Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1892-09-09
CORBETT'S CAREER.
Some Interesting Information Con.
cerning the New Champion OF
the Prize Ring.

San Francisco, Sept. 9.-Californil
went wild over the news of Corbett's vic
tory overy Sullivan. Pacific coaster
backed the new champion for all tina
was offered getting two and three to one
placed as high as $4,000, 900.
James j. Corbett was born in Sar
Francisco, CAL, September /, 1866. anc
is therefore just 26 years old, aud SuIli
vans junior by eight years. Like his
Boston rival he has liberal dash Of the
blood of the worlds greatest athletic
race, the Irish, his father being native
of County Mayo. Ireland, and his mother
haiing from Dublin. Corbett is very
proud of his ancestry and frequently
makes mention Of the fact that he was
named after an uncle, Father James Cor.
bett, who is now priest in Ireland. Cor,
belts early training was very strict, he
graduating with high honors from Sacred
Heart college in San Francisco. Shortly
after this event, Bonanza King Flood
who took great fancy to the young man
gave him position as clerk in the Ne
veda bank, James remaining with Flood
for number of years, gradually working
his way until he held a responsible and
remunerstive position.
Corbstt when boy achieved the name
Of good ball player, playing left field
for the Olympic club and batting like a
veteran. Wiyle doing gymnasium work
during the off months he took to boxing
and soon became so clever that his friende
induced him to enter the Olympic Ath-
etic clubs tournament for the amateur
heavyweight championship Of the coast
He easily punched his way through this
class, winning in style.
Corbett's first fight was with Jack Burke,
the we'll known Irish lad, who stopped
at Frisco on his way to Australia. They
boxed eight rounds at Mechanics pavil-
ion, but az the police would allow no
referee, no decision other than that Of the
public's could be rendered. 1t was
generally conceded that the Californian
had bested his man all the way.
This virtual victory at once made him
immensely popular in San Francisco,
and he developed into a full fedged pro-
fessional pugilist, meeting and defeating
the best heavy weights Of the coast, the
most important Of these engagements
being with Joe Choynski, who has since
pushed his way into the front Of fighters.
Corbett fought Choynski three times
once in barn belonging to Jim's father,
the second time on the beach near the
famous Cliff house, and the last time to
a finish on barge in the bay of San
Francisco. This was handicap fight,
Corbett wearing fve-ounce gloves to
Choynski's two, ounce. Despite the fact
that Corbett was so unfortunate as to
break both hands on the stakes of the
ring in the third he laid Joe low in the
twenty.seventh round. The two first
fights between the pair lasted four rounds
each.
The Californlan's fame had now be-
come national, and he was offered q
purse Of 81, 500 to 20 to New Orleans and
box six rounds with Jake Kilrain. he
took the first train, and proved to be easily
the Baltimorians master at the game,
coming out without mark. He then
toured the country, his only engagement
of importance being four-rornd 60 with
Dominick McCaffrey in Brooklyn. lie