeat to be only 47 beats per minute compared to 72 for the average person. As the good doctor explained it, such a low heartbeat was only found in the “colder blooded animals which survived the days of antiquity and the cold of the Ice Age.” Further consultation with surgeons and the curator of the American Museum of Natural History concluded that measurements of Nelson’s head revealed “the thickest skull bones of any human being since Neanderthal man.” It seemed obvious that “Battling” Nelson would have the advantage in a fight to the finish.

Nelson threatened to pull out of the fight several times unless he received the lion’s share of the purse. Gans, in desperate need of a decent payday, agreed to accept a $10,000 guarantee while Nelson, the challenger, was to receive $20,000. The fight was scheduled for Labor Day, September 3, 1906. (Ever the showman, Rickard displayed the entire $30,000 purse in twenty-dollar gold pieces in full view through a window of a bank in Goldfield.)

Aware of Gans’ precarious financial condition and how much he wanted the fight Nelson’s manager made the unprecedented demand that he weigh in three times on the day of the fight (at noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m.) while wearing his trunks, gloves and shoes. It was a blatant attempt to weaken the champion. Gans would have to weigh no more than 133 pounds or else forfeit $5000 of his purse. The great fighter, confident of victory, agreed to all of the demands.

On the day of the fight Gans was quoted in his hometown paper, The Baltimore Sun: “I have given in on every point just to secure this match. I am betting everything I can get my hands on, and I have got to win. I will have the Dane chopped to pieces and asleep inside of 15 rounds.” Nelson told the same paper, “I am going to give Gans an awful beating, and I think he will be begging for mercy long before the twentieth round is reached. I will let Gans wear himself out, and then I’ll come through and get him. Watch me. There will be crepe in Coontown on Labor Day while the Danish descendants are celebrating.”

A week before the fight all hotel rooms were sold out. Late arrivals slept on the ground. Many of the 200 Pullman cars that had been chartered to transport fight fans served as hotel rooms.

The 24-year-old Nelson had 70 pro fights under his belt. Gans, eight years older, was a veteran of 187 fights. Both weighed in at 132¼ pounds. Gans was favored at odds of 10 to 7.

They entered the ring shortly after 3 p.m. Some 8000 fans filled the wooden arena built especially for the fight. Gate receipts of $76,000 set a new world record for title fights. Among the ringside spectators were a U.S. senator, various mining tycoons, stars of the Vaudeville stage and the son of President Theodore Roosevelt. Before the fight began several telegrams sent by prominent individuals were read to the crowd, including one from Joe’s mother imploring her son to “bring home the bacon,” words that have since entered the American lexicon.

In one last attempt to further undermine Gans’ chances Nelson’s manager, Billy Nolan, argued that Gans should have weighed in wearing bandages on his fists. Gans responded that he would fight without taping his hands. It was a decision he would regret after breaking his right hand on Nelson’s head in the 32nd round.

For security purposes Rickard had arranged for 300 deputy sheriffs, their open vests displaying holstered pistols, to maintain order. To forestall any shenanigans by his crooked manager Gans announced to the crowd that he had instructed referee George Siler to ignore any attempt by his corner to throw in the towel no matter his condition. Nelson told the referee to do the same for him. By mutual agreement only the referee would have the authority to stop the fight. The crowd, evenly divided in their sentiments, cheered both fighters.

As expected Gans dominated the early rounds by easily outboxing Nelson. His accurate and powerful punches drew blood from Nelson’s nose, mouth and ears. Despite the punishment Nelson kept coming forward. Gans was the division’s hardest puncher but no matter how many times he landed Nelson rarely broke ground. The crazed Dane kept boring in, attempting to place his head against Gans’ chest and deliver body blows at close range. More often than not, utilizing his superb footwork, jab and counterpunching skills, Gans was able to keep most of the action at long range, even managing to knock down his rock jawed challenger twice for short counts. In desperation Nelson began butting Gans. Gans protested to the referee. Warnings were issued but no action was taken.

The pace of the fight was relentless. During the minute rest between rounds each man’s seconds waved huge towels in an attempt to offer their fighter some relief from the sweltering desert heat. Finally, in the 10th round, Nelson bloodied Gans’ mouth with a series of punches. After 15 rounds of fighting Gans had lost, at most, two rounds. The pace finally began to slow after the 20th round. There was more wrestling and clinching as the fighters sought to grab a few moments respite before beginning another assault.

By the 30th round both gladiators were showing signs of exhaustion. They had fought under the broiling Nevada sun the equivalent of two grueling 15-round title bouts. Nelson, although bleeding profusely and with his left eye closed, was still the aggressor and was now landing more often. At one point, after missing a swing, he fell through the ropes whereupon Gans, a consummate sportsman, reached down to help him back into the ring. Nelson responded by kicking him in the shins.

As the bout passed the two hour mark there was an increase in stalling and wrestling. Even the fans were showing signs of exhaustion. At the bell signaling the start of the 40th round the crowd was in awe of the fact that both warriors were still standing.

As described in Joe Gans: A Biography of the First African American World Boxing Champion, authors Colleen Aycock and Mark Scott attempt to understand the mental state of the fighters as the bell rang for the 41st round: “It is quite possible that both Gans and Nelson are in a state of clinical delirium at this point, but their bodies are trained to fight on with or without their minds. Dehydrated, battered and bloody, the gladiators may or may not really know where they are.

“Nelson totters like a bull the picador has struck with forty lances. Gans the matador has been gored, fouled, and kicked, but is still waiting to deliver the coup de grace, a blow that will come at the beginning of the 42nd round that almost decapitates Nelson.” And so it finally ends. The iron man is at the end of his tether and on the verge of finally taking the count. Suddenly he strikes Gans with a low blow. Was the punch deliberate? Very likely Nelson sought to foul out instead of suffering the humiliation of a knockout defeat. Gans sank to the floor and was unable to continue. Intentional or not the foul blow was obvious to everyone in the arena and the referee had no choice but to disqualify Nelson and award the bout to Gans. No one objected to the disqualification.

Gans was carried out of the ring but not before announcing to the crowd that he would meet Nelson again in two weeks to prove he could win without being fouled. A cascade of boos and derision descended upon Nelson. He quickly retreated to his dressing room.

The much anticipated rematch would not take place for another two years. It would not carry the label of “Fight of the Century.” By that time Gans, his resistance compromised by his struggle to make weight for their first marathon fight, had contracted tuberculosis. Gans fought the last two years of his career while slowly dying. The man acknowledged to be one of the ten greatest boxers of all time (some say the greatest) passed away in 1910 at the age of 35. His record showed only 12 losses in 196 fights, including 100 wins by knockout.

Battling Nelson, surely one of the toughest and dirtiest fighters who ever lived, would go on to win the lightweight title and defeat the disease ravaged Gans in two subsequent bouts. But he paid an awful price for his shock absorbing style of fighting. The Durable Dane eventually lost his mind and ended his last days in an insane asylum while still training for a comeback.

Thank You Mike Silver (Boxing historian) for this fine article
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Re: Joe Gans

Post by DBO »

I am reading a Joe Gans bio right now. Good stuff.

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