Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-11-19
TRAINING FOR a FIGHT.


| for fight" said Frank White, the well
known light weight, "and any one who
thinks there is had better 60 through it to
| find out. Ifa man is fat he has to train for
good six weeks to get the unnecessary
weight off, and it'd surprise you how some Of
them can get rid of it. Joe Goss, when
preparin' to fight Paddy Ryan in 1880, lost
in one sweat 10! pounds, and that's a terri
BILE fallin' off in little time, can tell you.
The first thing that man does when get
ting ready to meet another in a fight is TO
physc himself for three days. That's done
| not to get the fat off his body, but to get it
off his stomach, together with any bile there
may be.
when that's over his trainers let him
have rest for day or two before COM
mencing the regular work of putin him in
condition. His daily course thereafter is as
follows: The first thing in the mornin'
when he gets up is to let him have try at
the light dumb bells, then walk of a half
mile at the top of his speed and then 200
ward run as fast as h6 can go to improve
his wind. The half mile back to his
quarters must be made in pretty good time,
and after dry hand rubbing down he's
ready for break fast, which consists of half
cup of tea with no milk or sugar, some
broled steaks or chops and some dry crusts
of bread. No butter and no condiments.
When breakfast is over there is half an
hours rest and your pugilist goes out again
for walk OF mile or so, comes back at a
round gait, puts on a heavy pair of drivn'
gloves, takes the light dumb bells and
punches the swingin' bag for half an hour.
His trainer then rubs him over with q dry
towel and puts heavy flannels and his face
cloth on him.
"These face cloths are made TO order of
heavy white wool about half inch thick.
They cover the face entirely with the ex-
ception of the eyes, nose and mouth. The
A man training for fight usually looks like
consumptive in the last stages of the dis
ease. His eyes are sunk in, his cheeks are
hollow, his cheek bones project and his gen
era appearance bellies strongly the condi.
ton he is in, with the exception of the I'm.
| usual brightness of the eyes, never failing
evidence of good health. I've seen people
60 up to Billy Edwards or myself when we
were training for fight and say to US:
"'You look as though you were going to
die! What is the matter"
"At the same time we'd be feeling better
than we ever did before i'll all our lives.
| Why, in that condition you feel as though
you'd want to jump over house"
what is done after the man in training
has his woolens and face cloth on?"
"Oh! Then he goes out for a walk which
| gradually becomes canter till he has COW
cred from twelve to fifteen miles. In all
| these walks he takes short stick which he
changes from one hand to the other and
with which he continually strikes at shrubs
and bushes and twigs for the purpose Of
strengthening his wrists. His trainer has
| run ahead of him on the home turn, and by
the time he gets to his quarters there is a
bath waiting for him. Then he is rubbed
down with bay rum, and afterward with the
palms Of the hands downward, so as to close
all the pores of the skin and prevent him
from catching cold. Little men in these
sweating operations usually lose from four
and one. half to five pounds every time.
"For dinner which follows the rubbing
down, there is sometimes few vegetables
or some fish, although the meal is generally
composed of piece of roast beef, leg Of
mutton with no sauces or condiments, q
bottle of Bass ale and some dry crusts Of
bread Dinner over there is rest of three
quarters of an hour, at the end of which
the man goes out for walk of six or eight
miles merely to strengthen his legs and get
the air. Sometimes he takes a foot ball
along to kick as he walks. For supper he
has pretty much the same things as for
breakfast with the exception occasionally of
o couple of boiled eggs. The meats are al
ways broiled. After supper there is mile
walk, run of 200 yards, a little practice
with the dumb bells, rubbing down, q
thorough change of fiannels, for you're never
allowed to sleep in the underwear you've
exercised in, and then by 9o'clock off to bed
where you sleep like top, to get up in the
morning at 6 and 60 through the same course
over again.
Now, I've given you the regular routine, F"
continued Mr.. White, "but there are lots of
other things that have to be attended to.
4 The man in training, while resting, has to be
continually rubbing his hands down So as to
bring the knuckles into prominence and
make them hard, and rubbing the face down
to take off the fat. Then he has to rub
stokum of tan on the outside of his hands
to make them still harder, and decoction
of pulverized alum, rock salt, roots of horse
radish, rose tea and number of other
things boiled together, over his face, arms
hands, chest and back, wherever there is q
liability of his being struck. This tans the
skin as hard as leather, so hard in fact that
I'd be willing to wager big sum that, after
using it month, you couldn't cut the skin
with an ordinary table knife, if you bore
down ever so hard"
~ prNrD No,-p,ynDn 80 c,,1-rD,r cI1rc