Several circuits had been made when Sam suddenly halted, stood a foot or so away from the ropes, and watched his man scamper about like a scared jack-rabbit. He was convinced that his opponent wouldn’t remain long enough in one place to make a fight of it, so he did some quick thinking. He estimated the speed at which Johnson was moving, then let a winding right go at his fleeing rival. The punch caught John Lester “on the fly” and halted his flight with dramatic suddenness. The fist landed on the base of the spine, and Johnson went crashing to the floor. His head was clear, but the clout had paralyzed his legs, and he was counted out and had to be carried to his dressing room. * * * * * It was at the Howard Athletic Club in 1908, that I first met Stonewall Allen, the Negro “Fighting Parson.” He was one of the strangest characters in the New York sporting world. A good boxer, he always prayed publicly before he left his corner for the first round. On this particular night he met a tough sailor boy, Mike McGarry, the “Fighting Tar.” Half-way through the first round the sailor caught Stonewall with a smash on the mouth and knocked out three of his teeth. As the “Parson” stopped to pick them up, a wild swing caught him on the jaw and flattened him out for the full count. When he recovered his senses, Allen, as was his custom, knelt and prayed. The boys in the gallery began to razz him. One of the sports writers at the ringside asked him in a loud voice what he was praying for after being knocked out. He rose to his feet and, rolling his eyes heavenward, answered: “I’se thanking de Lawd for gibing me a soft spot to land on.” * * * * * Al Singer was a terrific puncher. He was so confident of his ability to punch holes in anything on two legs that he entered into a match with Jimmy McLarnin, September 11, 1930, then the hardest hitter, pound for pound, of any boxer in the game. It was an overweight affair, and Al ought to have known better. For two rounds he outboxed McLarnin. In the third session, Jimmy induced Al to swap punches. It was a terrific spectacle to see these two human battering rams going at it without any attempt at defense. The crowd was whipped to fury as the bone-crushing smashes struck home. But it was too good to last. McLarnin unleashed a straight right to the point of Singer’s jaw, and down he went. Jimmy was so certain that Al was out for keeps that he did a few handsprings, his usual procedure after a victory. But Singer began to rise at “nine,” and as Referee Johnny McAvoy was bringing down his arm for the “ten,” Al leaped to his feet. McLarnin was just finishing a handspring at the time, and Singer, seeing his chance, rushed in. He missed a crashing punch by the fraction of an inch, and McLarnin replied with a smashing left hook to the jaw which finished Singer’s interest for the evening. * * * * *