Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-14
THE HEAvYwEIGHTs.
Mike Donovan Sizes Up the Sullivan
COrbett Fight.

Mike Donovan Sizes Up the Sullivan
Corbett Fight.
Mike Donovan, the well-known pro.
fessor of pugilism, writes as follows to a
syndicate of papers anent the coming
Sullivan Corbett fight:
There is in store for the sporting men
who have been decrying Jim Corbett's
pugilistic ability great surprise party.
Jim Corbett is far from being the man
that Sullivan's enthusiastic admirers
say he is. While do not for moment
underestimate the wonderful proweas of
the champion pugilist, l believe that he
will face the worthiest rival he ever had
when he steps into the ring at the
Olympic club in New Orleans on the
night OF September 7th. Since DR..
Shrady gave John L. Sullivan thorough
going-over and pronounced him perfect
both in health and muscular develop
ment, some people have been plying
Corbett, and the impression that he
will be easily defeated has become quite
general in the minds OF men who are
entirely too hasty in jumping a. conclu-
sions. When say that Sullivan will
have the hardest fight of his life with
Jim Corbett mean that he will have to
be not only as strong and powerful with
his right and left hands as he was the
best day he ever saw, but he will have
to be much cleverer than he ever was in
his life in order to win. I have seen a
good deal of John L. Sullivan in my
time, and no man has watched his
career with greater interest than have.
Beyond doubt be is aremarkable man,
and it will be difficult matter to make
a majority of sportive Americans believe
that any body can whip him until he is
actually beaten.
am very glad for Corbett's sake that
Sullivan was examined by so eminent a
physician with such satisfactory results,
for after the fight Sullivan's friends will
not be able to say that Corbett beat q
sick man. Personally like Sullivan,
but have a greater admiration for Cor
bett, because we have been warm friends
ever since he became professional and
because think he is the comiug cham
pion. When we come to look over Sui
livan's record, conceding him to be a
wonder in the pugilistic line, it will
bother us good deal to discover when
he ever beat what would be considered
q tip-top man nowadays. Surely Flood
and Ryan wouldn't have q ghost of a
chance with dozens of fighters who have
come up in recent years. Kilrain was a
good game fellow, but it took Sullivan
all his time to lick him. Slavin polished
Jake off in pretty short order and Cor
bett made him look like monkey in
six rounds.
Then there is McCaffrey; Sullivan
couldn't knock him out in eeven rounds,
yet Corbett disposed of him right
handily in three and scarcely turned
hair in doing it. I do not think that
in all Sullivan's g career he ever meta man
who was anything like Peter Jackson %
equal. Corbett met Jackson and stood
him off for sixty-one rounds, although
everybody in San Francisco predicted
that the black fellow would win inside
of half an hour. Some even went so
far as to say that Corbett was losing his
wind. I think John L. Sullivan would
have been beaten by either one of those
men that night.
Now, then, as far as Mitchell is con-
cerned, Sullivan and his friends con-
cede him to be the best man the cham
pion ever met. Mitchell wouldn't have
ghost OF chance with Jim Corbett,
and l guess he appreciates that, for ii
he thought he could win it as sure
thing be would have carried out his
agreement to box Jim in Madison
Square Garden. Corbett is greatly un-
derestimated by many people. When
he made the match 1t the World Office
to Eight Sullivan for $10, 900 Z side and