Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-10-22
BOB FITZSIMMONS
DOESN'T BELIEVE THE PEN is KIGHTIER
THAN TIE SWORD.
His Plac. for Fighting is In the Ring sad bis
Weapons are His Fists-Hs Predicts that
COrbst Will Defeat Mitchell and that he
Will Suffer utLitls Punishment! in Doing It
sp.efal corr.lponaencs Or tAs Rt0tstsr.

1 IA
lieYe in the old saying that tine pen Is
Inightier than the sword" therefore l
hope that 1 shall not be too severely
criticised for taking up the pen. Ihls
ia but an honest endeavor OF mihe.
1 do not fight with the pen. l light
not on paper bat In the ring and with
NV fists. The only reason now write
is because my opinion has been asked
80 many times on the Mltchell'Coroett
fight. i,
Below say precisely what l think OF
1 the three puRilists who cow are attract
ipg>much ttention-Corbett, Mitchell
and Jackson. What say mean, and
Lam ready at all time TO back up my
word.
do not see why there should be so
! much speculation over the outcome OF
the match between Corbett and Mitch
ell. To my mind, 1 cannot see anybody
else In it but Corbett. OF course, Mitch
ell may put up little better fight than
| that OF Sullivan's, as he will no DOUBT
enter the ring in condition. Mitchell
Is too cunning man 20 allow any stone
unturned to win this aght. know II
Mitchell was fighting mo l would be
willing TO bet that be would not last
eight rounds. Why should Coroett allow
him TO 20 any further? Corbett Is a
heavier man by 20 or 80 pounds, but he
doesn't seem to be able TO deliver
Knockout blow.
Looking at both the mems records, 1t
is simply absurd to consider Mitchell as
anywheres near winner. Compare
their records! Mitchell has only fought
two finish fights, which were both
draws. He fought Jack Burke on
racs track in England with bare
knuckles for about an hour, and they
afterwards fought numerous draws in
England and in this country. When
Pritchard met Burke he smothered him
in three rounds; then, Jim Hall goes
over to England and puts Prltchard
ont IN three rounds, having beaten him
twice before. Take this line on Mitchell
and whore does he really class? When
I saw he cannot stand before me for
eight rounds think there is some logic
in my argument.
Now, look over Corbett's record,
When he was only an amateur he best
ed Jack Burke in eight rounds easily.
and on three occasions he whipped Joe
Choynski; he out pointed Jake Kllraln
with periect ease. He easily defeated
Dominica McCaffrey, who told me he
did not land on CorDett while he could
| easily out-point Mitchell and out-punch
him. His long fight with Peter jackson
places Corbett, in my estimation, on a
higher pinnacle than his defeat OF Sui
livan. I feel fully confident that |
could have whipped Sullivan la three
rounds the night that he met Corbett.
In fact, there were number or people
in the business who could have bested
him on that occasion, but l have al
WAYS had a suspicion that Corbetts
battle with Jackson was NO. altogether
on the level. There was job some
where, for l am quite positive that Jack
| son would have defeated Corbett on
that occasion. Under the rules which
Mitchell fights Corbett this time-the
| MARQUIS OF Queensberry-Mi has
never fought TO finish. lie Is far
better London rule general than he Is
Queensberry. At the latter game
man OF MitchelPs build has as good, II
not q better, chance than one Of Cor
belts physique. Besides, Mitchell is q
good wrestler, aud q little bit on the
rough aud tumble order. In my opinion,
II the present articles Of agreement are
broken by the interference OF the au-
thoritses at Coney Island, Mitchell in
all probability, will proposed to fight
Corbett London rules, as then he
will have better chance. His
hands are in fair condition; but in his
fight with Sullivan in France his
knuckles went to pieces, and he was
unable TO finish John L., who was real
" at his mercy, fighting him with one
hand, having injured his right arm In
the first part Of the fight. II / had
been Ia Mitchell's place on that occa-
sion I think l would have Ceen pro-
claimed champion at the finish. II my
hands were gone ] would have wrestled
! Sullivan q bit and thrown him down,
having great advantage over him, as he
could oily use one arm. Sullivan was
demoralized by the cold, sleetlng rain
and the intense pain from his Injured
arm, the lack of proper wind and the
heavy mud and slush all over the ring.
If Mitchell had really been good man
he would have undoubtedly beaten Sui
Ivan that day in France.
predict that Corbett will come out
OF his fight with Mitchell with but
very little punishment, not even black
eye. He will jab the Englishman con-
stantly with his long left to keep him
out OF harms way.
In Corbett's battle with Jackson,
which is booked to take place next
May, in my opinion, It will end In the
defest OF the present champion. jack
son, consider the best heavyweight
I'm tho world. lie is big fellow,
bigger than Corbett in every way,
lust as clever, and he can
punch mighty sight harder.
Jackson has fought moro hard
finish fights under Queensoerry rules
than any other heavyweight in the
world. He beat Paddy Slavin quite
easily in ten rounds, and Corbett posi-
lively refused to meet him. The only
man that has given him any battle
whatever was Joe Goddard, and the
latter caught him out of condition, and
being only limited number OF rounds
1t saved Goddard from defeat. Com
pairing Goddard and Jackson is like the
comparison Of an artist and bill
poster.
l will fight Corbett or Mitchell at any
time, and feel fully confident of beating
either OF them, but 1 won't go out Of
my class for Choynski, or lot OF other
second rate fighters, for to defeat them
will not increase my reputation, in any
way to any great extent, nor neither
will meet Peter jackson, who con-
slider the best heavyweight in the
world.
Every big man cannot become q
champion. There are many Qualiica-
tions necessary, physically and mental