The times., 1897-03-12
A PHILOSOPHICAL FORECAST
He Says Corbett Fights Like Jem
Mace and Dilates on the CaIifor-
MANS General Cleverness With
Feet and Hands-Comment on
Swings and Hooks"

ncstications have invariably proved cor
rect, are entitled to the distinguished
consideration of the common herd, W hose
Judgment in sporting matters is almost II
not entirely, influenced by personal prefer
ence and sentimental predictions.
As To the outcome OF the fight at Carson
City. there are two opinions, and they are
as widely divergent as the two poles
upon which the earth reyolveS. 4 great
nuinher, perhaps majority, can see no
winner but Corbett, while there is
host OF others who pin their faith and their
coin to Fitlsimmons.
As said, these opinions are in a great
degree horn of favoritisn for the re-
spective principals, and are not the result
OF a cool, calm, and dispassionate summing
up Of the abilities of both men
For instance, Sullivan and Dempsey bit
the dust of defeat with millions of friends
in the two hemispheres at their backs
partisans who could see no chance for
their opponents. And in going down in
the roped arenathey buried thousands upon
top OF thousands of dollars. History will
repeat itself in Dan Stuart's tabernacle on
st. Patricks Day.
No authority can be esteemed higher
-
reputation as a forecaster and delineator
OF sporting events is world wide. His
views are not Influenced by sentimentality
nor does ne play ravoFiies. He puts the
x-ray of ripe experience upon the event
and arrives at conclusions only after
technical study.
OF the fight at Carson Macon" talks
as follows: His views, it is hardly neces-
weight and respect of a seer and philoso-
pher. He says:
once upon time there was an old
lady who fell i'll. After awhile she be-
sau TO convaIesce. and in reply TO the
daily inquiries made by her neighbors as
TO the state of her health. the inyariable
reply was that she felt a little better
this morning Among the inqurers was
grabbed old bachelor. who, after a
couple weeks OF asking after the condition
of her health, said, 4 amt going 10 ask
after her any more. Anybody who has
been getting better for a fortnight ought
to be in robust health by this time 1
thought nf this the other day. after read
ing bulletins for two weeks about Jim
Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons' training
According To all accounts, they started
in feeling pretty well. thank YOU and
they've been getting better every day
They ought TO be as fine as fiddles by
this time.
Il have no doubt that both are in as good
condition as it has been possible for them
to get under the circumstances, but it must
be admitted that the circumstances have
been anything but favorable They have
both been weather-b bound n about as God
forsakcn and undesirable a place as 4 civil,
lied being can exist in. Carson City is not
an ideal place of residence under the most
favorable climatic conditions. In mid
winter, buried in snow. ice and Slush, it is
simply an lcelander's SheoI. 1t is the only
place, though, that Dan Stuart could pull
the fight off in To advantage, and so il has
TO he put up with, in accordance with the
maxim which SAYS, What can't be cured
must be endured. l hope its climatic con
ditions may improve soon. but we all know
that most oId-time almanacs prpgnUsticate
for st. Patrick 5 Day: About this time look
out for storms They generally manifest
themselves, too, in the most unpleasant
manner. l hope the good saint will t. me-
orol0gically kind this year, and that if
any storms are due on the anniversary of
his natalday they will postponed twenty
four hours, and then they can be credited
to Shelah. otherwise those who Journey
to the Rockies to see the big fight may have
a rocky time of it, indeed
$50 far, if the reports are to he believed
Corbett has had better health than Fitz
while training. The Cornish -Antip0dean
seems Co have caught severe cold en- route
to the battle ground and is unable To en-
tirely free himself from it l hope he viii
be able to get rid of i entirely by the time
that he is to fight. | want him 10
be as fit as a fiddle and as fine as silk
when he toes the scratch with Corbett,
and I want Jim to be as good as gold at
the same time Then with a fair field and
no favors, we shall have no aftermathS in
the way Of complaints about not being
in condition. to account for the defeated
mans discontinue. / firmly believe that
if Corhett goes into the ring as good aid
as fit ms he was when he faced Charley
Mitchell he will take the cOnceit out Cf
Lanky Bob in short meter, but l don't
want to hear any reports TO the effeCtthat
j don't feel right, but couldn't say 30 be
fore the fight The man who deceives
his friends about his condition in this con
test will have precious few of them when
it is over.
ITO those who know anything about the
art Of boxing it is amusing to read of the
new blows that each man is preparing
for use on the other. John l.. sullivan was
right when he said that there were no all
sulutcly new blows, and that those in use
now had been used by all the big fighters
OF the ring since the days of Tom Spring
and Jim Ward, who were the fathers of
the modern style of boxing. In their days
swings and hooks were deprecated. be-
cause their use was likely to break mans
fists, which were then unprotected while
fighting Now they are employed so adj
vantageously because the mems hands are
enveioped in padded gloves, which protect
them in a great measure from the effects
of contacts with an opponents skull and
facial bones. That is all there is to the
new blows
Jim Corbett fights more like an old
timer, like lem Mace. than those who
follow the slugging style of John L.
Sullivan, and in. the way he uses his
feet and legs. His footwyrk is superb He
can get in to an opponent or away from
him, or side-step 70 either side Of him
with greater cclerity and certainty than
any light or bantamweight / know OF.
IL WAS Tue dbluty 70 ust HIS lCCt .tttl lCt-S
that enabled him to so battle Peter Jack
sons efforts, and made John L. Sullivan's
terrible right hand swings laughably puer
lie. Fitzsimmons is not overly good on
his legs. AS the boys say, He walks all
over hisself in very awkward way. In
this respect Corbett ought to have a great
advantage over him.
Condition is going to tell a tale in this
ma whose u-iud iS NOT c,t,nd