The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-14
FITz Says He is A winner
Is Confident That He Will BE Able to
Defent COrbett.
VERY ANXIOUS ABOUT FIGHT
Willing TO Have 1t Come Off Within Six
Weeks from Date-An Effort to Have
It Take Place in January
or February.

Weeks from Date-An E1lOrt 10 nave
It Take Place in January
or February.
In his dressing room at the Frothing-
ham theater yesterday afternoon Pugil-
list Robert Fitzsimmons, middle-weight
champion of the world, entertained
representatives of the press and was in
terviewed regarding his proposed fight
with James j. Corbett for the heavy
weight championship of the world The
speciality theatrical company, of which
Mr.. Fitzsimmons is member, arrived
in town in the morning from Hazleton.
He and his manager, Captain Charles
Glori, of Newark, registered at the wy
oming, and after dinner walked to the
theater where the Kangaroo" took his
usual daily exercise.
He looks as healthy as a spring trout
and says he feels that way. In his
bare feet he stands feet, Tx inches
and weighs now about 162 pounds, in
fighting costume. The only part of his
frame that assumes the build of fight
er is the upper portion of the trunk,
his massive shoulders and long sinewy
arms He chatted pleasantly with a
Tribune reporter, mainly about his
coming match with Corbett, and he
says without any semblance of bravado
that he will win it.
"The fact that / am willing to fight
Corbett and will stake my money and
reputation on it," he said, "ought to be
prima facie evidence that l am conf
dent OF whipping him. There is no
brag about it at all; it is simply a nat
ural confidence in myself of my ability
to defeat him"
Don't you think" asked the report
er, that you may be Understanding
your antagonists fighting qualities,
and that you will have bigger con-
tract on hand than you seem to be
aware Off"
Bob Is Confident.
"Never mind, don't worry, I'll lick
him." was the response.
What is your personal wish about
fixing the date for the fight?'
II will fight in six weeks from now;
/ Just want enough of time to get in
training, that is all. For my fight with
and could train in that time to meet
Corbett. You can see have no super
fluous flesh on me and all l need is
exercise for my wind. l take an hours
exercise every day and that keeps me
in trim muscularly. but to get my wind
right, l would have to do some running
and walking, or jogging, anything you
please to call it. There is nothing
builds a man for endurance, such as
counts in a fight, better than, say, q
walk of nine or ten miles at a good,
steady gait and on the return, run four
miles Of that swiftly then break into
jog for mile or more and switch off
into a motion like this" and Mr.. Fitz-
simmons got up and went through
pantomime after the fashion of a
goose on dead run.
He said that he does not think, to
use his own words, that the fight will
ever be pulled off in Florida" Where
1t will take place is a matter that he is
as far away from knowing as he ap
parently could be. Corbett does not
want to fight before September, and in
the meantime something may develop
that would disrupt the plans for fight
If the place were settled upon now.
Jacksonville Doesn't Want 1t.
The city council of Jacksonville Fla
recently rescnded the ordinance allow
ing prize-ighting and that constitutes
a stumbling block. Mr.. Fitzsimmons
would like to fight before the Olympic
club of New Orleans, which has offered
a purse of $4,000. Negotiations with
this club did not pan out, because Cor
bett refused to consider the offer when
it was not accompanied with ready cash.
He refused to allow the club twenty
four hours to stake the money, because
he was unfriendly to that club. Mr..
Fitzsimmons is responsible for these
statements.
The Edison Kinitiscope company Of
fers $5O,000 for the fight and wants TO
have it take place in Mexico, where
there is no danger of interference from
the authorities. The pugilists could
fight, it is claimed, before the instru-
ment, and every movement, every blow,
and even the twinges Of their muscles
would be reproduced. These instru-
ments would be carried through the
country and price charged for look
ing at the fight through them that
would reap harvest to the stockhold-
ers Of the company. Mr.. Fitzsimmons
favors fighting under such auspices.
He prepared himself for his exercise
and invited the reporter to witness it.
In the center of the stage was arranged
an apparatus for punching the bag.
He superintended the arrangement Of
1t and suspended the bag with his own
hands. The exhibition he then gave
Was a marvellous one. His cat-like
quickness and agility came into play
as his long arms shot out and sent the
bag upward against the boards as
quickly as the puffs from a locomotive
going sixty miles an hour. He gave an
exhibition of parrying, uppereutting,
forearm blows, shoulder thrusts, and
swinging blows that awakened in the
reporters mind a thankfulness that 1t
was the bag and not himself that was
getting them After hours vigorous
exercise, he dressed and went to his
hotel.
lie Is Easy TO Manage.
Captain Glori, his manager, speaks
in the highest terms Of Fitzslmmons off
the stage. His habits and conduct are
of the best and there is no trouble in
managing him. He said that the pugil-
ist is so anxious to meet Corbett that he
has given cast iron instructions to make
no engagements that can not be ter
minated at a moments notice. He Is