FIGHTERS I HAVE SECONDED.

NZ Truth, Issue 84, 26 January 1907, Page 3

FIGHTERS I HAVE SECONDED.

(By Spider Kelly.) Tom Sharkey* One time I was seconding Tom Sharkey; again-st Joe Choyfoski, and m a,, mix-up ihj sailor tore, loose a, rirht-hand swing from his hip which sent Joe through the ropea. At that time the gang was accustomed to fighting clean breaks, and when Tom made this rally the crowd hissed and hooted -him to beat the band. "Foul ! Foiii ! Foul!" they yelled.. "Neveir mind that," I said to Tom "when he came back to his Corner; "they would hiss the Pope. They are a touph bunch." Annoyed as Tom was > - the' hissing, he smiled at my remark, and agreed , that I was right.. , I recalled this little incident merely to impress on ' you a few facts. Sharkey was I regarded- as a foul fighter m those days when they fought clean* ''breaks',- and therefore he never was -what might be called a popular boxer. It avus not his nature to box according to the rules of the time. Me was a mixer, and a grand one at that. Sharkev' might have been champion of the world if nature had been fonder to him. Like Ghoynski ■ and other fighters, you know, he was always at a disadvantage. Tom had a short reach, »,nd was not as , tall as most heavyweights. I don't -think Tom stood over sft Bin., and he was hot a bi^ man. He has fought* as low as and the most he ever weighed, "was ißslljs. v 'o;u have heard a lot of talk about Choynski fighting out of his class. That was.so, but he had not-hm? on Tom. That sailor was ftivin^ away reach; weight and height to about cverv man he met, but it didn't fease him. He would fight a buzz-saw.- But tfoere was ' ; one man whom he felt was his master, and that was Fitzsraimons. He had a wholesome resect for Mm. Tom never told me that he .felt it. Jeffries, Corbett B«Mm. Goddard. Maher, Choynski, and the rest of the bunch were fruiit for him m his mind, In the first fight they had Fitz ha"dfd him, some body punches which ha never forgot. j GOOD STORIES TOLD ON 'i SAILOR. It' was a pleasure to sit m the ring behind Tom, for he would do exactly as it ou told him. In this particular he was the best man I ever went Lehind. If I told him to use' •his rieht for the body he used . it, and if I told fiiin to uppercut, he did it. He had a lot of confidence m me, and this, together with his willingness to do as he was told, made my duties easy. I won't forget the time I sent him: against.' Joe Choynski the first time. If you remember, Joe agreed to stop the sailor m eight rounds. Wtif-n they gat ■m the ring? Tom v.«ls a bit shaky. Choynski was good m those days, while Sharke- was a novice. As they were putting on iheir gloves I seized Tom the shoulder, and as I shook him said': "Vhat. that stiff .stop you ? Why. you go right over and stop him. He's got nothing on you." My words gave Tom heart. " You're right. Spider," he replied. "I'll bate him." ' And Tom bounded out of that* corner like a mad tull. aoid he walloped Chovnski a clout on the jaw, and he flew out of that ring. . Joe thought, a cyclone struck him, but . Joe's friends had too much money -bet to allow him to lose fairly.. If Sharkey hpd tried to box Joe clev- . erly that night he would have made a/poor showing, and might have been knocked out. To be clever was not Tom's style. To get inside of the oppoDfat's loaeer reacfc fee had to rusfi m and fight dose. TOM FOUGHT TO ORDER. When Sharkey met Greggains, I handfed him the same way. It was the first fight I had him m. Before the bell rang I told Tom that Alec had a fine straight left, and not to box with him, for if he did he would jab his head off. ' Like a good soldier Tom did as I instructed him and fou«ht Alec every inch of the way, and the outcome was he licked his man and finished as strong as when he started. I always believed that Sharkey would have whipped Fitz the se- j cond time they met if lie had been handled properly. Tom O'Rourke was iis chief adviser .'that night, but I| was m- his corner. In the first round : Tom went out 'and fiddled with Bob ,as I advised him. ' As bad, a boxer as Tiom was. Bob wasn't much better,; s<\ I tipped him to draw Bob out before he. let fly a punch. He ran to\ orders, an<( seven seconds before the'\gonf sounded he stepped m and droned a corker on Fitz.'s jaw, and down\ on- the floe* he fell. But for the gjon* he would have been counted out, for he was as dead as a■mackerel. [ In the second round O'Rourke ur rr e <a Tom, much against my advice, to rtisfo Fitz, for he thought he was grotfev. Old Bob crept up a little wobbly G n ' his pins, and Sharkey

rushed him. Bob executed one of his great . shifts, and when the smoke cleared away the poor sailor was on the floor. If he had fought the second round like the first I have always thought the fight would have been his. SHARKEY AN APT PUPIL. Sharkey lived m fear of the newspapers ! Whenever one of the boys pave him a roast it broke his heart. 1 used to feel soriry for the poor sailor, for he wasn't a bad fellow at heart. When he got a boost m the ria?jers he would throw that big chest out and smile all over. ' About the best time I evejr had was the first trip I took east with Tom. S They had never seen him there before, and he was a big chief. His picture was m the paper every day, and he strutted up and down Broadway like a king. I was the affidavit kid, all right. I'll never forget the day he was handing the bull to Honest John Kelly, a wise old owl. It made no difference to Tom who , he bulled. He would as soon tackle Honest John Kellv aa a farmer. They got to talkins: .about, vineyards of California. Kelly said he heard that they had some large ones out here. Sharkey said yes, and that he had one so large that Salvator couldn't /run around it m a day. This staggered Kellv. but before he recovered Sharkey turned to me aM *said, ' "Ain't "mat so,' Spider ?" Or course I nodded yes. The truth of the matter was that Sharkey didn't have an acre of grapes.

Here is another story on Sharkey which has never been printed :— After he beat Greggains at the Old Bushstreet Theatre, a crowd followed him up Market-street. He was a big cmisation, and his : friends were mad over his victory. They .fought before a packed house, and Sharkey's fcdt was a couple -of thousand dollars. It was a nice piece' of money for a sailor ritrbt off the sea 'to make m one night. On his wav un Market-street Sharlcey. followed by a himch, dropped into . a saloon. Did Sharkey tip the bartender to ask the novs what they would v ■■ have ' No.' Fharkev said, "I'll shake you tor the drinks." That's why Tom is a rich man today. He never blew himself, An hour or so later Jim Corhett dropped into the same place, and spent 50 dollars, and neveir

GAVE IT A SECOND. THOUGHT

•-. Here is another pretty one on the sailor :— One day while we were training for a fight some one of the bunch,,, started up' 'an argument about the foqt-racing. I jiade the crack that a v \ot- of these 100-yards runnsrs; who had records of* 10 flat, wouldn't show .'over K)£'-in a race. I remember Cricko Jim Collins,. an old foot-racer, who had won dashes m England, wasan the patty. When I had made my pass, Sharkey came back with his "I€€ yards m 10. Huh! Why I ran 100-.. yards m Ssec at Honolulu!" I thought Collins would go to pieces, but £ c har3iey never cracked a smile. On another occasion I was running through Golden Gate Park with him, and we meu George Berry, who was driving a fast, trotter belonging to Aciolph Spreckles. He stopped us, and began to talk, t fifht. Tom always liked a fast horse, and he took a fancy to the one Berry was driving. "How fast can he go ?" -said Tom; •-•' - = • "Oh, about 2.10," replied Benry. ■ '• "I've cot one that can! skin you," said Tonw "I have a horse at Vallejo that can step a mile m 2." "If you have you won't need to fiphfc again," said Berry, winking at me. The truth of the matter was Shar-ke-v owned no horse. I Could tell you fifty stories on the sailor, but I won't.