Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-23
CORBETT GOOD AS EVER The Champion Has a Bad Knee,
 Though. HE HAS BEGUN TRAINING Stories of Physical Smash-up Have Made Him Irritable levThree Hours His
 First Days Work.

Jim Corbett began training yesterday for his fight with the luckiest pugilist in the world, Bob Fitzsimmons. Fitz is a great fighter, to be sure, but on more than one occasion he has been smiled upon by his lucky star.
 It looked like dollars to marbles that Peter Maher would finish him, and after that remarkable encounter Bob had the narrowest kind of an escape from Choyn- ski at Boston. Aside from these close calls, it was any odds that he would not land the punch which he aimed at Jim Halls jaw. But he did. and the fight was settled.
 Corbett is well aware that his pros pective opponent is lucky, but Jim con siders that he has been pretty fortuna te himself
 The fight is set for October 13 This give really more time than Corbett needs to prepare himself-more time. because his mind" a most important factor, is al- ready in good shape and he has no Buper1uous flesh to take off.
 Corbett's Injured Knee.
 Corbett is a great fighter, but a great fighter with bad knee in long fight would in all probability have decidedly poorer chance than an ordinary pug1list with two good knees and a useful pair of hands About five weeks ago Corbett fell from a bicycle, injuring his left knee cap. It was apparently not a serious hurt, but a few days afterwards he mo- ticed a swelling in the joint, and he has suffered a great deal since.
 Such work as he always indulges in be- fore a big fight was entirely out of the question until Billy Newman, who has trained perhapsa dozen men for six-day - go-as-you-please races, heard of the trouble and volunteered to fix up the knee. Newman has kept men ploddlng
 !. -Ir in infinitely worse condition than Cor hett's,
 Newman for a whole week applied old fashioned remedies each day to Jtms knee, and there only remains little stiffness which he hopes will work out gradually as he proceeds with his train ing.
 The Champion Is Irritable.
 Jim Corbett Is not as good-natured as he used to be Little things appear to irritate and annoy him. But Trainer De laney says the champion is always irrit- able In training.
 The reports of a general break sup of his health, which have been widely circu- lated. have annoyed Corbett greatly. He is not going into a decline If outward ap- pearances count for anything, On the Contrary, the conquerer or sullivan IS as strong, almost as speedy and quite as heavy as he ever was. The falling off in speed Is naturally accounted for in that bad left knee.
 Corbett never looked like strong man. There has always been curious paiior fin his face. His features are very sharp and there are so many lines in ms rore head and cheeks that 1t is difficult to get a good picture of him. When his dander is up. as it was, for instance. when he fought Charley Mitchell, Corbett has the appearance of very bad man. An ac- tor who could fix up his countenance to
 -1t looks when he is really angry WouIo make a fortune in no time.
 Can He Control His TemperP
 There is no half-and-half about .lims anger It is real-sometimes too real TOT his own good. Fitz banks on get.ihs Jim "rattled," and Jim knows it thor oughly well. Therefore he will try his hest to keep his temper If he Is unsuc- cessful, there may be new champion m the red-haired foreigner who has chal- lenged for that title and the new $2o0O diamond, gold and silver belt just offered by Richard K. Fox.
 Fitz spends good part of his time telling his admirers that he is not afraid of Corbett This, of course, makes Cor bett believe that he Is. But Corbett says he doesn't care a rap whether ne IS or hot. are who have been in the show business, He lives in handsome red brick cottage in Asbury Park. He trains at w.. A. Brady's grounds at Loch Arbor, Just across the lake from Founder Bradley domain.
 Corbett's First Days Work.
 It was after Il o'clock yesterday when he reached his training place. Delaney Steve O'Donnell, John McVey and Cor bett's brother Joe awaited him. They are all useful to Corbett.
 Delaney Is perhaps as good trainer fe iy, ha is a capital handball player. ODonnell can truthfully say there are few cleverer boxers than himself, and McVey-well, McVey Is a great, strong fellow, some thing of a wrestler. and just the man Corbett wants to pull and haul about.
 Jim went first to the gymnasium and had his knee rubbed with a liniment. Then he put a bathrobe over his pink worsted shirt and blue worsted tights, and led the way to the handball court
 He didn't wear a sweater, as most fighters do. The fact is, he Is not anxious to take off flesh. He wants to harden the flesh he has and put on few pounds more if possible. Weight counts in fight It means steam, as fighters call it, behind the blows.
 Corbett played three games of handball against Delaney and Joe Corbett. He won two. but Delaney and his partner won the last one by a score of 21 points to 20.
 A Little Show of Temper.
 You're entirely too lucky" exclaimed Corbett petulantly, as he put on his bath robe again. q wouldn't care if you play, but 1t makes me mad to have lobster player beat me-
 Delaney chuckled. He didn't mind being called lobster. Corbett's knee did not bother him.
 The champion next walked back to the barn, which has been turned into a gym nasum. Before he attacked the punch ing ball he drank some lemonade. Most fighters keep away from such things, and Corbett will take very little in the way of liquids after few days of actual work.
 The position of the ball did not suit him. O'Donnell lowered 1t. Then he was directed to raise it again. It wasn't a particularly good ball to start with, but he punched 1t fully fifteen minutes with out single stop. And this exercise. fa- tiguing as it is did not make him breathe any harder than an ordinary man breathes after running ten yards. De- laney In a good-natured way said some thing about a new left-hand hook" punch which Fitz is alleged to have dis