Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-16
MEN WHO FIGHT FOR MONEY.
Their Business Is Hard One and a
Champion Says There is No Fun In 1t.

SHaHlptOn says mere Is No Fun In 1t.
"How does one get to be a prize fchter?"
said the pugilist, quoting The STAR reporters
question. why, it's very simple. You see, q
boy who is natural fighter-and one has to
be born to the business-gets into scraps with
other boys at school; he finds he has taste for
that sort OF thing and lie learns to box a little
After awhile he is invited to spar with another
young man at somebody's benefit, if he has be-
come known among his acquaintance as a
promising fellow. Next, supposin3 he does
well, some sporting friends make up purse
for him to box for with a rival, and from
that to fighting for prize is only one step.
But 1t Is a hard trade to succeed at. sol long as
you are at the top of the heap you can make
plenty OF money, but the minute you are beaten
you cease to be a drawing card and your very
friends desert You. At the close of n prize fight
you will see the people rush up to the winner.
throw their arms about his neck hug him and
shout their CONGRATULATIONS, but the IN fortunate
loser, who needs consolation SO much, is left
alone. He has not only been whipped
but has lost his means of support,
his prestige being gone; his very hackers
cause, though he tried his best to
win. he has lost their money. No wonder that
Klfrain burst into tears at the ring side and
declared that he seemed to have lost not only
the battle but his friends as we'll One time
not very long ago / myself was worsted by
man whom afterward beat, and the day after
my defeat walked from one end of Washing
ton TO another without being noticed By any
one, though two days before-being then
champion-I could not travel a block with
Gus meeting somebody who wanted to
shake hands with me. He used to be able
to fight people said when / had lost but
he can't any more Now 1 am champion
again and have lots Of friends for the time |
remain such. Such is prize fghting-a poor
business, say; in other trades a man who does
his best Is pretty sure to get along, but not
necessarily so III mine. The moment l meet a
fighter who shows himself better man in the
ring than l am my occupation is gone and
there Is little for me to do but retire. Prize
fighting is hard work, too
NOT MUCH DAMAGE DONE.
"Rough on the physique, eh2'
IL don't mean that. A prize fighter doesn't
get as much damaged in the ring as is COM
monty supposed. You see, he is in such per-
feet physical condition thanks to his training
that the injuries he receives do not bother him
nearly so much as they would a person in ordi-
nary health. For instance, a big bruise that
closes his eye, instead Of remaining puffed Up
and bad looking for five or six days maybe az
1t would with another man. will have nearly dis
appeared at the end of forty-eght hours
OWING to the vigorous circulation of his blood
In the same way with person in this ideal
health, nature accomplishes any sort of repairs
such as the healing Of cuts and SO forth with
wonderful quickness Besides, when a man
goes into fight he liz thoroughly hardened as
to his whole body. HIS stomach is as hard as
his chest, and SO throughout 1t is difficult TO
hurt him much. No, fighters are not often
badly hurt IN the ring. The hardship l was
referring to is the training itself. 1t is so Sc
we're that man cannot well endure il more
than twice in year, and no one should ATTEMPT
tonight oftener than that. Six weeks of train
ing are necessary each time before battle. L
have to get ri OF thirty pounds in that period
to bring me down to fighting weight"
What Is your recipe for getting thin?
Many people would be glad to know it,"
That Is only one OF the objects of training
which Is q very elaborate performance: but
any one can get thin who will drink nothing
but water and tea, not sleep too long. feed on
chops. steaks and toasts, with light vegetables
no potatoes or cabbage-forswear soups pas
try and sweets, and take plenty Of exercise.
Speaking OF weight reminds me that the hard
est hshting-as all experts in tistic science
KNOWS done by men who weigh from 40 to
$50 pounds, and not by the heavy weights, and
yet II Is the heavy weights in this country who
get the big money, though in England it is diff
ferent. Men OF British blood are the only ones
In the world who have taste or ability for prize
nghtlng, with the exception of the Hebrews
1t is wonderful how many fighters Of Hebrew
extraction have won renown. Barney Aaron
who fought Sam Collier one of his
hardest battles, Ike, Weir the Belfast
spider. Wolf Bendof, who put up his fists re-
Gently In south Africa for the largest prize
ever fought for-S20, 000-are of Hebrew blood.
Perhaps the best typical fighter on earth is an
Anglo-Saxon EnSllshman with a dash of Irish
blood In him. As for Frenchmen, they will
not fight with their fists; the bows at school
kick and scratch, instead Of hitting out, and
they prefer the 'savate' to boxing when they
are grown up"
PLENTY OF hackers.
'Are hackers difficult to find usually?"
mot for a man who has reputation a. q
fighter. There are always rich sporting men
around who believe in such a clever Hand at
the business and are willing to put I'D money
to back him. In many cases they do it simply
for the sake Of sport, and in others for glory or
gam. 1t pays a man sometimes who keeps a
saloon to back prize fighter In q contest of
Importance, for the sake OF the fame incident
ally reelected upon himself. Charley johnson
wasn't much known until he put up a few
thousands for Sullivan in the fight with Kill
rain; but since then thousands OF people
have gone into his ginmin for the
bad shaken hands with the Boston bows hacker.
That means business profit The glory IL some
thing, too. Johnson's picture looked very fne
In the Potsce Gd.ste and now he is q popular
character OF national fame. hacker is
Thought grasping II he expects, in case of win,
he ought to give the bulk of the money TO his
winning nghter and make his own profit by ont
side bets: Its funny thing, BY the vay. that
people Who don't know imagine that 4 prize
ngn!er Is necessarily tough. It's not 90, as /
feature of the notion Is that the toushs them.
selves suppose We want 70 associate With them
and they are offended whom Ne exhibit = disincK