The San Francisco call., 1897-03-24
DELANEY On CORBETT.
The Well-Known Trainer Gives
Some Inside History of
the Ring.
He Says That Cor bstt Took Advice
From Everybody and Went
Stale.
4 q

. OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALL,
sos Broadway, March 23.j
William Delaney, the trainer in chief of
the late champion James Corbett, has
been silent since leaving the ringside with
his defeated hero. This afternoon he con-
sented to give his opinion as to why Cor
bett lost the battle OF his life.
He blames the unlucky result to the
fact that Corbett was headstrong and
would not heed the advics of his trainer,
and tells an interesting story of the diff
culties that existed in regard to the train
ing of which nothing has hitherto been
said.
He attributes the defeat to the fact that
on the Sunday preceding the fight Corbett
was anxious to show how much he could
do in the presence OF Muldoon, Al Smith,
Billy Madden and other prominent New
York sports. According to Delaney Cor
bett should have eased up on his training
for the three davs before the fight and the
failure to do this virtually killed him.
''The Sunday before the tight" said
Delaney, when Corbett should have been
resting he actually multiplied his work to
show off to his Eastern friends. He went
cut in the morning and logged ten miles.
In the afternoon he punched the bag
Woods, Jeffries, McVey and his brother
Joe-the hardest kind OF boxing, too. He
kept this up the next day and even the
day before the fight he would not let up.
All this was contrary 10 my instructions.
! did not sanction it, but he would not
pay any attention to my advice. All
along / opposed his handball playing. He
liked that form of training because he
could beat those whom he met, but told
him it was no good for him. 1t is too
fatiguipg for greyhound like Jim. 1t Is
good enough for fat fellow, and that is
all. L told his brother long before the
fight that if had not been afraid of being
caught l would have burned down the
court and stopped his work in it.
Another thing / disapproved OF was
that he wouldn't touch liquor in any
shape. Some one had given him that
theory and he wouldn't take a bottle of
ale or glass OF champagne, although
was telling him he needed sone malt TO
supply the drain on his system by his
hard work. To give you an idea of the
mistake he was making, the night before
the fight when he came in from the ten
mile run he was as dry as a bone, though
he should have been bathed in perspira-
tion, Why, Fuzsimmons for the four
DAYS previous to the fight WAS riding
around in buggy with his wife and was
taking a drink uptown every time he
-
. his ideas will leave the fact of the con-
dition of the two men in the ring.
II want to say right here that when
man goes into ring for finish ignt not
knowing how long he will be there he
should have some superfiuous flesh. 1t is
a fact that man will lose five pounds in
the course OF anything like good fight.
jim, therefore, should have been prepared
for this, instead of which. by training
down to the very last minute, he did not
have an extra ounce of flesh on his bones.
"The morning of the fight was a little
bit afraid of the outcome, but still
thought Jim would win, because l figured
that, even though he was not in the con-
dition he ought 10 be, he was more than
match for F1tzsimmons. After the night
started, though, l got scared. He was
hitting Fitz all the time, but was not hurt
ing him padly, and could see that there
was no steam or vitality 10 his blows. In
the fourth round Billy Brady, who was in