They were pushed back into the ring and immediately resumed their wrestling tactics. In a mix Nelson drove his right twice to the face and a right to the mouth at close quarters, sending Gans to his corner with blood streaming from his mouth.
A TWIST OF THE ARM.
Round 17—Nelson landed his left on mouth and they went to a clinch. Siler cautioned Nelson against hitting low. Nelson swung his right to the kidneys and they wrestled about the ring, during which Gans worked in a left uppercut to the mouth and a moment later applied a similar punch.
Gans, after Nelson had twisted his arm, sent the Battler back with two hard short-arm right jolts to the face and a moment later shot his right to the wind.
Both men rested on their oars for some time and the round ended with honors a bit in Nelson’s favor.
THE EIGHTEENTH TAME.
Round 18—Gans rushed in with straight right to face and Nelson swung two lefts to the negro’s face. Siler warned Nelson about using his head. Gans blocked Nelson’s lefts cleverly and the latter again bent down.
Nelson sent in two left swings to the face, but Gans retaliated with two stinging rights to the face. Wrestling continued and Gans drove Nelson against the ropes with two right smashes to the face.
Nelson nearly went to the floor, Gans backing away and at the end of the round Gans got in a good right punch to the Dane’s face. The men did not hear the gong ring and were pulled to their seats by their seconds. It was a tame round.
TACTICS OF A GOAT.
Round 19—Siler warned Nelson once more for butting and laid his hand on Nelson’s head twice as a reminder that the Dane should cut out this kind of work. Nelson continued to butt and Siler stepped in and pulled Nelson from his reclining position.
The men remained in a locked position, Gans resting and Bat wrestling. Finally Gans sent Nelson back with right and left jolts to the jaw, staggering Nelson.
Just before the gong rang Gans sent in a left and two stiff rights to the jaw and Nelson put in a right on the head. There was more wrestling than fighting in this round and derogatory comments were passed around the ringside.
VOLLEY OF RIGHTS AND LEFTS.
Round 20—The men rushed together and Siler grabbed Nelson by the head, indicating that the Dane should cease boring in with his head. Gans straightened Nelson up with two lefts to jaw and Nelson landed several lefts to the body.
An exchange followed, both landing lefts to the chin. Nelson pushed Gans almost to the ropes and then missed a left for the face.
In a clinch Nelson landed a severe left uppercut to jaw and they mixed, Gans putting right and left to the jaw. He followed his advantage and sent a volley of right and left swings to the jaw as the round closed.
In the Thrilla in Manila, the famous apocalyptic struggle between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, Ali remarked after ten rounds that it was “the closest thing to dying.” At the 20-round point in Goldfield they had fought twice as long as had Ali when he made his famous backhanded compliment to Frazier and his left hook. Gasping for air, throwing up between rounds, intent on destroying each other, the lightweight giants battled on under the scalding Nevada sun. At this point, both fighters may wonder, “You are going to die anyway, why must the Grim Reaper get both of us?”
ALL RIGHT STILL.
Round 21—Nelson came up as though nothing had happened. His left eye was badly swollen and his right discolored. They fought to a clinch, and Gans poked right and left to the face.
Gans then sent in a stiff uppercut over the eye. Nelson sent in two right body punches, and at close range Gans hooked his left to the mouth. Then they stood off and Gans trimmed Nelson beautifully with straight rights to face and a left to the jaw.
Nelson missed two vicious swings and Gans shot in a straight left to the face as the gong rang. Gans had a shade the better.
ONCE MORE THEY FOUGHT.
Round 22—Gans sent a straight left to the face, and Nelson retaliated with a left hook to abdomen. Nelson drove a straight right punch against Gans’ ribs, and then wrestled Gans to the ropes.
Mixing it, Gans worked in two right uppercuts to the body. They again leaped shoulder to shoulder and did little more than wrestle, Nelson pushing Gans almost through the ropes. This thing continued.
Finally Gans rushed Nelson away, and smashed him twice with his right to the jaw. He followed this with two lefts to the Dane’s head simultaneously with the gong. This was the only time during the round that the men had fought, and Gans had the advantage.
NELSON’S CLEAR ADVANTAGE.
Round 23—They rushed to clinch, and Siler warned Nelson constantly about boring in with his head. Gans then crossed with his right to the jaw. Then Nelson drove his left twice to the eyes after the colored man had put two lefts to the face.
At close quarters Nelson put two good rights over the negro’s heart, and then followed the usual course of wrestling. They broke away, and Nelson staggered Gans with a succession of hard left swings to the jaw and several hard rights to same place.
Gans did not respond, and Nelson sent the crowd into a frenzy by driving Gans to his corner with a right hook to the body that was a peach. The crowd rose to its feet at the end of the round and yelled “Nelson! Nelson!” It was the Dane’s round.
RIGHT AFTER THE BLACK MAN.
Round 24—Nelson went right after Gans, having received instructions from his corner to go in. They roughed it, and at close quarters Nelson swung his left and right to the face.
Nelson smiled determinedly, and gave Gans no chance to rest. He swung his left hard to the jaw, but Gans retaliated with two wicked right uppercuts to the jaw. Nelson then missed two vicious left uppercuts and they worked in close.
Nelson drove Gans back to the ropes and put in two lefts to the body before Gans clinched. They both missed left swings and a rally followed, Gans landing repeatedly on Nelson’s face. Nelson had a shade the better of it.
GIVE AND TAKE HERE.
Round 25—Nelson rushed and swung his right to the ear. They fought and wrestled at close quarters, Nelson breaking away, sent his left to abdomen, and then drove his right to the jaw. He then sent two short-arm jolts to the face, and a moment later whipped a left to the face.
Nelson rocked the negro’s head with right and left to the jaw. He followed this with two rights and a left to the jaw. Gans awoke from his apparent somnolence, and more than evened up matters by hammering viciously Nelson’s face with right and left punches.
They went close, and just before the bell rang Gans shot his left to the face. Gans was a bit worsted earlier in the round, but had the better of the closing rally.
Marathon runners reach a point they refer to as “the wall,” where the body is out of energy and must literally consume itself in order to keep moving forward. Gans, depleted already from making the weight, somehow had gone over the wall, to a place where mortals do not dare. The shadows on the old film of the match grew taller than the fighters themselves.
JOE’S MARVELOUS DEFENSE.
Round 26—Nelson forced Gans to the ropes, but could not penetrate Gans’ marvelous defense while in dangerous positions. They wrestled again about the ring, Gans resting up.
Nelson landed a hard right swing on the head, but two left swings for the same place went glimmering. Then the fighters sparred and Gans landed a left swing over the mouth and followed it with three straight lefts to the face.
Then followed the inevitable clinch emerging from which Nelson uppercut Gans on the jaw with the left. Both men appeared tired at this stage of the contest. It seemed hard to predict the winner at this time.
BOTH MEN TIRED.
Round 27—Gans sparred, while Nelson wasted his vitality with useless swings. Nelson pushed Gans against the ropes, and the latter, working himself free, sent his left to Nelson’s mouth.
Nelson missed a hard left swing and in a mix Joe put in two light rights to the face. Nelson retaliated with two straight lefts to face, the last one sending Gans’ head back.
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Gans then cut loose. He drove his left to the abdomen with terrific force and then drove right and left to jaw. Nelson, maddened, fought back viciously and gave the negro more than he had received as the round terminated. It was an even round, with both men tired.
HEGEWISCH BOY GROGGY.
Round 28—Gans jabbed Nelson on the mouth with his left and Nelson butted the colored man with his head. Nelson then put left and right to the jaw and shortly afterward swung his left to the body and right and left to the jaw.
Then they closed in and Nelson drove Joe to the ropes with left hook to the face. The men wrestled to the center of the ring and Gans sent two right swings to the face.
Nelson tried to wrestle Gans to the ropes and Gans, like a rejuvenated man, drove Nelson back with several fearful clouts to the jaw, the first of which sent Nelson to the center of the ring, halfway across it. Gans kept at his man when he was groggy and the bell clanged and was welcomed as he went to his corner.
BATTLER PEPPERED AGAIN.
Round 29—Nelson rushed to close quarters, apparently as strong as ever. He followed Gans about the ring, but failed to land. Nelson’s recuperative powers seemed almost superhuman.
The men wrestled and roughed it in the middle of the ring and exchanged right swings to jaw. Gans then cut loose again and mercilessly peppered Nelson’s face and jaw with right and left jolts.
Nelson merely shook his head and wrestled the black man to the ropes. Gans repeated, permitting Nelson to waste his energy trying to land. Gans was against the ropes as the bell sounded. It was Gans’ round.
THREE CHEERS FOR GANS.
Round 30—They fell against each other and Siler again warned Nelson to cease fighting with his head. They then fought at close quarters, Nelson doing all the work, but not landing.
Gans then put in two right uppercuts and then stalled and rested, apparently with a view of saving his strength. It is in this manner that Gans displayed his great generalship. Gans then put in a right uppercut to Nelson’s mouth, and the Dane missed several vicious left and right swings for the jaw.
As the bell rang Nelson deliberately hit Gans, and the crowd went to its feet in a storm of protest. Someone started three cheers for the negro, which drew forth a rousing response.
After 30 rounds the two men had been throwing and catching powerful blows for almost two hours. Imagine your child is having a seizure and you pick him up, then run ten city blocks to the nearest emergency room. Your heart is racing from fear and exertion. That is roughly the equivalent of the exertion of boxers in one torrid round. It is quite possible that both Gans and Nelson are in a state of clinical delirium at this point, but their bodies are trained to fight on with or without their minds. Dehydrated, battered and bloody, the gladiators may or may not really know where they are.
SURVIVAL OF FITTEST.
Round 31—Gans cleverly blocked Nelson’s attempts to land wild swings and again tested, permitting the younger man to do all the work.
Again Siler told Nelson to quit butting, and they went to close quarters wrestling and stalling. The men wrestled for fully a minute without a blow being struck.
Gans sent Nelson’s head back with a straight left to the face. The men were locked in a clinch as the bell rang. The fight apparently has settled down to a question of the survival of the fittest.
GONG SAVED NELSON.
Round 32—Gans danced away from the Dane’s leads and as usual closed in on Nelson’s initiative. Siler again and again spoke to Nelson about using his head on the negro’s chin. Again came the almost interminable clinching and wrestling.
Finally Nelson swung a hard right to the jaw and quickly followed it with a left swing to the same place. Nelson’s left eye was badly swollen and almost closed. Gans sent Nelson back with two straight lefts and three rights to Nelson’s sore eye.
Gans caught Nelson a terrific clip on the jaw with a right hook and then sent in a dazing left to the face. Again the gong brought relief to Nelson and saved him from almost sure defeat.
BAT’S FACE LIKE JELLY.
Round 33—They closed in, Nelson butting with his head. Gans peppered Nelson’s face to a jelly with terrific right swings. Nelson’s left eye was entirely closed.
Nelson punched Gans to the ropes and they fought at close range, Gans resting and saving his strength. Nelson bled profusely as the men worked to the center of the ring. It was a sight to behold.
Gans sent Nelson back with a left to the jaw. Both were very weak as the gong sounded, Nelson for the first time showing great weariness. It was Gans’ round. It was claimed that Gans had turned his foot in this round, which may seriously incapitate [sic] him for the remainder of the contest.
PURELY A WRESTLING BEE.
Round 34—The men wrestled and stalled in the middle of the ring, both seeming content to rest up. This thing continued, neither landing a blow.
It was wrestle, stall, wrestle and stall again. Nelson forced Gans to the ropes and received right and left swing on the head.
Nelson worked in two short-arm lefts to the abdomen and both men wrestled, Gans nearly putting Nelson through the ropes. Nelson appeared very tired. Joe was the fresher of the two as the round closed the wrestling match.
TIRED, TIRED, TIRED.
Round 35—The sun was now going down. It was the same old story—wrestle, stall and rest without a blow being struck.
Gans finally ripped in a straight left to the jaw and again they rested each other’s head against one another’s shoulders. Gans put in a right uppercut that lacked force and they went quickly to a clinch.
Both men tottered about the ring, not landing a blow. Nelson at close quarters worked two left short-arm blows to face and the bell closed a very slow and tiresome round.
In the 33rd round, Gans had actually broken his right hand, but feigned having twisted his ankle so that the Dane wouldn’t suspect the handicap and take advantage of it. The warriors at this point may be thinking of the beautiful Valkeries who take the fallen heroes off to Valhalla. How else could they still be fighting?
In a show of sportsmanship, Gans, with a broken hand, helps Battling Nelson to his feet under the torrid Nevada sun after knocking him through the ropes. In return, Nelson kicked at Gans’ shins. A copy of this photograph, which was taken during the fight by the Miles Brothers in the 34th round of their 1906 fight, later hung over the bar at Gans’ Goldfield Hotel in Baltimore (courtesy Tracy Callis, boxing historian).
DUCKED AND GOT AWAY.
Round 36—Both sparred and then Gans started something with a straight right to the face. Again the wrestling was on.
Nelson missed a forceful uppercut intended for the jaw, and for a brief moment it looked as if the men were going to fight, but such was not the case. Gans cleverly ducked a right swing and then ran into a right hook over the heart.
Nelson hooked a left to the abdomen, and at close quarters got his right lightly to the jaw. Nelson pushed Gans against the ropes, and Gans just did step out of the way of a right uppercut.
THE CHAMPION OBJECTED.
Round 37—Nelson was again told to stop fighting with his head, Gans vigorously objecting to Siler against this style of scrapping.
The men again went to the wrestling stunts and Nelson swung his left for the jaw that missed its mark by 3 feet. They leaned up against each other and few attempts to strike a blow were made.
Then Gans whipped a powerful left to the wind and they clinched. Both men were very careful. Gans woke up the crowd by catching Nelson within long distance and putting in several straight lefts to the face. Then came the rest.
VERY RESTFUL ROUND.
Round 38—Nelson rushed in and Gans backed up quickly, trying to keep the Dane at a distance and force him to spar at long range.
Gans complained to Siler about Nelson resting his head on Gans’ chin and shoulders. Nelson swung a left to the jaw, and after a clinch Gans put in two rights to the Dane’s face. Both men were leg weary and stalled and clinched as
much as they could.
It was next to impossible to get the Dane to fight at long range. Gans likewise seemed perfectly content to ease up and rest.
A GOOD EYE SHUT UP.
Round 39—Gans jabbed his left twice to the face before Nelson could get to close quarters. Then followed stalling and wrestling, which was broken up by Gans punching Nelson viciously over the heart with right.
Gans followed this with two straight rights to the face, and again it looked as if the deadlock would be broken. It was only a flash in the pan, however, and the men resumed the tiresome stalling, Nelson being the chief offender.
Joe Gans Page 23