Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-09-25
MCORMICK'S CHAT.
MACON TELLS WHY SULLIVAN LOST BIS
FIGHT WITH CORBETT.
Was he First Tine the Big IN" Ever Net
q Fast, Skillial, Thorough Boxar-OOr-
bet Vans 70 Meet Mitchell
Some Of These Days

world has been so shocked Oy the over
throw Of its fistic idol, John L. Sulli-
van, that it IS yet IN a state Of bewild-
erment not unmixed with resentment
The dethrOnement Of the "Big Fellow
was 70 10 so unexpected and 50 much or
A surprise that it Is both daZed and sui
lenly wrathfuL IL was so used 70 bow
ing down In the dust 90 The Cham
plon OF Champions" that It servilely
dubbed him THE Champion Of the
World" though be had no more right
20 the title than tie man In the moon.
What champion Of England did Sullivan
defeat? Charley Mitchell did not even
call himself -'England's Boxing Cham
pion" when he met Sullivan 10 the old
Madison SQUARE Garden, and when he
fought willy Charley at Chantilly, in
France, Il is openly charged, and never
disproved, that Sullivan's friends
bribed MitchellS seconds 70 get him 70
consent 70 make the fight draw. Ger
taiply Sullivan never defeated any man
IN any encounter In which the cham
pionship OF England was in allegiance.
He never fought any Australian cham
pion. The Maori was Just what Sulll-
van said be was, "a big stiff,
and who has since been roundly
thumped In Salt Lake City by half a
dozen third-raters. A few weeks ago
] said no savage In Darkest Africa was
more blindly devoted 10 "fetich" than
were the followers Of Sullivan 70 him.
was right. They ignored everything
fn his career which indicated that he
would fall a victim 10 his hrst-class
big man who met him who had heart,
strength, skill and speed. Well, they
have paid dearly for their blindness,
but even now the scales have not fallen
from their eyes. They will, after a
while. and then they will feel like kick
ing themselves for their folly. Sullivan
was the most fortunate fighter in the
whole list Of American champions. His
fame rests almost solely on his ability
as a four-rOund knOcker-Out. Suppose
OueeDsberry rules had been in vogue in
John MorriSsey's time. Wouldn't he
have made a record of victories longer
than the moral law II he could have
made his opponents face him for three
minutes at a time without dropping to
evade punishment None but the
Yankee Sullivans, the Jem MaceS and
and the Jim COrbetts, Of the ring, would
had q ghost Of show with him. Take
the "Reminiscences Of the Nineteenth
Century Gladiator, written in the most
bombastic style for Sullivan, and you
'll see that fully half the men he
BIZ out, while under Al smith,
.t.,big stiffs, and many OF them
lows who never had boxing
jan until they faced him.
,f- o-kfro aoroar Sullivan nnVnF
a real clever boxer who at all COM
ed with him IN bulk and strength
ltil he encountered Jim COrbett. Let
IS examine the list and see II this state
ment will hold water. He weighed be-
tween fifty and sixty pounds heavier
than Jack Burke. He was much heavier
than DOminick McCatIrey, and certainly
forty pounds heavier than All Green
field. both here and IN Boston, and he
was at least forty pounds heavier than
Mitchell when be met him at Chantilly.
Not one OF these men did he knock out
from sheer force alone, he bested Burke,
McCaffrey and Greenfield. John L. Sui
llvan was not only "the Fortunate OF
the Ring but q very much overrated
fighter as well. He had q right hand,
and that was Ell. Had his devOtees
calmly analysed his career before they
backed him 20 fight a young, fresh
speedy and spareR boxer like Corbett,
they would Der h.any thousand dollars
richer toes q. they are.
Some OF % t.uses now offered fOl
Sulliyan}oooWnfall would be ludicrOu'
were tn not so puerile. The one that
>H, ,.cd that he was dOsed or poisoned
was the cap sheaf Of all. John l.. Sulli
van was essentially quarter horse.
In his best days he was never it 70 go 8
distance with a strong, clever and
speedy opponent. His long fights with
Charley Mitchell and Jake kilrain suS
tain this theory. Both Of these battle;
were fought under London ring rules
and both OF those men evaded him anC
went down 70 avoid punishment ire
oueutly. These tactics gave Sullivan
FREQUENT chances for resting, and espe
cially for resting his arms.
ID is true that Mitchell made the pace
for the last hour at Chantilly, out theI
his hands were so pulled uD that ht
could do no effective execution. have
seen Sullivan box many times In his ca
reer, and observing him closely saw
al he always tired quickly. Now
orbett prepared to fight John L. Sulli
van, aud no one else, and he was fully
advised not only of his strong points
hut also thoroughly informed OF hi:
weaknesses. Jim fought him according
70 system, and II was successful be
vond his friends most sanguine expecta
tions.
The five futile leads which Sullivan
vnada in the first round impressed hin
more than i've punches would have done
with the idea OF Corbett's speed anC
skul. They told him that II he didn'
and. and land hard and quickly, on thu
tantalizing boxer in front Of him that i
was only question, when he would b
.shis meat" Ia his endeavOrs 10 reacl
Corbett be lett his face unguarded. i
was the opening which COr6ett wa
soaking. He knew that In all his man!
6qhts Sullivan had never had his nos'
severely hurt and that he he'd never
known the modification Of being badly
ciareted or the annoyance which bleed
inc into ones nose causes. jim smash
~ him on the nose with terrific force
and never after did be allow the blood
10 stop flowing.
The frequent punches that Sullivan
rot on the nose had much TO do with
defeating him. The shocks, the jars
eod the main, besides the annoyance Of
Needing. bothered his brain and kept
him from devisinR new plans Of battle
which might have delayed Jim's vic
torv another hour. The body punish
,nent which Sullivan received was Gu
mnlstive. No single blow injured him
verv badly, but the total effect was ter
~ -, - civ vaakpuad him