Joe Gans vs. Joe Elliott (1st meeting)
Joe Gans 127 lbs beat Joe Elliott 125 lbs by KO in round 9 of 25
- Date: 1895-10-21
- Location: Eureka Athletic Club, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Referee: Richard Roberts
ELLIOTT KNOCKED OUT.
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Joseph Gans, the Clever Colored Man, Does It by a Strange Blow.
Joseph Gans, the clever Baltimore colored light-weight, and Joseph Elliott, a boy who has proved himself one of the best of his class, met at the Eureka Athletic Club last night and Gans won. The amphitheatre was comfortably filled.
Gans had won over 99 per cent. of his fights and Elliott had not been defeated. Some of the cracks in the arena have met each of these lads and have met defeat.
The set-to was made for twenty-five rounds. Gans did his work in nine rounds.
At 3 o'clock yesterday Gans weighed 126 1/2 pounds, and Elliott weighed 124 1/2 on the scales at Rowland's bath, in the Equitable Bulding.
The fight was a strange one. Elliott was slightly favorite among the sports. He was in fine form, but he was knocked out. Up to the time he got the knockout blow he was as fresh and strong as when he entered the ring.
The knockout blow was one the like of which seldom occur in the ring. Gans led for the body with his right hand, and Elliott dropped his left to stop it and tried to counter with his right. Gans ducked and let his left hand go. It struck Elliott on the right shoulder and glanced upward, touching Elliott's jaw and landing firmly on his forehead.
Elliott stepped back and turned, then he fell and was counted out. Up to the time the blow was delivered there was little choice between the two men. The fight by rounds was as follows:
First Round--Elliott led first, after a half minute's sparring. He missed. Gans led and landed lightly on the nose. After a little fiddling Elliott mashed Gans's ribs, but the blow was not hard.
Second--A minute was spent in sparring, then Elliott led and missed. No damage was done and no blow was hit that hurt.
Third--Both were wary. Elliott got in lightly on the face and landed his right on the body. Gans reached Elliott's head, but little resulted from the round. It looked as if the men could fight one hundred and twenty-five rounds at the pace they had adopted.
Fourth-Elliott landed on the face. Then Gans landed on Eliott's jaw lightly. Gans then caught Elliott on the face as Elliott was rushing. Cautious sparring ensued to the finish of the round, and honors were even.
Fifth--Gans backed to his corner and did good sparring. Neither landed a blow in the first minute. They went to the centre and Elliott hit Gans in the jaw a hard blow. The colored lad caught Elliott in the ribs just as the gong sounded.
Sixth--Both men were as fresh as at the start, the slow fighting had not affected either. Elliott's left jawbone showed a bruise, and Gans's upper lip was slightly cut. Only a few harmless leads were made.
Seventh--Gans landed on Elliott's face, then they sparred for a minute, when Gans again landed on the head. Elliott got in on Gans's body just as time was called.
Eighth--Elliott got in on the body and repeated the dose, sending Joe to the ropes. In a mix Elliott was knocked back two feet. He countered the blow which did it, but the counter was a little late. Both were still fresh, no one having gotten any appreciable advantage, though Elliott had done the better fighting.
Ninth--After a minute's fighting Gans landed a slanting hit on the jaw and Elliott turned and fell and was out. The strange blow was delivered at the end of the second minute of the round.
--The Sun, 1895-10-22.