The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-08
CHAMPIONS HOW LONG?
MIKE DONOVAN ON THE BEST MEN
IN The RING.

for a Long Time-With Sullivan Out,
Who's the Coming Man, C,rbett,
Jackson or Slavin9-Caa Jack Nc
Au life Keep the Light Weight
Honors2
CCopHI0htD
NEW YORK, Feb. IL have been asked
| TO discuss certain questions relating to
! pugilism and especially to the men now at
the head Of their several Glasses in that de-
partment Of athletics. In sports. as IN most
other matters. people are not satisfied with
knowing what has already happened; they
want TO know what is going to happen.
This is why some Of the questions laid be-
fore me deal with the future. In answer
ing, / have no gift Of prophesy to help me
but only long experience.
Is there a middle-weight who can wrest
the honors from Fitzsimmopsi That 10 the
first OF the questions which have been put 70
me. must answer that do not know any
such man. We have some clever middle
weights, but Fitzsimmous is at least as
clever as the best Of them, and he has tre-
mcndous natural advantages. There are
number Of fairly good heavy.weights who
are not good enough for him. Above the
waist Fitzsimmons is a heavyweight His
body looks solid and strong. The slender
waist Is not necessarily sign of weakness.
1t is by no means 50 in his case. His short
ribs stand out well, and he has good muscu-
lar development in the lower part of his
back. His big chest and powerful, flexible
shoulders give him the proper backing for
hard blow. Where he saves weight is in
the legs; and the value of big leg has been
greatly overestimated. Men who are very
heavy below the waist are almost always
slow. slender leg, made Of bone and
muscle, with good strong cords and Joints,
the best for a boxer. Those who thought
that they saw Fitzsimmons' weakness there
have discovered their mistake. He can get
along very well on the legs which nature
gave him.
After the fight at New Orleans there is
very little use in discussing the chances of
any Of our middle weights against Fitzsim-
mons. If he takes good care of himself, he
ought to be able to hold the championship
for ten or a dozen years. have heard it
said that he would be likely to increase in
weight so much as to take him out Of the
class, but / do not think that that will hap
pen. he does not look like a man who
would gain much weight. He has that sort
OF nervous temperament which keeps man
down. In my opinion he will stay in his
present class as long as be remains IN the
ring, and he is likely to resign the honors
before they are taken from him.
He was too big man for Dempsey. The
Brooklyn boy had not only hight and
reach against him, but he had weight. 1t
Is true that when they entered the ring
there was only a difference of about three
pounds; but Fitzsimmons was q 100 pound
man at $50, and Dempsey was 142-pound
man at 147. Jack was no stronger for the
extra five pounds, while every ounce on the
Australian counted.
Going outside Of this country, there does
not appear to be any tniddle-weight In Aus
tralia likely to improve enough in the next
few years TO make winning fight against
the champion. Pritohard, to English
champion OF that class, is good man from
all accounts, but do not think that he is
built to stand against Fitzimmons He
hasn't the hight or the reach. No; the
middle-weight honors, to the best of my
view, will remain where they are for some
years to come.
Who is the coming heavy weight? There's
an interesting question. At present we
have no champion. Sullivan has retired
| from the ring. A champion must be always
ready to defend his belt. He must come
into the ring within six months after re-
ceiving challenge properly given and sup
ported. II he does not do 80, the challenger
becomes champion by default. l do not
think that anybody is in the position to
claim this honor from Sullivan at present.
Joe McAuliffe challenged him to glove
| contest, and Sullivan ignored the offer, but
that, in my opinion, did not give McAuliffe
| any grounds for a claim to championship
honors.
jackson challenged Sullivan Just after the
Mississippi affair, but the conditions of the
case were such as to prevent the champion
ship from passing by default. John L.
couldn't accept. II he had, he would have
| found himself in no end Of trouble down
in MfCofoc -
to expect him to agree to fight under the
| circumstances.
Neither can Slavin claim on account of
his challenge to be champion of this coun-
| try. In reality, as l have said, the first
honor is in dispute. Sullivan is the retired
champion. 1t cannot be said that the
honors have been taken from him; nor can
he be properly called the active defender of
the belt. This, OF course, does not involve
any criticism of his present ability as a
fighter.
| But the coming fight between Corbett and
Jackson will be for the championship of
this country.
Who will win it, There Is no doubt that
both are good men. In build they are
somewhat similar. They are about equal
in hight, both being very tall men-they
stand six feet, one and a half inches, if
remember rightly. jackson has the larger
frame and is the heavier. He would fight
at something 200; Corbett at not more thar
1876. They have different styles of hitting
jackson reaches away out and then stabs
his man; Corbett punches from the shoulder
Both are clever, but Corbett is the cleverer
think, however, that Jackson is under
rated by many. They say that he is slender
in the waist aud weak in the lower part Of
the body. There Is, perhaps, some truth in
this, but IL must be remembered that mar
may have weak spot and at the same time
know how to guard it so well that he stands
in little danger of injury. That is the way
with jackson; it will take good men K
get in an effective body blow on him. Thai
isn't the way in which he will be knocked
outfit he meets with that catastrophe. The
way to knock him out is to hit him in tht
head
AS to Corbett, it takes an exceptionally
good man to hit him anywhere. He is al
quick as flash in getting out of the way a.
we'll as in putting in blow. He has thai
certainty Of judgment which tells him Just
how far away his opponent is. In striking
an effective blow it is the elasticity of the
muscle which counts most. It gives the
quickest blow, and speed tells. Shoot
bullet out Of gun and it kills man; throw
the same bullet, and it may bruise him
little, but no more. 1t is the same way
with a blow. In this matter of speed
think Corbett has the advantage over Jack
son. | believe that he will win the fight
and the heavyweight championship.
| The best man whom the winner Of thai