Gunboat Smith

[robsnell]

Oakland Tribune 28 Dec 1912

 

Moran No Longer On List Of White Hopes

 

Gunboat Smith Wallops Pittsburg Boy In

One Sided Battle; No Knockout

 

 

Scratch Frank Moran’s entry in the white hope stakes and substitute Jim Buckley's able seaman, "Gunboat" Smith.

 

Over at Dreamland rink across the bay last night the Gunboat gave Moran one of the most artistic rimmings landed a boxer in this section in many a long day. The scrap went the full twenty rounds but there was never a round that could be called Moran's. Right from the tap of the gong Smith started to give the red topped Plttsburg lad a boxing lesson, and he kept up the good work until Moran was wobbling about the ring when the final bell rang.

 

Smith landed his opponent every variety of wallop known to the "profesh" while Moran did not connect solidly more than three times during the twenty rounds. It was a good scrap but would have been a whole lot more interesting had Moran stood up and boxed Instead of covering and clinching at every opportunity.

 

The Pittsburg lad had fifteen pounds weight advantage over the Gunner and he started with a lot of confidence. For one and a half rounds he stood up and boxed fairly well, but when Smith floored him with a wicked right cross towards the end of the second period Moran changed his tactics and Indulged In a lot of the Frank Gotch stuff. From this point until the finish Smith chased the red head all over the ring.

 

He hooked, jabbed and uppercut his man with unerring skill, while Moran's wild swings came neared connecting with the chandelier than any part of the Smith after the knock-down in the early part of the scrap and he entertained so much respect for the Smith right hand thereafter that the Gunboat actually feinted him out of the ring in the fourteenth round. The Gunner, who was the aggressor at all times, forced Moran across the ring and as his man reached the ropes Smith feinted with his left. Frank thought he saw another right cross coming

his way and he went clear through the ropes before Smith had a chance to deliver.

 

This was Moran's second excursion from the ring. In the fourth round Smith drove Moran to the ropes and as he landed a stiff left to the body both men fell from the ring among the members of the press In the first row.

 

The Gunboats showing last night was a revelation. When he left here to tackle the eastern "hopes" all the Gunner had was a stiff right hand punch and a great dislike for punishment. Last night the ex-seaman showed as pretty a left hand as there is in the business In fact, the Gunner used his left hand almost exclusively and he also demonstrated that he has a stout heart and can assimilate punishment. Coming out of a clinch In the sixth round Moran landed a wild swing on Smith's left ear which sent the Gunner staggering.

 

The gallery boy’s immediately took up the cry "there he goes, watch him dog it," but they were fooled this time. Smith dropped into a clinch and when his head cleared he proceeded to inflict summary damage on the Moran’s head. This was the only damaging punch delivered by Moran during the scrap but It served to show that Manager Jim Buckley has worked wonders with Smith and that the Gunner is now as game as the proverbial pebble.

 

The Gunboat started execution in the first round with his left hand and he soon had the claret flowing from Moran's nose, Frank had grabbed a hunch from somewhere that he could stand up and box with his opponent and he seemed willing enough to take a punch to land one. It was a foolish policy, as Smith is much faster on his feet than Moran, and is much cleverer boxer. The Gunner kept popping In left hooks with great regularity, meantime keeping his right In reserve. Moran apparently came to the conclusion that the much heralded Smith right hand punch was a myth, as he lowered his left arm in the second round to see what Smith could do.

 

The guard was dropped only for a moment but Smith was quick to grab the opportunity and Moran went to the floor from a right cross. Frank took the count of nine and arose grogy. This was the end of the fancy boxing on Moran's part, as he was advised from his corner to use his weight and rough it with his lighter opponent. To the surprise of the crowd the Gunner proved some bear himself at the rough stuff. In the clinches he kept shooting up wicked right and left uppercuts which found Moran's chin every time and sent his head bade with a jerk. The Gunner never displayed any uppercuts In his previous bouts here and no one over suspected him of having such an assortment of wallops concealed about his person.

 

In the fifth round Gunboat caught Smith on the right eye with a left jab and drew the curtains over that optic. It was in the sixth that Moran did the most damage but when Smith got his face In the wav of the punch he was dazed as a result of a head-on collision which left a big gash In his forehead from which the blood flowed freely. Smith kept on piling up points till the eleventh round, when be almost put his man away after forcing Moran to break ground Smith found an opening for his right and popped it to the red head's face. Moran staggered across the ring and as he reached the ropes Smith shoved over another right. Only the ropes kept Moran from falling down and the bell came to his aid. Again in the fourteenth round Smith had his man groggy with left hand jabs, but Moran weathered the storm and went to his corner a very tired boxer Right here Moran came to the conclusion that he was up against too much class and for the balance of the fight he contented himself with protecting his good looks against the onslaught of the Gunner, clinching at every opportunity. With the exception of half a dozen wild swings which punched holes In the atmosphere Moran did not unbutton a blow In the Last five rounds.

 

The final analysis of the scrap is that Smith had twenty out of twenty rounds; that the Gunner is 100 per cent better scrapper than when he left here to go East, that he Is not "yellow"; that Moran has no control over his "goat" and that the Pittsburg boy will have to be eliminated from the contenders for the heavyweight championship.

[LondonRingRules]

Re: Gunboat Smith

 

Oakland Tribune 28 Dec 1912

 

Moran No Longer On List Of White Hopes

 

Gunboat Smith Wallops Pittsburg Boy In

One Sided Battle; No Knockout

 

............Pittsburg boy will have to be eliminated from the contenders for the heavyweight championship.

 

-------- Just goes to show how much writers really know.

 

In spite of pastings by Gunboat and Luther McCarty, Moran got to challenge Jack Johnson and Willard for their titles. In fact, he was able to put up a good scrap against Johnson compared to his weak efforts against Gunner and McCarty.

[Wheelchair]

Great piece Rob :-)