Ross seisab silmitsi Baueriga
Šoti maadleja Duncan C. Ross maadles professionaalselt, kuid osales ka jõu- ja kergejõustikuvõistlustel pärast USA-sse saabumist 1870. aastate lõpus. Igakülgne sportlane, Ross wrestled skillfully in both catch-as-catch-can wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling. Esmaspäeval, Veebruar 26, 1883, Ross wrestled former World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Theobaud Bauer. Bauer brought the World Championship from France in the early 1870s.
The men met in Savannah, Georgia at the Baseball Park. The match drew 1,000 fans, an incredible crowd particularly since the newspaper reporter noted that most spectators were not familiar with wrestling. Ross and Bauer amazed the crowd with their strength and speed during the match.
Artist drawing of Duncan C. Ross from a pack of Allen Minter Cigarettes circa 1888 (Public Domain)
The men wrestled Greco-Roman style in the two-out-of-three-falls match. After walking onto the raised platform, where organizers placed a canvas mat, Ross and Bauer shook hands. After instructions from Referee S. Smith, Smith started the match at 3 Pärastlõunal.
To start the match, Bauer grabbed Ross’ wrist while Ross grabbed Bauer around the neck. Greco-Roman rules ban holds below the waist, so Bauer and Ross muscled each other around by the arm and neck for several minutes. Lõpuks, Bauer secured a half-Nelson on Ross which Bauer used to take Ross down to the mat.
Bauer strained to push Ross’ shoulders to the mat, but Ross powered his way back onto his hands and knees. Ross trapped Bauer’s arm over his shoulder and twisted his hips to execute a shoulder throw on Bauer. Bauer flipped over Ross’ head but landed on his hip saving a fall.
The men wrestled for twenty-six minutes before Bauer applied another half-Nelson combined with a body hold. Bauer took Ross off his feet and planted him on the mat. Ross’ shoulders hit the mat giving Bauer the first fall.
The men rested for fifteen minutes before beginning the second fall. Ross pressed the action by using another single-arm shoulder throw to throw Bauer over his shoulder. Bauer landed on both his head and feet. Ross turned Bauer onto his back.
Bauer bridged to prevent the pin. It looked like it was only a matter of time before Ross pinned Bauer. Siiski, Bauer prevented the pin by spinning on his head, turning to a hands and knees position before standing back to his feet.
Ross did not let Bauer escape though. Ross applied a half-Nelson taking Bauer to the ground. Ross used a half-Nelson and hammerlock combination to turn Bauer onto his back for the second fall. Ross tied the match at one fall apiece.
Artist rendering of Theobaud Bauer, Greco-Roman Wrestler of the 1870s and 1880s from the Public Domain
After another fifteen-minute rest, Ross and Bauer started the final fall. Bauer made a mistake about eight minutes into the final fall, when he palm struck Ross in the neck and tried to choke Ross. As the referee warned Bauer, Ross lifted Bauer off the mat with a body hold and slammed Bauer to the mat on his back. Bauer jumped up furiously but admitted Ross won the fall fairly.
As Referee Smith awarded the match to Ross, Bauer challenged Ross to a rematch for $200 a side. Ross agreed, if Bauer produced the $200. Bauer did not produce the $200 and dropped the challenge. Bauer shook hands with Ross, and they left the ring without any further animosity.
Ross and Bauer continued wrestling in the United States, where they remained for the rest of their lives.
After his wrestling career, Ross taught physical culture and performed feats of strength. Ross kept his health until he died in Baltimore on September 8, 1919.
Bauer made a fortune in real estate, but his excessive drinking destroyed his health. During the last few years of his life, his guardian gave him a $5.00 a day allowance, which Bauer spent on alcohol. Bauer passed away in 1901.
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Sources: The Savannah Morning News (Savannah, Georgia), Veebruar 27, 1883, p. 4
