FROM THE MORGUE
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Copyright 2007 by William A. Mays, Proprietor
February 18, 1882
| EXTRA SULLIVAN WINS! Ryan Unable to Come Up After Nine Terrible Rounds in 26 Minutes. A GRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE BATTLE AND RECORD OF EVENTS PRECEDING IT. A HURRICANE FIGHT! THE JOURNEY TO THE RING, THE BETTING AND THE EPISODES EN ROUTE. Pitching the Ring and Settling the Distinguished Visitors into their places. Terrific Slugging All Around the Circle. Complete Special Telegraphic Description of the Affair by the Police Gazette's Corps of Special Correspondents. |
MISSISSIPPI CITY. Feb. 7–2:48 P. M.
The great battle between the pugilists, Paddy Ryan, of Troy, N. Y. and John L. Sullivan, of Boston, Mass., came off at this place. There was a crowd of about 2,000 persons in attendance. The trains were delayed on the road for three hours, and much impatience was manifested. Every disposition was manifested, however, to work the match out to a satisfactory end, and beyond the usual delays in such cases there was nothing occurred to mar the smoothness of the preliminaries. These were soon settled and the referees were chosen after some further argumentation. Two gentlemen were finally found willing to act, Messrs. Brewster of New Orleans, La., and Hardy, of Vicksburg, Miss. These officials being installed the men and their seconds appeared.
They were greeted with cheers and a wild enthusiasm prevailed. Ryan was seconded by Johnny Roche and Tom Kelly while Joe Goss and Billy Madden acted in the same capacity for Sullivan.
Both men showed the effects of their careful training, and when they walked to the scratch with their seconds to interchange the usual formal civilities, there was a look of courage and determination in the face of either that augured well for a great encounter. The first round marked the character of the fight as a rusher from the word go. There was little time wasted by either man. They got at their heavy work from the start and it was hammer and slug right through.
Early in the fight Sullivan won the first blood by a clipping blow that left its mark and resounded with a sickening thud all around the ring.
He followed this by a clean knock down blow that carried Ryan off of his feet and laid him prone his full length on the ground. The excitement was very great at this point, and the Sullivan crowd burst out into loud cheers.
Paddy was game throughout, and came up like the Trojan he is before the sledge-hammer blows of his antagonist, getting in with vigor and a gameness that were declared admirable on all hands. He was making a gallant fight in every respect, but after the fifth round it was detected by his friends that Sullivan's blows were telling the more severely. Ryan showed signs of distress, but was prompt in his response to the call of time, his friends, who were present in great numbers, cheering him on with wild cries and points of advice in regard to the aiming and landing of his blows.
He kept his head well and fought a tactical battle, but his opponent's rushes were terrific, and left him no alternative but to be with him in the sledge-hammer business. After the sixth round in which Sullivan delivered some of his most powerful blows in rapid succession with but light return, it was evident that Ryan was losing ground rapidly, and thereafter it was a foregone conclusion that Sullivan must win. Nine desperate rounds had been fought in twenty-six minutes, when on the call for the tenth the gallant Trojan was unable to respond to the call. All that his seconds could do for him could not bring him into trim to face his opponent at the scratch within the stipulated time, and the fight was therefore awarded to Sullivan.
Throughout Ryan made a gallant fight and bore his punishment manfully. He was terribly punished and showed the signs of it in his body and head. No man could have borne such a succession of terrible blows with a better grace.
Mr. Richard K. Fox, of the POLICE GAZETTE, on hearing that Ryan had lost the battle immediately telegraphed him: "Dear Paddy–Am sorry you lost the fight. Can I do anything for you? Am willing to back you again for $5,000." Mr. Fox also telegraphed his representative in New Orleans to make offers to Ryan of all the services he desired and to give him all the comforts money could buy.
The great battle between the pugilists, Paddy Ryan, of Troy, N. Y. and John L. Sullivan, of Boston, Mass., came off at this place. There was a crowd of about 2,000 persons in attendance. The trains were delayed on the road for three hours, and much impatience was manifested. Every disposition was manifested, however, to work the match out to a satisfactory end, and beyond the usual delays in such cases there was nothing occurred to mar the smoothness of the preliminaries. These were soon settled and the referees were chosen after some further argumentation. Two gentlemen were finally found willing to act, Messrs. Brewster of New Orleans, La., and Hardy, of Vicksburg, Miss. These officials being installed the men and their seconds appeared.
They were greeted with cheers and a wild enthusiasm prevailed. Ryan was seconded by Johnny Roche and Tom Kelly while Joe Goss and Billy Madden acted in the same capacity for Sullivan.
Both men showed the effects of their careful training, and when they walked to the scratch with their seconds to interchange the usual formal civilities, there was a look of courage and determination in the face of either that augured well for a great encounter. The first round marked the character of the fight as a rusher from the word go. There was little time wasted by either man. They got at their heavy work from the start and it was hammer and slug right through.
Early in the fight Sullivan won the first blood by a clipping blow that left its mark and resounded with a sickening thud all around the ring.
He followed this by a clean knock down blow that carried Ryan off of his feet and laid him prone his full length on the ground. The excitement was very great at this point, and the Sullivan crowd burst out into loud cheers.
Paddy was game throughout, and came up like the Trojan he is before the sledge-hammer blows of his antagonist, getting in with vigor and a gameness that were declared admirable on all hands. He was making a gallant fight in every respect, but after the fifth round it was detected by his friends that Sullivan's blows were telling the more severely. Ryan showed signs of distress, but was prompt in his response to the call of time, his friends, who were present in great numbers, cheering him on with wild cries and points of advice in regard to the aiming and landing of his blows.
He kept his head well and fought a tactical battle, but his opponent's rushes were terrific, and left him no alternative but to be with him in the sledge-hammer business. After the sixth round in which Sullivan delivered some of his most powerful blows in rapid succession with but light return, it was evident that Ryan was losing ground rapidly, and thereafter it was a foregone conclusion that Sullivan must win. Nine desperate rounds had been fought in twenty-six minutes, when on the call for the tenth the gallant Trojan was unable to respond to the call. All that his seconds could do for him could not bring him into trim to face his opponent at the scratch within the stipulated time, and the fight was therefore awarded to Sullivan.
Throughout Ryan made a gallant fight and bore his punishment manfully. He was terribly punished and showed the signs of it in his body and head. No man could have borne such a succession of terrible blows with a better grace.
Mr. Richard K. Fox, of the POLICE GAZETTE, on hearing that Ryan had lost the battle immediately telegraphed him: "Dear Paddy–Am sorry you lost the fight. Can I do anything for you? Am willing to back you again for $5,000." Mr. Fox also telegraphed his representative in New Orleans to make offers to Ryan of all the services he desired and to give him all the comforts money could buy.
