The San Francisco call., 1896-06-24
ALL IS PREPARED
FOR THE BATTLE,
The Picking of the Referee
Will Be Decided To-
Day.
CORBETT'S HAND HURT.
Swelled From Violent Contact
With Bob McCord's
Head.
a SHARKEY RUMOR UNTRUE.
The Betting Was a Little Livelier
Last Night-Prospective Maher.
Choynski Fight.
a sHARKEY RUMOR UNTRUE.

Below, above and around them at Me-
chanics' Pavilion will be moving sea of
white, excited faces.
Which will win? Ask of the winds.
A chance or a lucky blow can decide the
contest. The admirers of the worlds
champion James J. Corbett, and the
friends and fanciers of the sailor lad,
Thomas Sharkey, each have money on
their favorite, and money shows the sim
cerity of opinion among sporting men.
Champion Jim may not be able to send
his good and faithful left fist with as
telling effect on Tom Sharkev's seasoned
jaw this evening as he had intended yes
terday morning. The champion arose
from his soft and virtuous couch firmly
believing that the fist which decorated the
great John l.. Sullivan's face in the famous
battle at New Orleans for the worlds
cham pionship, would play tattoo OH the
handsome and intelligent phiz of the
pride of the America n navy, Thomas
Joseph Sharkev.
James did not even anticipate what the
afternoon of yesterday would unfold. He
did not take into consideration that an
accident might possibly happen to him.
But the unexpected frequently happens,
and Champion Jim is not at the present
writing as sanguine of stopping Sharkey
as he was when he meandered to the
Olym bic Club yesterday afternoon to have
short set-to with Bob McCord, the old
veteran, who was the pride OF the club in
fistic way when Corbett was taking les
sons in the manly art from Professor
Walter Watson.
McCord and Corbett met at the club
yesterday afternoon and donned the nit
tens. They spared gently for three rounds,
but in the fourth round they mixed
things up. The round was about half over
when Corbett called a halt
He had landed a swinging left-hander
on McCord's head, which caused him no
end of pain. One of the knuckles of Cor
belts left hand was knocked out of place
and the member swelled to such an extent
that applications of hot water had to be
applied Immediately. The champion suf-
fered much pain Tor some time, but last
evening he said that the hand was all
right again, and that he would use 1T to
good advantage on his opponent-that is,
as far as straight-arm punching is con-
cerned.
1t is extremely doubtful that he will try
a left swing at Sharkey's head, even
though favorable opportunity may offer
to land a favorite blow.
The betting last evening was 10 to THAT
Sharkey will remain the four rounds.
resort to running and defensive tactics for
three rounds, and if everything goes we'll
with him up to this point of the game he
may possibly make something of a staEd
before Corbett III the last half of the final
round. In fact, his play will be to remain
on deck until the gong sounds the end of
the fourth and last round.
The Marquis of Queensberry rules ex-
plicitely state that if a contestant falls
without being hit the referee must caution
him and If he transgres5es the rules q sec
ond time the decision must be given
against him. Will this rule be inforced ?
Last night the situation with refer
ence to the referee was that each
side was to submit list OF five or
six names and that a meeting will
be held to-day to make final choice. Just
what man will be picked was just as much
an unknown quantity as in the afternoon,
though there were constantly rumors atloat
that such and such man had been
chosen.
Later last night the betting changed
somewhat. About O'Clock SO TO $40 was
offered that Corbett stops Sharkey in the
four rounds. The takers were not many.
There is much more Corbett money offered
than SEarkey money. Seven dollars
against $40 was offered that Smith beats
Davis, with some acceptance.
Harry Corbett wanted TO bet $100 to $40
that his brother, the champion, gets the
decision. There were no calls for his
money.
There was some haggling but in quiet
way yesterday over the question of who
shall be the referee. Corbett has no money
to lose and practically no reputation if she
should fail to put the sailor lad into a
dreamland with constellation OF shoot
ing stars, but on the other hand Sharkey
has much to win or lose. The former gets
so per cent of the receipts anyhow, but it
may depend on the decision whether
Sharkey will win $4,000 or $500. If he
stays with the champion through the four
round dance he gets $4,000, but if he is
knocked out he will receive the latter sum.
Hence the sailor lad and his trainer are
somewhat anxious concerning the choice
of the referee.
The disagreement has come down to
this: With the Corbett side it is anybody
but Hiram Cook, and with the Sharkey
and Needham side any body but ALI King.
AS Billy Delaney said yesterday after
noon:
anybody on earth but Cook. We don't
want him and we won't have him. This
is because OF his decision that the Corbett-
Jackson fight was draw.
Eve will take any other good square
man" he went on. king preferred. We
will take Patsy Hogan, Ed Homan or
Patsy Logan. they would be acceptable
to US.
Happy Jack" Harrington, Jim Ches-
ley and Tommy Nolan are also mentioned
as being agreeable TO the Corbett people.
1t is quite probable that the choice of
the referee will not be finally made until
this afternoon.
Needham and Sharkey point to Cook
as man OF well-known reputation for i'm
partiality, and say he would render the
decision according to his best judgment
regardless of whom it hurt or helped. AS
serting this to be fact they say they can
not see why the other side should object
to him.
Corbett has the big end of the whole
proposition, and it may not be impossible
for him to force the other side into agree
ing on King or some other man he favors.
Corbett worked rather hard yesterday,
but not as long as usual His trainers de-
cided that he ought to let up little, and
to-day he may not work at all, but put in
the time resting. Delaney is of this opin-
ion. George Green said it was not finally
decided vet whether Corbett would train
to-day. They would see about it this