The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-03-23
VIEWS OF THE
A Clean Fight. They Say, and Muldcon
Adds That Fjtzsimmons Is the Better
MAN.

Baltimore Sum-
Carson, March 1s.-Referee George
Siler. in discussing the fight, said:
TT looked for the first FIVE round as
il 1t was Corbett's fight. He had Fftz
shaky and in the fifth / was forced for
the first time to go in between the men
to make FitZsimmons breakaway. Al
ter that Corbett's blows were not as ef-
fective as before, and FitZ got stronger
ali the time. Barring a knockout by
Fitz l believed that the only show Cor
bett had was to worry his man by de-
grees and follow him up until he was
Worn out. But the knockout blow
came. 1t was one of the cleanest fights
that ever took place in a ring for the
championship.
My construction of rule ~" said Siler,
permitting hits in the clinches and
breakaways made a fairer fight than
the general public expected. The sup
position was hat it would be a rough
and tumble fight n h a the men
would hug and wrestle, but l figured
that if hitting in the clinches and
b~reakaways was permitted, the men
would be more h careful! in clinches,
and that there would be no punching
at such times. / was correct"
Muldoon, in describing the final blow,
said:
The men had clinched in the corner,
Corbett instead of stepping back, az
he should have done, simply leaned the
upper part of his body back. The
movement caused the bone at the lower
part of the chest TO protrude. Fitz saw
his opportunity and quick as a flash
-, delivered a right upper-cut. The blow
caught Corbett right under this pro-
truding bone and over the spleen. No
man living could have stood up under
the pain that such a blow must have
caused.
1T was the prettiest and best fight
hat ever occurred between big men.
Corbett had plenty of steam in his
blows, but could not reach a vulnerable
part Of Fitzsimmons' anatomy. He
should have finished Bob in the fifth
i round, but he was not quick enough.
My former criticism of Corbett's train
ing methods still holds good. He prac-
ticed boxing with slow, poor boxers,
! while Fitzsimmons had the cleverest
! men to be obtained. Corbett is a beau
F, tiful boxer, but Fitz is a greater fight
| er. He is the better man of the two"
Charles White, Corbett's second: Il
; advised COrbett to use generalship n
keep away from Fitz, but he was so
confident that he insisted on mixing
up He is much the better man. The
! chance blow did it,"
| Despite the defeat of his man White
! was congratulated on all sides for his
| work in putting the ex-champion into
! the superb condition in which he enter
ed the ring.
Il consider it of the highest impor-
tance," he said, in explaining his sys-
! tenn, ito get from a first-class phySi-
clan an accurate opinion on the condi-
ton of the fighter before beginning
work on him. Upon hat opinion the
farming must be based, the work be-
ing to suit the man. The exercise must
! begin gradually, the speed and weight
of the work being gradually increased
up to within a short time before the
fight. Then the different exercises
must be shifted daily, so that those in
which he is the weakest or slowest shall
be used at wide intervals, thus bunch
ing the kind of work in which the man
shows the best form.
CAS- the time for the contest draws
near the boxing should be done at the
, hour at which the fight is to occur, and
great care should be taken in the roa,
work to prevent injury to the wind. In
! training COrbett I hammered his face,
arms and breast every night with small
bags containing a powdered prepare
; ton, which hardened the skin. Corbett
: would certainly have beaten Fitzsim-
! mons if he a practiced his usual ring
tactics and stayed away. The in
fighting is Fitzsimmons' own game,
n that is where he won"