The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-03-18
own behalf, alleges that he is only a
middleWeipht.

and Is much more commanding In pres
ence His limbs are straight and clean,
his trunk is full and wellrounded-barrel
shaped-with plenty OF chest room, and
upon his slopng shoulders and firm
neck is set the most intelligent and best
head in the ring. Whatever faults Cor
bett may have, there is nothing OF the
rough about him He does not look the
part, nor does he play it. His instincts
and his training lead him away from it.
He comes of decent ,mily re has had
Il good common school education. He
is not in fighting because he loves it,
although once being in it, he takes
Shakespeare's advice and conducts him
self so that his opponents may beware OF
him.
He is in pugil5m because early in life
he discovered that, added to his nIagnlfi
cent physique he had a natural aptitude
for boxing He chose to tread the rough
ways Of pugiIism, which lead to fortune,
rather than to spend his life as a respec-
table clerk. Those who condemn him
should consider these facts. 1t is posi-
bic, if not probable, that, given his nat
ural ability az a fighter, many OF them
would have followed in his footsteps.
Fitzsimmons' warmest admirers would
not accuse him Of being good looking
They 20 on the principle that ''hand-
some is as handsome does and judged
from this point OF view Bob is very
Apollo. Physically he is something OF u
freak. From the waist up he is a heavy
weight. From the waist down he is
scarcely more than good sized weller
weight. His legs are long and lean and
his waist small, while his chest, shoulders
and arms are abnormally developed. In
Australia, where his parents removed to
from England when he was lad, Bob
learned the trade of blacksmith.
1t was at the forge that his muscles
were wrought into steel and that he
gained that strength which has won SO
many battles for him. He says that
boxing came naturally to him, that he
never had teacher, and that his lessons
were learned in the best of all schools
experience Teacher or no teacher, it is
certain that FitzsimmOns is one OF the
most skillful boxers and deadly punchers
in the ring. When he lands something
gives He uses all manner of blows and
mixes jabs, swings, hooks, upper cuts
and counters with IL freedom that is ex-
ceedingly embarrassing and most al
ways deadly to his opponent. One OF
half uppercut or IL combination of both.
Usually he Uses it in II breakaway and
no man can use it more cleverly. 1t was
with this blow that he laid low Maher,
the unfortunate, when he met him in
Texas.
Better records than these men have
fighters never had before. 1t is COrbett' y
boast that, although he has fought and
whipped the best men of his time, he
never has been knocked down and never
has had black eye. There are ''quite Il
few" men who are not champions, not
prize fighters cven who could not make
q similar boast. 1t has been alleged that
COrbett could not hit hard and that he
has not courage. In reply to the latter
charge it may be said that he never has
failed to meet his man. If he has not
courage he has something that does duty
for it. What that something is-whether
it be greed or ambition or vanity-dOes
not much matter so long rs it stands
the Test of the real article SO far as his
hitting powers are concerned, Jackson,
Sullivan, Mitchell. Choynski and other
fighters can bear testimony. COrbett
proved to the full and entire satisfaction
of these men that he could hit, and he
has proved his power in this respect to
every man that ever faced him.
The charge that COrbett cannot take a
punching is not supported by facts.
There are no facts on either side, for the
man has not had to take a punching at
any time in his career, and he is confident
that he will not have to take one from
FitZsimmOns. COrbett is the quickest.
cleverest and best made fighter in the
world He is an American OF Irish eX-
traction-and little Irish blood does
no harm when mill is on-and he is the
champion of the world. He is 50 conf
dent that he will whip Fitzsimmons that
he has bet So, 900 of his own money on
his own chances What better guaran tee
could he give of the faith that is in him?
And it must be remembered that Corbett
is not n betting man. The task of de-
feating FitzsimmOns must look as easy
US rolling off q log or he never would offer
to bet $500, not to mention So, 900.
Fitzsimmons is abont ;'5 years OF age,
and Corbett's senior by six or seven
years. Fitz never has disspated. He
has no vices. He is old only in years.
In quickness, in strength and in skill he
is all that goes to make a great fighter.
He has won his way to the top of the
ladder by hard fighting, by whipping
men like Maher and Choynski, who, bar
ring himself and Corbett, are the best
heavyweight pugilists living. He never
has been defeated in this country, and
although Jim Hall gained Il decision
over him in Australia, he claims he never
was defeated in his life. His version of
the Hall fight is that he 'laid down. to
Hall and unless Hall was q much better
man in Australia than he showed him
self to be here, the story well may be be-
lieved.