newsletter vol2 no13

[robert.snell1]

The Boxing Biographies Newsletter
Volume 2- No 13 3rd June , 2008
www.boxingbiographies.com

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Tricks of the prize ring

Under the white glare of the arc lights, the centre of a thousand eyes, two pink figures move about the canvas covered square, back and forth, with quick, subtly evasive motions, and gloved hands flatteringly cruel. They are the skilful gladiators of our time, though we cannot see all their cleverness. They have tricks within tricks — tricks beneath the tricks we see, which the owners of the thousand eyes do not know about.

For the tricks of the pugilist trade are many. They commence back ill the days of training. The fighter, though, is then the subject — not the projector of tricks. Then it is the trainer who engages to them. Say the fighter is nervous, for instance; and his temperament protests at a too dull routine, like the redoubtable Mr. McGovern, -whose being loathed the skipping rope and whose soul revolted at the abhorrence of the punching bag.

It was a problem for the trainer, but he solved it by saying one day, "Oh, let us cut all this work and go and play baseball." Immediately the gentle Terry became exuberant in his enthusiasm. Cut work? Play? Why, certainly! So he straightway raced and pitched and sweated uncomplainingly under the burning sun, joyously convinced that his regular athletic work was being shelved.

After this the trainer challenged McGovern at handball. McGovern banged this time in the place of pitching, though he raced and sweated just the same. He felt joyful at the knowledge that he had to work no longer—and worked harder than ever. It was a trick of the trainer's—simple, doubtless, but sufficient to attain its object. Into the same category would come the ingenuities of spurring a pugilist to harder training by arranging for appalling reports from his opponent's camp: tales of wonderful fitness, of magical new "dodges" which were being prepared. Fancy staggers at the tonic quality which such news may have upon a lighter, who forthwith adds a few miles of extra roadwork and boxes more snappily and butts Into the sandbag more perservingly than ever.

These tricks of the trade, however, arc far from being limited lo providing the nutrition of encouragement to your own man; they arc more fruitful yet In discommoding his opponent. The once eminent "Young Cobett" was an adept at this. Through his public work it was his ingenious wont to appear weak in some point of defence. He carefully engineered the filtration of news to that effect to the opposing camp, which would then devote much time and attention to it. only to find that, on the night of the contest, the Ingenious Corbelt was rather more than perfect In it. It was discouraging, to say the least, and discouragement in your opponent is valued as a jewel by those who know the ways of "the ring."

More crafty yet was McCoy, however—McCoy, whose tricks must not be counted singly but "by the bag." That historic piece of craft of which the accommodating Mr. "Tommy" Ryan was the victim is a case in, point. McCoy had been the sparring partner of Ryan and had carefully learned his points of strength without exhibiting his own. Many a beating had the generous Ryan ( somewhat ungentle with his sparring partners ) given to him in the practice bouts; but the unknown McCoy was uncomplaining. He was learning.

The Double Cross

Finally, deciding that he had the whole of Mr Ryan’s knowledge safely stored, he resigned his sparring partnership and in a few months challenged his late employer – as “It will give me a chance of getting a few dollars” he remarked privately to that gentleman. Ryan knowing he had beaten McCoy each day for months, accepted Whereupon the inventive “Kid” ( certain to leave no stone unturned) Wrote a letter. “Dear Tommy I know you can put me out any time You want to; but I’m going to ask you to do me a favor. Let me stay ten rounds”

Who could resist such a naïve appeal? Certainly not Mr Ryan who immediately consented and forthwith ceased the rigors of training He was not assured that the “Kid” would now do the same. However The “Kid” had different views. He came into the ring in perfect condition, and very artistically slaughtered Mr. Ryan. Ryan never forgot that, he squirms at its mention to this day.

In the preparatory stages of conflict Fitzsimmons was not inept. Prior to his fight for the light heavyweight championship with Gardner he met his opponent at the weighing. With his whole strength and with utter geniality he slapped Mr. Gardner upon the back, who was almost knocked down by the force of the blow. He came to the ring less confident than he had been. A trick of the trade had robbed him of something. Fitzsimmons however had need of tricks in that contest.

In the tenth round his hand was knocked into splinters. The bones of the first two knuckles were broken. Gardner stunned by the force of the blow id not notice this. His seconds however, more observant, told him of it during the rest. Fitzsimmons seeing his opponent glance over suddenly commenced unconcernedly to twiddle his thumbs, though the pain must have been excruciating. In the next five rounds he swung viciously and repeatedly with that maimed right hand, missing carefully each time.

And it was not until the fifteenth round that Gardner commenced to entertain suspicions that all was not well with that dangerous right. When Fitzsimmons saw this he hit Gardner a tremendous blow with the third and fourth knuckles of it, which convinced Gardner once more that he must have been mistaken. Fitzsimmons won that fight on points purely by tricks of the trade which were only fully understood at its conclusion.

A trick he played upon Jeffries upon the occasion of their first contest was less successful . When fighting for the championship a young boxer is usually nervous. Fitzsimons reasonably assumed this and dallied in his dressing room while his challenger waited amid the din of the ring. Fitzsimmons was permitting the sickening sense of chance to sink utterly in. To most young fighters the experience would have been demoralizing . Jeffries however was the exception to the rule. That night he won the championship.

In these trickeries of the ring, however we are forced back to the one inevitable master of them – McCoy. For it may be said that he expanded beyond the mere domain of trickery. He was inventor on a large scale and a large manufacturing plant in addition. The game of fighting was not brutality with McCoy, he was the student of a nicely adjusted science.He studied his blows as a musician might his scales – and he planned to win. The means were details with him. With each opponent fresh and, until then, untapped deceits would burst forth to dazzle and defeat them.

The Resin On The Glove

Notice the ”Kid” for instance ,lithe and amiable, strolling around the ring, immediately prior to the engagement . There are little heaps of resin scattered about the canvas stretched floor, and the “Kid” wipes his feet in them, kicks them playfully without the least apparent preconceived intent in the world. He smiles at his friends and pleasantly receives their applause. But the resin becomes gradually “accelerated” in the direction of his corner, if there was none already there.

The gloves have been chosen and the seconds crowd about their men, carefully pushing the horsehair padding away from the center.They bend over to fix them on the principle that accidents will sometimes happen – in fact they always happen in the “Kids” corner. Before he has an opportunity to assume them they drop regularly into that resin heap – drop there and are squeezed and twisted into it where they are picked up and finally assumed. And a resined glove may be made to cut like a knife in the hands of McCoy.In fact, it often has cut like a knife, and in nicely calculated places too. This is but a single one in the sum of tricks McCoy has practiced.

There was a time in which Jim Stewart suffered at his master hands. Stewart was inexperienced, but in every way a stronger and heavier man, and in clinches his weight would become a factor. So the crafty McCoy set himself to circumvent this as the guile’s Stewart pleasantly advanced to receive the instructions of the referee upon interpretations of the rules before the contest. It became a question as to what would be considered permissible in clinches.

McCoy stepped close to the confiding Stewart and without warning heaved the full weight of his shoulder at the inside biceps muscle of the giant. If you tap your own very gently with your clenched hand you may faintly and afar off experience the simple Stewart sensations.McCoy’s blow was paralyzing .

“Is that permissible?” asked he quickly, and before there could be an answer McCoy had located a particular nerve at the back of Stewarts neck ( MCoy has studied his anatomy ) and with a rough jerk of the arm had almost wrenched the youthful fighters head off. “Or that?” asked he.

Stewart now thoroughly fearful sounded the loud note of alarm “I won’t have any of that in the clinches” he protested. “I won’t stand for any rough work in the clinches at all.We’ll break clean”. This was exactly the condition for which the lighter and less muscular “Kid” had been striving. He had in addition so cowed Stewart that the fight was won before it was well commenced. And McCoy at that time was long past his prime.

The McCoy – Choynski contest was another example of a gentle aid to chances, more ingenious than legitimate. The two men had met on several occasions and McCoy felt that, saving ill luck, he could defeat his opponent. An accident however had enabled Choynski to deliver a blow from which the “Kid” experienced a trouble of recovery. Each was straining desperately toward the end of a round and both men were exhausted. McCoy had posed himself for a blow when the gong clanged. At the sound Choynski dropped his hands, but McCoy ( summoning every reserve of force within him ) drove home a desperate blow. It was a foul, but he had calculated with lightning rapidity that it would be impossible for any onlooker fairly to tell if it were intentional. Choynski crumpled beneath it, but McCoy’s calculation had been correct.Choynski never recovered thoroughly from that blow and was beaten as the result of it.

The Craft Kid

It was McCoy too who introduced the ingenious practice of putting a heavy layer of bicycle tape upon his hands. Then th “Kid “ in dressing gown would pleasantly argue in the centre of the ring as to the desirability of that tapes removal – would argue till the tape had become so hardened like iron. He would then smilingly take of as much of the tape as was possible. But bicycle tape has the unfortunate quality of adhering when heated, and the final strand would stay on.

McCoy would grimace helplessly and his opponent would usually overlook the last and most dangerous strand of all. McCoy’s knuckles would however be protected with hands like iron, which a trick of the trade had made possible.

Melio Bettina
Monitor Index and Democrat, Moberly.Mo 13 July 1939
CONN AND BETTINA
FIGHT TONIGHT
Winner of Match Might Be
the Heavyweight Champ
Next Summer

NEW YORK, July 13

Billy Conn of Pittsburgh and Melio Bettina of Beacon, N.Y.,. two tough youngsters who fully expect to be plunk m the middle of the heavyweight situation a year from now, clash in a 15-rounder at Madison Square Garden tonight for the country's 175-pound title.

Bettina already has been recognized as light heavyweight champion by the New York State Athletic Commission, and the winner of tonight's tussle will get an official nod from the National Boxing Association, making it unanimous.

Conn, reigning favorite of New York fans since his two victories over Fred Apostoli and another over Solly Krieger, has been made a firm choice in the betting, with Bettina's admirers receiving 3 to 1 for their money.

Conn is the faster and his left hook is the prettiest thing in the ring today. Bettina, squat and sturdy, packs the better punch.

Promoter Mike Jacobs has admitted he expects to make more out of Conn in the long run than any of the current "contenders' for Joe Louis heavyweight title. He is figuring that Conn, who only recently turned 20, will continue to grow and become a fully fledged heavyweight by next summer.

Bettina has similar ideas. So, out of tonight's fight is likely as not to come the man who will be yelling insults at the champion next summer.

Until his path crossed with that of Melio Bettina, a light heavyweight boxer from Beacon, N.Y., Jimmy Grippo was content to ply his trade as magician from stage and lecture platforms throughout the land.

Once he caught up with Melio, this member of the Society of American Magicians deserted his bag of tricks to concentrate on guiding Bettina to the championship. At first, this was done at the expense of lucrative stage engagements but before long Bettina was quite an attraction.
Bettina deserted the amateur ranks in 1935 after winning a flock of assorted championships. He beat Tony Zale in the Chicago - New York inter-city Golden Gloves tournament. After starting his professional Career in sensational style, Bettina hit a slump. He found .it difficult to find bouts around New York because he was a .GOOD southpaw. So he moved to the South. A successful, campaign there paved the way for his return to New York. But again he had little luck getting matches.

A series of matches on the West Coast established Bettina as a serious contender for titular honors and he was matched with Tiger Jack Fox in Madison Square Garden. This contest was sanctioned as ,a world light heavyweight championship bout by the New York commission. Fox was generally recognized as the logical man for the crown, left vacant .when John Henry Lewis decided to campaign against heavyweights. Bettina knocked Fox kicking in short order. Bettina meets Billy Conn of Pittsburgh in New York July 13.

Monitor Index and Democrat, Moberly.Mo
14 August 1941
It may b e that Jimmy Grippo has exercised his vaunted hypnotic powers over us to make us see in Melio Bettina a challenger for Joe Louis in the not too distant future. Grippo, Bettina's magician-manager, claims to have a hypnotic influence over his fighter, .and is gradually succeeding in making Melio believe that he is a greater fighter than Jim Jeffries and destined to become champion of the world.

Actually, Bettina, now fighting as a heavyweight, is a much improved fighter over the Bettina who held the light heavyweight championship. His blows carry more dynamite but the added poundage has not robbed him of his natural speed. The most important change is the fact that Melio no longer tires after four or five rounds as he did a couple of years ago when he had to get down to 175 pounds. Now. He seems to grow stronger as the fight progresses. His normal weight is around 1S5 pounds and on his 5-foot-9 frame that is about all he needs.

Since he began fighting, as a heavyweight, Bettina has piled up an impressive string of victories. Of his twenty-four straight victories over the big boys, eighteen were knockouts. Bettina's latest victim was Red Burman, the rugged redhead who made a grand showing against Joe Louis.

Bettina's unorthodox fighting style baffles most heavyweights. There are very few southpaw fighters among the heavies, and Melio makes the most of his assets. Joe Louis has never faced a southpaw, and it is quite likely that the champion, puzzled more than once by unorthodox ring style, might have trouble solving Melio's attack, Bettina's whirlwind Style — and he really punches fast — doesn't give his opponent much time to get set to punch or think.


Billy Barton
Billy Barton was yet another local boxer whose career coincided with the Second World War, although this did not prevent him from accumulating around 200 fights. It was the RAF who were to gain from his boxing skills and one cannot wonder at the talent the RAF team had at that time.
His first amateur contest was against British Enka’s Tommy Dunn, who had just been beaten in the ABA Finals - A Baptism of fire - but Billy held his own before losing on points, a performance which undoubtedly persuaded him to give the pro game a shot.

The mining communities of South Wales do not bestow honour lightly, you have to earn respect, especially if you’re an outsider. Yet the little Liverpool Lightweight Billy Barton went to Maesteg in 1942 and in just one appearance virtually earned himself the freedom of the valleys.

Billy was in the RAF at the time and the crowd christened him “Spitfire Billy” for his superb showing against the local idol Len Beynon .This was in 1942 and was the turning point of a career that lasted for 10 yrs from 1939 for one of Liverpool’s most likeable characters, a man who battled outside the ring against recurring asthma attacks but who always gave 100% when in the ring.
Billy came from the Low Hill district which is steeped in fistic history and it was there , as a newsboy selling papers, that he first made contact with the fight game. Some of his customers where Nel Tarleton, Mick and Alf Howard, Jackie Mallon, Paddy King, Jackie Lyden and Ernie Roderick. Eventually he started going to the Stadium and remembered how all the newsboys would gather, when Tarleton boxed, at Low Hill and give him a big rally when he came home.

The urge to emulate his customers took hold and he joined the Aubrey Street amateur club and after a few weeks made his debut against Tommy Dunn. In 1939 his friend Tommy Rose took him to manager Tony Vairo’s Transport house Gym for a spar. Rose was a tremendous puncher and when Tony Vairo saw him soaking up the blows without wilting he suggested that Billy could make some money out of the sport.

When Billy made his first pro debut he adopted the name of a good fighter of the time Paddy Carroll. He started well and his clever style saw him successful in most of his 30 or so contests before he joined the RAF in 1940. In 1942 he started using his own name and, as a substitute for Kid Tanner, met with Les Beynon at Maesteg. Although he lost on points he was ready for the best of them who were to include the likes of Stan Hawthorne, Len Davies, Tommy McGovern, George Daly, Bert Hornby and Johnny Cusick.

At Liverpool Stadium Billy beat Bob Roberts four times, Cyril Mawdsley five times and was 2-1 ahead in his series with Alex Bride. Against these victories, however, he lost four times to Bert Jackson ( but also got a draw ), lost three times to Bert Hornby, then, after four loses against Mick Gibbons in their fifth meeting saw Billy sensationally stop him in four.

He was also 2-1 down against Charlie Fox of St. Helens whom he rated as one of the best left hookers he ever met. One of his greatest nights was in 1948 when he got the fight he had long been asking for. Stadium promoter Johnny Best refused to match him with the Newcastle banger Stan Hawthorne, telling Billy, “ I don’t want you to get hurt”, but Billy received a call from the Newcastle promoter Joe Shepherd, asking him to step in against Hawthorne as a substitute for Josef Preys, the Belgian, who had pulled out.

Unfortunately Billy developed a severe asthma attack before the weigh in and two hours prior to the fight could hardly breath but after taking some tablets the fight went ahead For eight rounds there was nothing in it, but then Stan got on top in the last two rounds. Billy was carried shoulder high after the fight by the fans after a great battle.

Billy asked Stan for a return and he said “Only if you get your head cut off”. Billy saw Stans right hand which was badly swollen and understood what he meant. Billy then tried to put his hat on and discovered that his forehead was so swollen it would not fit. He never did get the return contest.

Not long after in 1949 Billy decided to call it a day following a seventh round stoppage defeat against Johnny Carrington in Blackpool, “I had won the first six rounds but in the seventh he caught me on a nerve at the side of my eye and the referee Dave Richards stopped the bout”. Billy was 36 at the time and had had a good innings and was indebted to fighters like Jimmy Molloy, Billy Watt, Gus Foran, Stan Rowan, Tom Bailey and Gerry Nolan for their interest and sparring help throughout his career.

Alf McEvoy
Ringmaster at the Liverpool Stadium for over 30 years and a former boxing booth fighter. In an article published in the Liverpool Echo in July 1973 it was said that in a city which abounds with fight characters there can be few, if any, who have seen more of boxing in the city and met more fight personalities than Alf McEvoy. Alf was the backstage guy who saw that the ring and all its necessary fittings were in order for the then regular Thursday night shows. Until the Boxing Board of Control inspectors took over the job he worked the scales at the weigh in, helped organise the roster of Referees and saw that the gloves were ready and fitted correctly.

He said of one promoter

"I couldn't stand the sight of working men, regular fans, being told there were no cheap seats left and being talked into buying tickets they couldn't really afford when in fact very few of the lower priced tickets were ever made available"

“I had great pleasure in telling him that because of his mean trick about 150 fans had burst down a door and got in free. I don’t normally condone that sort of thing but this time I wasn’t bothered and never went back there to work”.

Alf who started work at the Liverpool abattoir aged 14 and didn’t retire until he was 77. It was at the abattoir that he had one of his ring outings with a match against a fellow worker. Such was the interest, and the side bets, that Alf had to go down to the local police station in Dale Street and promise they wouldn’t kill each other.Alf won in 8 rounds.

His early boxing experience took place in the early boxing booths, very popular in those days, with people such as Nat Williams. However the war came along and Alf, in 1914, joined the 5th Kings Regiment. He did some boxing at Canterberry before leaving for France where one evening an officer offered to relieve him if he took part in an army boxing show. Alf said “ I told him that to get out of the trench he would box Jack Johnson if necessary”. He then set of on a 20 kilometre walk back to the barracks went straight into the ring and won the six rounder on points.

Alf received a hand wound and returned to Britain . On his return to the war front he was again wounded by the blast from a bomb which he had thrown and then taken prisoner and ended up down a coal mine for the Germans after a short spell in a hospital.

At the end of the war he realised his fight days were at an end and turned to coaching and his opinions and ability were valued by both the amateurs and professionals alike. His first coaching job was at Liverpool University and under his tuition they gained six championships of Great Britain and Ireland. At various times he was also coach to the Liverpool Institute, Caldy Grammer School and the Liverpool Boarding College in Sefton Park. He also coached John Moores the Everton Football Club Chairman who also was later a steward of the boxing Board of Control. Young John, as he was then known, was a first class boxer and not only became Public Schools champion of Great Britain but also captained the Eton School boxing team.

A term which rankled with Alf was “Mugs Alley”, conceived because of the many young hopefuls who would gather in that old part of the Stadium waiting for a late substitution chance.He preferred to call them stand-by-boxers.

When Joe Louis went to Liverpool, as World heavyweight champion, to give exhibitions for the troops Alf recalled a big civic reception where people had difficulty in getting more than a yes or no out of the champion. However Alf had met with Joe in the stadium dressing room and asked him if he would like to meet somebody who had trained with Charlie Blackman – while Charlie had been training to meet Joe Gans. Louis jumped at the chance and was introduced to that old Liverpool favourite Ike Bradley.The pair chattered away freely and Alf believed that Ike had more conversation with Joe than anyone else during his visit.

[granberry]

"Bettina's latest victim was Red Burman, the rugged redhead who made a grand showing against Joe Louis."

I spent about two hours talking to Red Burman during and after a boxing dinner in Baltimore.

He was very impressed with Melio Bettina among the fighters he fought, which included John Henry Lewis, Tommy Farr, Joe Louis, etc.

Toward the end of his career Burman lost a ten round decision to Bettina.

[granberry]

"In the preparatory stages of conflict Fitzsimmons was not inept. Prior to his fight for the light heavyweight championship with Gardner he met his opponent at the weighing. With his whole strength and with utter geniality he slapped Mr. Gardner upon the back, who was almost knocked down by the force of the blow. He came to the ring less confident than he had been. A trick of the trade had robbed him of something. Fitzsimmons however had need of tricks in that contest.

"In the tenth round his hand was knocked into splinters. The bones of the first two knuckles were broken. Gardner stunned by the force of the blow and did not notice this. His seconds however, more observant, told him of it during the rest. Fitzsimmons seeing his opponent glance over suddenly commenced unconcernedly to twiddle his thumbs, though the pain must have been excruciating. In the next five rounds he swung viciously and repeatedly with that maimed right hand, missing carefully each time.

"And it was not until the fifteenth round that Gardner commenced to entertain suspicions that all was not well with that dangerous right. When Fitzsimmons saw this he hit Gardner a tremendous blow with the third and fourth knuckles of it, which convinced Gardner once more that he must have been mistaken. Fitzsimmons won that fight on points purely by tricks of the trade which were only fully understood at its conclusion."

_____________________________________________

Robert,

I always wondered how an old Fitzsimmons could beat George Gardner---as Gardner looked devastating KOing Jack Root in their title fight, which there is a film of.

Thanks for that.

[granberry]

Lots of valuable stuff here, Robert.

Including all the Kid McCoy stuff.

[robert.snell1]

thanks for that mate. The "Kid" was a right one with his tricks and the things he did with Stewart were so funny to read and those at ringside must have looked on in sheer disbelief - unless of course they knew his stunts. By the way I will be doing the last pages on Nelson very shortly.