I was up against a real classy fighter in Freddie Green. He had been bucking the padded arena for several years and was then known as "the Champion of the Dakotas." He was a shifty, clever fellow, raw of bone and had a reach like a gorilla. I entered the arena, unknown and unannounced, as it were. I didn't even have a trainer.

From the tap of the gong in the first round to its finish Green danced around me like a grasshopper, pecking bad jabs into my face repeatedly, and then dancing out of harm's way. My style then was slow and awkward, but I felt from the start that he couldn't knock me out, so as the fight progressed I became confident. He drew first blood in the fourth round. It was the first time in my short career that I had suffered such humiliation and you can bet I was angry. I grew a bit wild and commenced to carry the fight to him. I worked him into a clinch and almost put him out. This round he was overly cautious and kept away from me.

CLEVERNESS A NOVELTY TO BAT.

It was a new experience for me, this slapping and getting away business of Green. I was really tiring, as I could not catch up with him at all. I changed my tactics then and laid back a while. The crowd, under the impression that I was giving in, began to cry frantically to Green to rush in and finish me.

This was in the sixth round of the battle. Green was a game sort of a fellow and right there I didn't doubt the stories told about his many successful battles and many knockouts. He tried to exchange blows with me. and there's where he made the same mistake as did Wallace's Terrible Unknown, as well as Ole Olson. Ah! how I did tickle his ribs and crack my left into his jaw during that round.

I was warming up to the real fighter's work then. At the end of the round I had the champion hanging on to me, tired and badly battered, though still in the ring. He came up at the call of time in the seventh round in an extremely cautious manner, not making the slightest move to follow up his rushing tactics of the early rounds.

WINS CHAMPIONSHIP OF DAKOTAS.

On the other hand, I assumed the aggressive, and when the old bell tapped I was out of my corner in a jiffy and was on him like a tiger cat. I cut out a dizzy pace for Freddie, which I don't think he will ever forget, if he is still on earth and I hope he is.

I boxed and cuffed him all about the ring until he was groggy. Then I stepped back and handed him a left hook full on the jaw. They carried him out of the ring unconscious. I was thereupon proclaimed the Champion of the Dakotas before I had shed my boxing gloves. My titles so far acquired were: Champion of Hegewisch, Champion of Wallace's Circus and Champion of the Dakotas.

Pretty good, boys, for a kid who had only fought three battles. The purse for the fight amounted to $7.50, which was collected from the ringside in hats. As I had been doing all along, I sent half of the purse back to mother at Hegewisch.

FIGHTS SOLDIER WILLIAMS.

I was, of course, the town topic of Sioux Falls that evening and the next morning. The manager of the club came around to see me early and made good his promise to fight me against the noted Soldier Williams that afternoon. He raised the purse to $10, which I readily accepted. Soldier Williams was no spring chicken at the game. He was a successful fighter and had a tring of victories to his credit up to the time he met me.

We met in the open ring which was pitched on the picnic grounds of the fight club. You can bet I was a bit stiff and tired after my night's battle, but was out to win myself some reputation and as a result was chuck full of ginger. Williams was not a fancy boxer, but a rough, determined strong fellow like myself.

Gee ! but we certainly busted the atmosphere with wild punches right from the jump. He came at me in the first round determined to finish me right then and there and, of course, knock my reputation and ambition as a kid champion into smithereens. I, of course, loved just that sort of game. He was there with the aggressiveness and stamina, and in him I found the toughest fellow whom I had met to date.

He really had the edge on me up to the sixth round of the battle, just as Green had had the night before. His condition, however, was beginning to tell on him, and I was watching for just such signs of weariness.

THE SOLDIER IS BEATEN.

In the seventh round I reached out and planted my right deep into his wind in order to see how he would stand the gaff. Then I broke ground to discover if he was game enough to come back again and counter. Instead he retreated, muttering something under his breath. "Ha ! ha !" said I, handing over a left hook on the jaw. "So you're quitting, are you?" Biff! came another from my right, and then I set sail and fairly smothered him with uppercuts, full swings and body blows.

The gong in this round saved him. He came back all out in the eighth, which proved to be the final round. I again carried the fight to him, and in a few seconds had him stretched out on the floor, more dead than alive. He did manage to get to his feet, but I wheeled and then planted my right hard on his wind, and over he went for the count.

Down went Soldier Williams, the champion of the army.

RETURNS HOME AND FIGHTS DRAW.

After defeating several Northern champions I decided to return home and secure, if possible, a few good bouts in the neighborhood of Chicago. Eddie Herman, another Hegewisch product, had been cleaning up every fighter in the vicinity when I arrived and my admirers in Chicago and at home prevailed upon me to go after him. My great success in the North had reached home before me, and I was greeted as the coming champion.

I was received at home with open arms by father and mother and settled down studying faithfully and "training secretly at night or whenever the opportunity presented itself. I could see nothing then but a ring career for the Battler.

On New Year's Day, Jan 1st, 1899, I began my professional career as a boxer in earnest. On this date I tied up with Eddie Herman at Hegewisch, going to a six round draw with him. My battle had caused so much talk at home and school that I immediately decided to cease my studies, and go after a reputation as a boxer. I continued to battle around Chicago with varying success until May I7th, 1902. Then I made my historic march into the hilly state of Arkansas where I gained my first real reputation as a coming fighter.

It is unnecessary for me to go into further details as to what happened after as it is contained in detail in other chapters of the book.

Many persons and critics are of the opinion that the name BATTLING is a nickname of mine. Such is not the case. It was handed me when I was born, the selection of the splendid name falling to my Daddy. I was such a scrappy, lusty lunged, busy child that he decided that there was but one name for me "De Battler" or Battling. I have used the name to good advantage ever since, of course. Matthew was tacked on by my mother. She probably named me after the famous Father Matthew founder of the well known temperance order. True to this good name I have followed the principles of this man all my life. I don't drink intoxicants, don't chew tobacco, nor do I smoke. The possessing of these virtues is not much to brag about because they were no doubt born and bred in me, that's all. After that it required but a good strong will power to offset these temptations.  I have six brothers and one sister. Albert is a achinist ; Henry is a blacksmith ; Johnny is a moulder ; Charlie a Junior at the University of California, and is studying to became an M. D., but I wouldn't be surprised if he should turn out to be a preacher. Arthur is a motorcycle racer and once rode a mile and a quarter in a minute. My younger brother Harry is the smartest kid of them all, at present he is going to the Boys School at Quincy. Ill. He is inclined to be scrappy, and is already exhibiting signs of following my footsteps. My only sister Ida is living with the folks at home, Hegewisch. My father's name is Nels Nelson, and my mother's name is Mary Nelson.

THE CHAMPION RETURNS TO HEGEWISCH.

Upon my arrival I lost no time in getting a match with Herman who agreed to fight me on my own doormat. Yes, and he certainly made me go some during the six rounds fought. He was fast on his feet, shifty on the order of Abe Attell, and for the first three rounds I could not get inside his guard. He refused to mix things with me, and as the scrap was for points the fourth round opened with his having the edge because of his cleverness. He tired in the fourth after I had reached him a few times, and then the fun began. I forced the fighting, and at the conclusion of this round poor Eddie was a sight. He stalled during the first half of the fifth, but I got him and broke down his defense prettily. In the final round I beat him badly. The referee, however, gave him a shade when he held up both our hands for a draw decision. I had done well, his friends said, even to stand him off that long. I say to this day that I defeated
him in this bout. The purse in this fight was $10.h.