Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-02-09
BILLY EDwAisDS

ing or CvOn prize fighting. Tho public demands q trial of skill between these stars of tho IiStic world tO determine tho question of superiority, and neither man can afford to ignurC that demand It is dollars to touChnuts that FitzsimmOns, who has everything tn win and nothing to lOsc by such an encounter, will he on hand when the ring is pitched.
 Equally certain is it that Corbctt will Do on deck at that crucial moment. True, he has everything to lose and nothing to gain by Chancing such contest, hut he darc not funk. should he do so his futurC career would hc forever blightcd He could not appear on tho boards at any city, town, village CIT hamlet in this broad do main either as an actor or aS a fighter. Ilc would be hoot,Ii off the stage, and the box office receipts wouldn't buy a sularO meal for q mosquito, What people luvc and admire in q champion is courage. The moment the public suspect that he is lacking in this particular attribute that moment he hCCumCs undunc All his other brave deeds gn for naught. The famc which it has taken him years to acquire fades away like the huar frUstS of spring before the splcndur of the monday sun. No man knows these things better than James J. Corbctt He is a shrcwd, smart fellow and brave one withaL IL is not fear of FitZSimmOnS that has kept him alOOf from the Australian SD long, but simply a diSinClinatiOn tu give up tho good things of life and again enter into downright hard training for another championship battle. He Was picking up | hatfuls of money every night hy a gentle display of huTinE skill tempered with a bit of acting. Naturally he did not CarC to give up such soft snap and go up against l ;,I, ccipts would hardly be any grcAtcr than those he was a!rrady taking ill, No husi
 ness man would blame him for it, and Corbctt is essentially a business man. He himself confCsscS ho is in the fighting game for tho money there is in it and not for any love 0f the Eamc itself. When the press and public, however, demanded of the Californian that he accept Fitzsim- mons bold def, !" ho did SD at onco and set at rest all douEts as to his courage. am satisfied tha. there will be a battle | between CorbCtt and FitzsimnC:'a, and that battle will hc tine battle of n century. Tho winner will unqucstionably be the champion of the world. Which of tho rival gla,liators will win tho need of vic tory That is aqucstion which is puzzling tho kCcnrSt sportsman, so evenly matched arc the prospective contestants in the way | of height, reach, strength and speed. For my part-and l say so boldly. at tho risk of losing my reputation as n prophCt-I | think Curh2tt V ill win the hattlo. I will l givc you my rCa>unS Ordinarily believe that every pound a fighter carries over lG0 pounds ar thCrCahuht is n dCtrimCnt It | tends to mako the man sluthful and cum | bcrSumC. The extra weight, too, will tire tho man in long hHtjlc
 | We old time fighters have always be- l knt i., | enough t0 mvrt any man in the world if he has the hriPht and rcaCh. Tom savers, | JCm MAco and Joe Coburn, all world beat | CTS in their time, never weighed above this | figure when at their tittcst and hest With
 little men, as everybody knows, of course | this rule does not hold. Two or three | pounds difference in weight and m inch l or so in height or rCaCh-lt lthrr things, | age, speed, clvVornvSS and courage, being | cqual-uirratr tn tho benefit of the contest
 ant having these advantages. X great
 giant of n man, however is usually in his
 pwn way. This was tho case with Perry | the "Tipton SlashCr," " whom Tom Savers
 whipped for ihr championship England,
 and Mike McCuolc, the Missouri Titan. ."
 whom Joe Cuburn defeated twice for the
 championship of America. Perry and Me l COOlC lowered almost six inches ovcr Say | PTS and COburn and weighed about 30
 pounds moro than their smaller adver- | saries.
 In Corbctt, however we have an ex-
 .raordinary man. He is by far tho clever
 est and quickest big man, both with hands
 and feet, in the ring today. He can carry
 himself with all the case and lightness of
 I fcatherweight in the arena. He will
 probably weigh 20 pounds more than Fitz-
 simmons when they cross arms, and the | will bo ro 6ptrimapt IpJnad
 1t may operate to Corbett's benefit. What
 think will be a main factor in Corbett's
 favor is the slight advantaCe he has in tho
 way of height and reach. This, with the
 slightly greater speed of hand and shift
 mess of foot he possesses, should enable
 him to inGict the greater amount of pun l ishmen' - constant punishment, which
 wears out m opponent-and win for him
 the battle. I believe he can only be beaten
 by n chance blow.
 do not by any means underrate the