The morning times., 1896-03-09
WILL THEY EVER FIGHT?
Resume of the Case Between
Fitz and COIbett.
POOR PROSPECTS OF MEETING
Malier VIII Go To England and Try
10 Get al Go With Either jackson or
Slavin-Cham mpion Jack McAuliffc
Is Training Hard for His Fight
With Lavigne.

There is no denying the assertion that
FitzsimmonS is the de facto champion
heavyweight pugiliSt of the world Corbett
resigned the Iillc and tried lis best To
make Maher a present of il.
Corbett had no right, and no firSt-clasS
precedent 10 ito this, but right or wrong,
| be named Mahcr champion of the world.
| fliEsGHionS made Il match with MaheI
! and when they met in ring lie easily de
| fcated the lriShman. The title of champion
| has passed la hIm anl now CorbcUt iS NOV
| ing heaven and earth, iiauraiiyely pea king
| 10 get a chance TO face FitZSimmons in Il
| ring. that he may demonstrate what nine
! tenthS of the pagilIStic world believes. that
he is FitZSimmons master.
He has had To humble himself in the dust
in the past week. When in England nc ana
his manager, Billy Brady, were The guests
| of the National Sporting Club He found
that the bar of The club house WAS adorned
with many portraits al flStic celebrities.
Chief among them WAS \ very large one of
Peter Jackson. Hul there was no picture
of Jim CorbetG in the gallery. This was
vcXatinus, truly, for if any man on his
merits deserved To nave lns picture in Il
fi>tic collection Corbelt iS that man.
Had he been a witty. Eecn- on gued man
he would have remarked TO some OF The big
SwellS of the cIub. This collection OF
pugllIStic portraits reminds plC of the play
OF Hamlet with the part OF thV meIa uchoIy
Dane omitted" EngliShmcn are kecnly
susceptible tu SarC.t IA and H;ld Hc made
such a comment on Ihc National Sporting
Clubs picture Eallery his portrait would
probably have been added next day.
CORBETT'S BAD BREAK
Instead or doing this huwever, Cnrbett
became greatly offended and he listened
Ia the advice of old J"m Mace and Dick
Burgc. both OF whom declared that he
would never get fair play If lie fought in
The ring OF the club. Thus informed.
or perhaps misinformed he gave cxprcs
sion 10 sentiments ancnt the Grub winch hc
now regrets.
In order 40 get chance to meet his
mortal foe. FitzsiInmuns. CGrbctt is now
willing 10 apologize to tie club for what
he said about u. and lis mem berS are dis
posed 10 let hYCOnes be bygones and say
they viii offer even larger purse than
the BolingbrOke Club liz order 10 bring
Jim and titZsimmons together.
viii they ever fight? That's the uues
tion. They may: but at present the pros
poets for a ring hattie between them are
not overly bright. Corhett is the one
and only man in the world today that
FitZsimmons really fears. That he had
ample opportunity to meet him in a ring
at Hot Springs is 80 well known now that
only ia" most bitter and malignant enemies
20 on Train and be arrested by the
Arkansas authorities instead.
The cheers that hailed his victory over
Maher were deadened by the knowledge
that CorbettS challenge was awaiting
him in FL PasO. How dii he receive it
with that Joy that warrior feels in a
foeman worthy of his steel? oh. no!
He idiotically announced: "Corbett he
damned. Let him go a nd get reputation''
FITS SILLY TONGUE.
Like Corbett, FitZsimmons had made
many foolish speech. but he never before
made one that was so utterly puerile
as this one. Forgetting that he was still
fresh from an encounter with a man who
but a week before they met was as blind
as bat and who certainly could not have
his normal vision when he Went into tie
ring; forgetting that he had beaten a man
who but few weeks before was like job
OF old, so afflicted with boils that he had
10 cease training: forgetting that at FL Paso
a week before he had chafed al The fact that
poor MaheT was given four more days 10
regain his sight. he demanded that Cor
bett whip Maher and Choynski Ito DEM
onstraie his physical capacity to fight any
man before he would give his chal-
lenge recognition. These We're not the
words Of man who felt his title clear 10
the championship.