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NZ Truth, Issue 91, 16 March 1907, Page 3

But Ryan was always there with the helping hand, and he gave freely.' of what lift made.

~" is , strictly as a fighter, how■e. that I have to do with Ryan, and he was certainly a wonderfully clever, game and consistent performer. And it may surprise a whole lot of people, but I will say here and now that Ryan can still put up a good fight, and I cannot see anyone, on the middleweight horizon who would have any easy tasjk m winning from Syracuse Tommy.

The great middleweight's best early ;fight was against Danny Needham, whom he beat by a knock-out after seventy-six rounds, m 1891. Probably the toughest fight he ever engaged m was with Tommy West at Louisville, m 1901, and this was one of the bloodiest battles m all ringdom. West wss good then, and that meant that Ryan had one of the greatest natural fighters iai the world to beat. The men fought liker enraged Bengal tigers, and blood flowed so freely from both that the. seconds had to wipe the gore up with sponges to keep the fighters from slipping m their own blood. Ryan won after sev^titeen touigh rounds, but he realised that he was m a fight before the battle finally turned m his favor.

The only ring reverse that Ryan ever suffered was with- Kid McCoy, who handed. . Tommy the citron fruit at Maspeth, m 189 G. Ryan has always maintained that McCoy took unfair advantage of him that night. According to Ryan, McCoy wanted Tommy to let him stay' the limit* and the Syracuse scrapper agreed. He did not train faithfully foi the fight, and -when he entered the Maspeth «areua he claims that his condition was far from . perfect. He, claims that he was never oipre surprised m his life than v.'h(?n McCoy turned loase on him. When Ryan realised that he was beins?; doublecrossed he fought with great fury and ability, hut McCoy 'finally land-, ad him m the fifteenth round.

They foupht a five-round draw afterwards, but Ryan could never get McCoy for a lon# battle after the Maspetli encasement.

Rvoji bas beaten all the good welter and middle weights pf his time. He was never a heavy mi^dlewe-idit',' and coulicl make the welterweight limit easily enough at one time. Ryan was the first of the fiffhters to show real astuteness as a matchmaker. Tommy seldom ffot the worst of the conditions. He was too foxy for that.

He probably helped more fighters who needed the money than any man m the ring. Ryan would not give them money, but he always gave tbp-m a to make money by giving them matches, and he was never niggardly m the division of receipts, tie gave more .lighters a chance to make money than any man m the ring to-day, and he did not make the conditions very h--rd on his opponents. Tomniy is the man who is responsible for the. Jeffries crouch. He taught the big. fellow ths advantage of the lowered position both as a defensive and offensive measures, and that style of Jeff's did much to brinohim all his ring renown.

Without a . doubt, Tommy Ryan was at* his best a peerless, game, scientific, cool ftKhter, and (it is doubtful if the rrorld yrfll ever- again 'fee/hold His like fer his poundage.