Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 69, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 November 1912 — WOLOSES TO RITCHIE ON FOUL [ARTICLE]

WOLOSES TO RITCHIE ON FOUL

San Francisco Boy Wrests Title From Champion. END COMES IN SIXTEENTH Michigan 1 Boxer Tires and Then Strikes Below Belt—Rivers Defeats Mandot and Cross Beats “Bat” Nelson. San Francisco, Nov. 29. —Wabbling on leaden legs, his eyes glazed and his body reeling, Ad Wolgast, conqueror of Battling Nelson, fouled Willie Ritchie twice in the sixteenth round of their fight at Daly City. With the wave of Referee Jim Griffin’s head, which disqualified him, the lightweight championship of the world passed, for the first time in Queensberry history, Into the keeping of a Californian. By his ring generalship, his courage and his splendid fighting ability, Ritchie won his spurs in the championship division. , End Is Unexpected. The unexpected end of the fight came after those at the ringside noticed in the fifteenth round that Wolgast’s strength was waning a mite. The boys faced each other in the sixteenth. As Wolgast was going away, Ritchie made him wince with a twohanded volley to the mid-section, and then, quick as the bat of an eye, a crushing right shot out and caught the Cadillac fighter fairly on the jaw. He fell back on the ropes and sagged, pitching forward in another instant toward his corner. Ritchie Crowded him, and as he raised his head the San Franciscan repeated the right cross. Wolgast, the invincible, went Sprawling. At the count of four Wolgast, his brain clouded, flung himself through sheer instinct at his antagonist. Ritchie, true to his agreement, had skipped across to the opposite side of the ring when his opponent went to the canvas. As Wolgast came at him he rushed to meet him and the two exchanged blows. Wolgast was badly dazed, but he covered so that Ritchie could not send in the finishing smash. Wolgast Strikes Low. Only twenty-four seconds remained of the life of the round. Ritchie, netu his own corner, poised the deadly right cross again when Wolgast’s left took him low. Billy Nolan, his manager, leaped to the edge of the ring and shouted to Referee Griffin and hundreds of voices raised the cry of ’’Foul?” “Foul!” Griffin rushedoyer

aild cautioned Wolgast. Tn another In stant the left rip of the champion found the. same sore spot. Ritchie tried to fight hack, but he was painfully in distress. Griffin, without hesitating, rushed between the fighters, pushed Wolgast aside and raised Ritchie’s hand in token of victory. Wolgast had the better of seven of the rounds. Four were even and the remainder were easily Ritchie's. Ritchie Not Badly Pounded. All through the fight Ritchie blocked and ducked cleverly, but encountered the Wolgast left hand a few times that bruised his left eye and nearly closed it. In the infighting his right eye was slightly damaged and his lip puffed a bit But on the’whole Wolgast’s blows did little damage. Wolgast seemingly was lacking in condition. In the round before the finish his legs were so heavy he could hardly lift his feet from the mat, while Ritchie, fresh and breathing perfectly, danced around his puffing adversary and pecked him with straight lefts. Wolgast says he did not intentionally foul Ritchie and that he thinks it is a poor way to win a championship. Joe Rivers Defeats Mandot. Los Angeles, Cal., Nov. 29. —Once again we have the brown hand of Joe Rivers reaching out to grab the fellow who owns the lightweight title. In the same ring at Vernon wherein he was beaten by Joe Mandot some two months ago the Californian “came back” and whipped the game New Orleans Frenchman. There is left no room for argument as to the question of superiority between the little boys. Rivers heat Mandot in everything that goes to make up a 20-round contest and Referee Eyton’s act in raising the Mexican’s hand at the finish was unnecessary so far as the great crowd was concerned. Every man inside the pavilion, and the old arena building was packed to every, wall, had known for at' least a quarter of an hour what the verdicts would be.

Cross Outpoints Nelson. New York, Nov. 29.—Leach Cross, young, strong and a master of boxing science, outpointed Battling Nelson, former lightweight chaippion, in a ten-round bout at the Forty-fourth Street Sporting club. Cross gave Nelson everything he possessed in the line of punches, running the scale from the heavy swings Up to jabs, but was unable to score a knockout. Nelson, true to his name, “Battling,” was in the ring, on his feet and fighting iust as hard at the finish as when he • tarted. ,