The Pugilist Who Refused to Fight

John L. Sullivan appeared in the ring, looking as solid and fresh as though he had been in a champagne cork factory, while his opponent, Robinson, looked thin and anxious. Time was immediately called, and Sullivan at once let off with a short, sharp blow with his right. Robinson, the pride of the Olympic Club, immediately went down. Nine times did Robinson take to the floor in the first round, Sullivan looking down at him with a smile of good temper and surprise. Robinson, evidently wanting to avoid punishment, went down twenty times in four minutes. At times Robinson would go down so suddenly that Sullivan would roll over him. It looked suspiciously more than once as if Robinson had gone down without being struck. In the fourth round, with Robinson going down three times from nothing but the breeze of a blow, the referee lost patience and gave the fight to Sullivan. Robinson retired with the satisfaction that he had earned two or three thousand dollars without receiving a scratch, leaving the audience in the unanimous opinion that they had witnessed the most remarkable exhibition of skill in avoiding punishment at the expense of his kneecaps and his reputation for grit.