The herald., 1894-09-29
WILL CLAIM THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Robert Fitzsimm0ns' Lofty
Ambition.
Corbett Must Fight Him or Forfeit
His Title.
Jim Writes Bob q Sarcastic Letter Do
ciining to Meet Him at Pres
ent-Hs Must First Whip
O'DonneIl.
By ,he Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
ATLANTA, Ca, Sept. 2S.-"If Mr.. Cor
bett will say he does not want to meet
me, I won't bother him any more, but
will claim the heavyweight champion
ship OF the world and walk off with it.
See ?"
This was the response OF Robert Fits
simmons, champion middleweight, to
James j. Corbett's statement sent out
by the Associated Press last night.
HE wants me to meet Steve O'Don-
nell, eh? Let O'Donnell whip Maher,
or Hall, or somebody have done; then
will fight him. shall put my fst in
Corbett's face yet."
CoRBETT WRITES FITz LETTER.
PORTLAND, Me-. Sept. 2S.-J. ]. Cor
bett, pugilist. was seen by an Associated
Press representative tonight in his
dressing room, and in answer to q ques-
tion on the subject, Corbett handed the
newspaper man copy OF letter mailed
to Bob Fitzsimmons this evening:
PORTLAND. Me-, Sept. 2s.
Robert Fitzsimmons:
DEAR SIR Il have read in the morn
ing papers your very amusing challenge
to me. You cay the Olympic club Of
fsrs purse. Well, maybe they do, but
I have never heard from them as yet.
You put $4,000 in the Olympic's
hands? Why don't you put it up in
some newspaper Office or some place
where man can see it, or is the Olym.
pic club backing you?
However, that's neither here nor
there. | suppose you are afraid if you
put the money up in any other club be-
side the Olympic club. some one else
might covsr it. It is not necessary for
me to give reply to your challenge.
because you are well aware that l will
not accept unless you prove yourself
champion heavy weight and not middle
weight. l must acknowledge that az q
middle weight you have no equal, bat
all you ever did ia the heavy weight
class was to defeat Peter Maher and
Choynski. two second-claes heavy
weights, since both of these men have
been defeated by Joe Goddard of Aus
tralia, second-class heavy weight.
No one knows this better than you.
l suppose you think the public will say
you are very brave man to challenge
me and fight me. Why should you not
do so? 1t is just like buying lottery
ticket to win $4,000 for 81. All you have
10 lose is 81, and it is the same case in
you would say: HE ought to beat me;
am a middle weight )" just as when 1
beat Sullivan it was said: HE was an
old man." and Mitchell: HE was .
light fellow; he was too small"
NaU Nv Eit1ri Y,roua IL vnyy raol1v
in your heart want to fight for the
cnnnpionnhip of the world you certain
ly, if you arc ON the levsl.----. go nrn~e
yourself o champion heavyweight and
not q middleweight. All you have to
do in the world to fight me for the
championship 10 to prove to me and the
world that you are capable of defeating
any heavyweight outside of me. You
say I promised to give you match II
you defeated Choynski or Creedon.
When you say that you know you lie.
| never even noticed you and don't in
tend to unless you prove yeu are
champion heavyweight. You want to
lump over the heads of all these other
people and take the dying chance with
me, but will fool you.
Steve O'DoRnell, my present sparrlrg
partner, an undefested man. has SO, 900
that be can defeat you. de Will pox
you from one round to finish for fun or
money. Now how can you expect me to
recognize you when this man stands
ready with money behind him to prove
to the world that he 10 your superior :?
If you will only meet him and defeat
him, will accept an offer OF S25, 900 from
the Olympic club, and will give you all
the fight you want. If you want
to fight me this is the only way you
can get me to make match with you.
for there is no power on earth that will
make me notice you until you have de-
feated Steve O'Donnell, and all further
talk from you will consider simply a
( bluff. l put myself ON record in black
and white that if you defeat O'Donnell
will fight you for the championship OF
the world and all the money you like.
This is positively my ultimatum.