BURNS=SQUIRES FIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 292, 3 September 1908, Page 4

BURNS=SQUIRES FIGHT.

THE SCENE AT RUSHCUTTGR3' BAY. . . HOW'THE END CAME. ... Writing of the Bums-Squires fight, which took placo yesterday week at Rushcutters' ■ Bay, Sydney, the "Daily Telegraph", said:— "Possibly no match that could be mado between two men at any game other than boxing would attract anything like tho great gathering of people that filled tho Stadium at Rushcuttors' Bay yesterday afternoon, and • paid admission charges from £5 down to 105.,' to witness tho contest between Tommy .Burns, . champion of tlip. world, and Bill Squires. ■ champion of Australia, for a purse of £3000 • of which £2000 was for Burns, whether hi won or lost, and the balance for Squires. By the time the men entered the ' ring, there must have been at least 16,000, and; possibly 18,000 persons seated within the roofless enclosure, and a more orderly crowd has nevej v been seen. "As early as 10 o'clock.in the morning, . when the gates wero thrown open,, -men.; began, to take up special positions , in tho v cheaper-priced portions, and. all day a steady , stream (swelling in .volume as tho.hour fixed"' for the fight drew closer), poured throughtho gates, until just before 3 o'clock,, .whea the sale of- 10s. tickets was stopped, as . already, thoro had been -a great rush,, from that.section for. transfers to tho £1 seats, and there, too, the management wero. com- • pellcdt to shut down a little later. , Tho long, wait many ' hundreds had - endured proved much more of a pleasure than-\yaits ( of any sort usually are, for . the mustering of spectators was a sight in itself. All tho arrangements were perfect. Not a hitch of any kind occurred, and though the polios assembled in force, and a large number; of attendants had been engaged to . assist; in keeping order, their services. were never required in-, that direction. Even during the most exciting, stages of the - contest nothing occurred that could have .been objected Strangely enough, members of ■ the American Fleet did not roll up in their thousands, as was generally expected- and looked for by the management; only a com-r parative few of them could be seen hero and there. This is all the moro puzzling .becauso Americans encourage boxing to a gre&tor extent, and spend more money over, it than Britishers over did; and, further ■ ono of tho principal : actors in.tho show is. an American." : Of the concluding round, the "Telegraph" said:— - , "The end came in the thirteenth. -They 1 were pegging away , at close quarters after using both hands freely, and excitement was high strung when suddenly Squires dropped ' to both knees through the agency of-a blow on the chin. He rose at eight, but unsteady and dazed, and another right to tho chin sent him .to ono knee to hear the referee ■■ call. nine . before straightening up.. Now. Squires was swaying badly, though recover- ■ ing fast. A',right—half..hit, half pushed—'" oil tho back- sent-him flat on his stomach, to be counted out, and Burns was declared tho winner:- . '. , ,• : " Great excitemenfeprevailed at-the finish,' and a-squadv.of American seamen, stood. upin [a .. body , and. ■ cheercd.'the champion;', Neither'was. much, tho worse at the close of,: tho struggle., Squires certainly had a very, niuch pulled face, but. treated it as trifling, and jsaid,. lie ; felt ; very - well otherwise,.; all things considered, v Burns showed . a dis-. > coloured eye, which he sustained through' a i bump,in the second round." - Tho stakes wero .paid over at the Stadium . the following (Tuesday) afternoon, Burns re, ceiving £2000 and ; Squires £850.