For the Syracuse bout, the Syracuse Standard and the Syracuse Evening Herald both say Ryan had the advantage, as did a number of others. But I'll try and be more compehensive with it, and see what I find. Whatever the agreement of the Chicago fight was, it doesn't seem clear McCoy deserved the win, George Siler disagreed with it, saying ignoring the agreement, the worst Ryan deserved was a draw, and it seems that a lot of the spectators disagreed with it. I'm not saying it was a robbery, but it was a close fight
W.C. Kelly of Buffalo Courier-Record didn't write about any superiority of either fighter. Horace Leach of Buffalo Morning Express wrote "McCoy was far the better man, and looked a winner in ten rounds". D.C. Buell of Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wrote "The "go" up to the fourth round was about even for both men, the odds if any being in McCoy's favor". But Ryan was having the best of the 5th round at the time of the stoppage. The reporter of Syracuse Daily Journal wrote "The first four rounds of the Ryan-McCoy contest were as scientific as one could wish. Aside from a slight cut over Ryan's right eye, there was no blood, and neither was there any unusually hard punching. In the fifth round it appeared that Ryan was decidedly getting the best of McCoy, but no man can now tell who would have been the victor had the encounter gone on." Martin Hanlon of Auburn Bulletin thought McCoy had the better of the first two rounds, in the third Ryan "gave almost as good as he received" and the last two rounds were in Ryan's favor. E.S. Mills of Buffalo Daily Times wrote about the last round that Ryan "was having the best of it for the first time. The "go" up to the fourth round was all in McCoy's favor." Edward McBride of Buffalo Enquirer thought it was a great fight, "neither man was injured even a particle." George Siler wrote in Chicago Daily Tribune he thought McCoy had the better of the first three rounds. Harry Schaefer of Cincinnati Enquirer wrote "McCoy showed he was the cleverer in every respect. ... A great many think Ryan would have won, but the more conservative saw defeat for him had the fight gone on." Associated Press reporter wrote "McCoy played a lively tattoo on Ryan's jaw with his left in the first few rounds, but after that Tommy resorted to in-fighting and did much better at this method". Harry Lippman of Philadelphia Inquirer wrote thought McCoy had the better of the first two rounds, and he more than held his own in the 4th round. A.E. Fitch of Pittsburg Press wrote "The first four rounds were purely scientific, and neither man had an advantage. In the fifth round, however, Ryan appeared to be getting decidedly the best of the business". He gave the 1st round to McCoy explicitly, the 2nd sounded like McCoy's round from his description, honors were even in the 3rd, 4th and 5th Ryan's, but "both men were in fine condition and could have fought for an hour." The reporter of New York Sun scored 1st and 2nd rounds even, the last three rounds in favor of Ryan. The reporter of New York World wrote that Ryan was having the better of the 5th round, but "McCoy did the greater part of the leading throughout. Ryan led now and then and landed with surprising ease." The reporter of Utica Journal wrote "After Inspector O'Brien had stopped the men before either had received any punishment to speak of, or anyone could see the least bit of advantage for either fighter". New York Evening Sun wrote "The fight while it lasted was cleverly contested by both men and, while Ryan had an apparent advantage in the fifth, McCoy's friends were at no time worried as to the result of the battle if continued." A.M. Dic kinson of Utica Saturday Globe wrote "Up to the end of the fourth Ryan was by far the worst punished, but in the fifth fought savagely, driving McCoy about the ring." Bruce Reid of Utica Sunday Journal wrote "It was an even thing."
