Cap's New and Improved Alternate Universe

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Excerpted from The Australian Star - March 1896....The Olympia Athletic Club of Sydney attempted to organize a tournament to fill the vacant Australasian heavyweight championship following the death of Harry Laing only to see it fall apart due to injuries and disputes over purses and match ups....In the end the club chose former champion Joe Goddard and Armidale's Billy McColl to fight for the title at Sydney Stadium....Seeing no obvious challenger capable of drawing a large purse to defend his Empire Championship Corrie Sanders sails back home to South Africa to tend to his cattle and sheep farm in Eastern Cape province....Graduates of the Sydney Boxing Academy continue to forge ahead in the professional ranks pulling in good crowds in Sydney, Melbourne, and other boxing-mad cities on the East Coast...Among the top prospects are Bill Squires, Des Quinlan, Fred Preston and Sid Russell...Owen Sullivan follows his win over Bill Doherty with a scheduled match against Mick Dooley at the Gaiety Athletic Hall in Sydney sharing the card with a rematch between Tim Murphy and Jimmy Henry.....

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Collection of headlines from various North American newspapers....James J Jeffries to make the first defence of his world heavyweight championship against number one challenger Robert "Bob" Fitzsimmons of Australia at the Los Angeles Athletic Club's new 3,000 seat indoor arena....Jeffries weighed in at 210 lbs and Fitzsimmons 178....The two men will split 75% of the gross receipts with 60% to the winner and 40% to the loser in addition to a 65-35 split of the purse put up by the club as well as side wagers amounting to some $15,000....Both men have elected to wear soft bandages and use regulation five ounce gloves provided by the club....Hiram Cook has agreed to referee the bout and will receive $500 for his services....The only preliminary will be a 10 round fight between Big Joe McAuliffe and 'Fightin' Joe' Millett both of San Francisco....Fitzsimmons will have retired veteran Hank Griffin in his corner along with his usual chief second while Jeffries will have Bill Delaney and his brother Jack Jeffries in his....

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International headlines reporting the Jeffries-Fitzsimmons fight....Jeffries knocked out Fitzsimmons in the 11th round to retain his IBU world title ....Fitzsimmons was down a total of three times over the course of the fight while a slip by Jeff was ruled a knockdown....Time of knockout was 2 minutes fifty-eight seconds of round eleven....Fitz had to be carried to his corner and revived before he was able to make his way to his dressing room on his own steam there to be examined by a local physician....He had a broken left hand, a cut over his left eye and two badly bruised ribs....In the preliminary Joe Millett forced a stoppage of Big Joe McAuliffe in round three as the big man hung on the ropes....A second preliminary filled in with Oxnard heavyweight Sam McVea knocking out New York's Con Tobin in two rounds...

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Clipped from The Cleveland Courier - April 1896....Peter Jackson has reportedly taken the losses to Johnson and Bivins very hard and has decided to leave the country to return to Australia....Jimmy Bivins issues a challenge to Jack Johnson following the latter's unexciting win over the veteran George Godfrey at Tattersall's Arena....Bivins is one of the only prominent black heavyweights still active that Johnson hasn't beaten....After ten hard rounds of slugging Mike Schreck was given the decision over hometown favourite John Willie a result that proved very unpopular with the crowd....James J Corbett has announced his retirement from the ring after losing on points to Sandy Ferguson the New Brunswick fighter at Coney Island but few take him seriously.....Corbett polled press ringsiders and claimed the vast majority scored the fight for him....

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IBU World Rankings courtesy of Mitt Slingers Magazine - April 1896....Shortly before going to press the IBU informed concerned parties of a small change due to the win at the NSC by England's Jack Scales over George Gardiner of Eire....The manager of Corrie Sanders has wired a challenge to Jim Jeffries through his manager W.A. Brady to meet at New York in three months time with the world title belt at stake Marquis of Queensberry Rules with a side wager of $3,000 and a $2,500 forfeit to be posted at the offices of the New York Evening World....Jack Johnson has wired challenges to Jeffries and Bob Fitzsimmons ignoring the one issued by Jimmy Bivins....In Toronto George Chuvalo bumped into John Scholes outside the Mutual Street Arena and offered him a shot at the NABF title with $5,000 up for grabs to the winner....Scholes told Chuvalo to speak to his manager....

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Cut-out from The Toronto Telegram - May 1896....The EBU championship has changed hands with the stunning 4th round knockout of Roberto Damiani (28-10-0) by French idol Raymond Berenger (16-0) in front of a vociferous black-tie crowd at the Palais De Sport in Cannes....Although favoured by French books Berenger had been expected to win on points not by KO...At the New York Athletic Club in the semi windup Toronto's Ross Delaney (16-0-1) won a clear decision over the veteran Mexican Pete Everett (28-11-0)....In the main go Florida's Ray Mercer (24-10-2) stopped Toronto's Jack Stewart (18-4-2) in the 8th round of their 10 rounder...At Tattersall's in Chicago Denver Ed Martin (25-5-2) was dropped twice but still managed to get George Siler's nod over Jack Fallon (16-13-4) who had been unbeaten in his previous 11 fights....

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P.S. Berenger is pronounced Bare-ahn-zhay.

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From The Chicago Daily News - June 1896....Bob Fitzsimons says he's been contacted by the Sanders camp to help train the big South Afrikan for his fight with Jeffries but has not decided one way or the other....Jack Johnson comments in the Chicago press he expects Jim Jeffries to make short work of Corrie Sanders leaving the way open for himself later this year or early next....Mike Schreck is trying to lure Tommy Burns down from Canada to meet him in Chicago if his challenge to Gus Ruhlin is ignored but local boy John Willie wants another crack at the Cincinnati Dutchman....

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Cutting from The Ballarat Independent - June 1896....Peter Jackson earns a sloppy decision over an out-of-shape Joe Goddard in front of a huge crowd at Sydney Stadium...Both men are cautioned for excessive clinching and hitting after the bell and Goddard loses points for low blows....South Afrika's Bakari Olokun fails to impress with a narrow decision over a stale-looking Steve O'Donnell....Bill Doherty surprises the mob by holding off rising star Des Quinlan and forcing a stoppage by referee Arthur Scott....Sid Russell looks good in dominating veteran Ned Callahan before knocking him cold inside the distance....

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Excerpt from The Detroit Tribune - July 1896.....Jack Johnson blunts the attacks of Bob Fitzsimmons and lands enough hard blows to take the decision of referee Eddie Graney....In Boston Sandy Ferguson hands Tom Sharkey a terrific beating over ten fast rounds and cops a popular decision....Gus Ruhlin survives a hot start by Mike Schreck to come on at the end to earn a draw and save his American title....Canadian champion John Scholes punishes an out-of-shape George Chuvalo forcing a halt in the tenth round by referee Joe Francis and winning the NABF title belt...Chuvalo is badly cut about the eyes and the fight deteriorates into a wrestling match with an exhausted Chuvalo thrown to the canvas....The former champion congratulates Scholes and apologizes for underestimating him and failing to train properly....

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Advert in The New York Evening World....

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Excerpt from Mitt Slingers Magazine - August 1896 issue...article by George Siler discusses the emerging young prospects led by California-born Sam McVea and Al Kaufman....article by W.A. Hewitt highlights the accomplishments of Canadian-born pugilists and their rankings by the IBU...article by British sports journalist Robert Underwood covers the ring history of South Afrika's Corrie Sanders and considers his chances of taking the world title belt from James Jeffries....

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Clippings from various publications prior to the big fight....George Siler has excused himself from acting as referee citing a recurrence of an old ailment...Harry Corbett, noted sportsman and gambler and brother of the former champion, has stepped into the breach....Attendance is expected to top twelve thousand as ticket sales have been brisk....The editor of Mitt Slingers Magazine has opined that he has never seen the champion in such fine condition and expects a terrific battle....Several unsavoury types from the notorious burg of Coaltown have been spotted around the challenger's camp and their captain, one Aloysius "Babe" Halloran, has put up $20,000 on Sanders to win.....Metropolitan Police Inspector Norbert has declared no firearms will be allowed inside the venue and, "...any of the usual vagrants, low-lifes, punks, and hooligans will find the toe of my boot up their arse if I catch them within a hundred yards of the hall..."....A six round preliminary has been arranged between Morris Harris the Boston slugger and Fred Woods of Philadelphia....Jeffries and Sanders will be fighting for 75% of the gate and a split of the $15,000 purse put up by the Metropolitan A.C....James Corbett, Jack Johnson, and local criminal boss Edward 'Monk' Eastman all favour Jeffries while Bob Fitzsimmons, Jack Munroe, Tom Sharkey and vaudeville impresario Tony Pastor side with the big South Afrikan...

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Clipped from The Los Angeles Herald - August 1896....Jim Jeffries dishes it out and takes plenty in return as he claims the referee's decision after fifteen bloody rounds at Coney Island...Corbett scores it 9 rounds for Jeffries 5 rounds for Corrie Sanders and one even....Corbett said later,"There was no feeling out rounds. They went at it hammer and tong from the first bell to the last. I never saw such a scrap and I've seen plenty. The fans got their money's worth tonight." ....In the only preliminary Morris Harris knocked out Fred Woods at 2:10 of round five....Sanders' supporters shouted his name to the rafters and cheered him even when the decision went against him...Jeffries suffered some damage to his right eye and left cheekbone and announced to the press gathered in his dressing room that he would not fight again for some months and would likely defend against one of his optional opponents possibly Sandy Ferguson or Denver Ed Martin....Sanders is nursing a broken left hand and plans on taking some time off at a friend's farm outside Montreal....

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An excerpt from The Barnsley Earwigger - August 1896....Daily paper of record for the town of Barnsley in South Yorkshire....Their slogan 'All the News Wot 'appened Elsewhere'....Germany's Ludwig Schuhmann bounces back from his poor showing against Herr Placke some months ago with a splendid effort against Eire's former European champion George Gardiner.....England's Jack Scales runs into a mountain of beef 'n bone from Turkey called Abdul Mahmoud and fails to stop him but wins every round by a wide margin....Manchester's Joe Beckett gives Gunner Hollis the London heavyweight a right pasting before knocking him flat on his face in the seventh round.....

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Clipping from The Australian Star - September 1896....In the space of a few weeks several of the once top names of Australasian boxing fell before the colonies' young tigers with Frank Slavin, Joe Goddard, Tut Ryan, Mick Dooley and the great Peter Jackson suffering unexpected losses....Peter Felix was next to go being rendered hors de combat at the fists of Braiwood's Ned Ryan in four fast rounds at the Gaiety Athletic Club.....At the Golden Gate Club Jim Quigley knocked out Dan Creedon in four and promptly issued a challenge to fellow Sydney resident Ned Ryan......

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Clipped from The Winnipeg Free Press - September 1896....George Chuvalo knocks out Nick Burley at the Mutual Street Arena and later announces he's hanging up his gloves to help train young fighters in and around the Toronto area....In a packed Halifax Forum Sandy Ferguson stops a bloody and bruised George Godfrey in three rounds when he requests referee Hugh MacNeil to call a halt as Godfrey is unable to see to defend himself....On the undercard young Sam Langford wins a lopsided decision over Jake Kilrain who is packing a roll of fat around his middle....

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Ripped from the sporting pages of The Sacramento Union - October 1896.....Jack Johnson cements his position as the Number One Contender for the IBU World heavyweight championship currently held by James J Jeffries with a convincing victory over Cleveland's Jimmy Bivins in defence of the Pacific Northwest title....Shortly after vacating the Canadian heavyweight championship John Scholes drops a decision to American champion Gus Ruhlin and loses his claim to the North American title....Sam McVea delivers enough punishment to the elusive James J Corbett to earn the nod from referee Ed Graney...

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Ticket from the rescheduled Johnson-Bivins fight which was moved from Cleveland to Chicago...

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Excerpt from The Glasgow Herald - October 1896....Corrie Sanders entered the fight with a previously damaged hand that had not healed properly....Raymond Berenger was quicker and inflicted cuts over both of the South Afrikanner's eyes forcing the stoppage....Sanders had been down for a count of seven in the 8th round...In the only preliminary match Austria's Al Weinig copped a close decision over local lad Georges LeRoi after 10....

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Excerpt from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer - November 1896....World heavyweight champion James Jeffries cancels his proposed title defence with Sandy Ferguson stating he had sustained an injury in training and would need at least two months to heal and begin work in the gym....Jeffries provided no details or doctor's opinion to support his statement....At Oakland an overweight Jack Munroe and over-the-hill Tom Sharkey dragged their bulk into a ring and pulled off the worst fight of the year in front of some 500 unsympathetic paying customers most of whom later demanded their money back....Pueblo's Fireman Jim Flynn gave a horrendous mauling to one-time contender Mexican Pete Everett at the Seattle Ice Arena busting him up before knocking him out cold in the ninth round....In Toronto two unbeaten young pugs Johnny Jackson and Ross Delaney met in front of a packed house to decide who should meet John Scholes for the now vacant Canadian heavyweight title and put up such an exciting battle Promoter Tom Flanagan promised to match them again in the new year....