The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-03-14
After Short Chat With Stuart, Calls
Upon Jim Corbett.
Says He Never Saw a Fighter i'm His
Life in Such Good Condition to
Enter the Ring Than the Champion
-FitZSimmOns Will Prove Himself
the Greatest Fighter in the World
If He Wins the Battle Over Cor
bett.

DCkls
CARSON, March 13-After the YER
bal wind storm which was waged yes
| terday between the representatives of
the two training camps, the happen
ings Of to-day We're mild in comparison.
al Smith, the stakeholder of the fight,
arrived on the morning train from San
Francisco, and lost no time in report
ing his arrival at the office of Dan
Stuart. Smith had with him when he
arrived, certificates of deposit aggre-
eating $4,000 in value, which he will
turn over to the winner of the fight on
Wednesday.
After having a short interview with
Dan Stuart, Smith drove out to Shaw's
Springs to call upon his friend, the
champion. He remained at Corbetts
camp for the better part of the after
noon. After he had seen the pugilist,
Smith said:
Never in my life have I seen any
fighter in the condition in which Cor
bett is to-day. Not only have l never
seen a fighter in such excellent shape,
but I think that L never have seen
man in training who was in such per-
!
Corbett this morning, our conversation
lasting over an hour. He assured me
that he was in the pink of condition,
and that when it came to his work in
the afternoon he would show it to me.
He has shown me all he promised, and
great deal more For nearly three
hours this afternoon | stood in his
handball court and watched him spar
and Wrestle with his trainers, and his
work was nothing short of marvellous
Notwithstanding the high altitude,
which might be supposed to tire a man
III violent exercise more rapidly than
if he was in the lower country he
went through it all without a sign Of
trouble.
Il have not seen Fitzsimmons as yet,
and of course / have no idea except
by report Of the condition in which he
is, but l wish to say right now, that
he must be wonderful man, and more
than that, he must be a wonderful man
in wonderful condition to stand out
against a fighter who is in the condi-
ton in which Jim COrbett is to-day
When / say this, l am in no way under
rating FitZsimmons, for I know he is
great fighter. l only say that the
man who beats Corbett next Wednes-
day must not only be a wonderful
fighter but he must be in perfect con-
dition. If Corbett loses this fight he
will have no excuse on account of the
lack of condition. A man may lose
through an accident, and through an
unintentional foul, but if Corbett loses
it must be through one Of these things,
or because Fitzsimmons is the better
man, and | do not see how it is posi-
bic for any man to be in better shape
than Jim is now. Tomorrow | am
going to ride over to the camp where
Fitzsimmons is training and then I
will be able to form a better opinion
as to the shape of the two men.
In all I have said in praise of Cor
bett, l wish it understood that | am
saying nothing against Fitzsimmons
in any way. | simply say that if he
wins he is entitled to be called the best
man in the world, and in my opinion,
nobody will concede that more quickly
than Corbett himself
At both camps efforts are now being
made to get the wire edge on the men
which is considered necessary for the
final effort in the ring on St Patrick's
LAY OSApCtt = W VI ~ viii Ot gradually
lessened from now until the day of the
battle. and no possible effort is being
spared by the men who are assisting
him to get him into the finest possible
condition 1t is difficult to see how
Corbett could be in a finer physical
condition than he now is, and his en-
durance is phenomenal. He is natur-
ally somewhat high strung, and the
strain of the work he has done is be-
ginning to show in his talk at times.
He is quite often nervous, and now and
then irritable, but such things are COM
mon with a man who for several weeks
has gone through with a strain Incl
dent to preparing for a big fight and
his trainers are rather pleased than
otherwise at the little displays of tenn
per that he occasionally makes They
| declare that he is in the best condi-
ton, and that he would not be at all
nervous if he We're not. Corbett's ner-
yousness is not on account of the COM
ing battle. He says that il cannot
come any too soon to please him, and
there is not the slightest doubt that he
is in earnest to the last degree when
he says so.
Fitzsimmons. on the other hand, is
not nervous in the most remote degree.
He is not Of the temperament that per-
nlits men to become nervous. and he is
as cool over the outlook as it is posi-
BILE for a man TO be. He certainly
shows no outward signs of being wor-
Iied, and his confidence is firm rooted
as that of Corbett in the coming of
ultimate victory. He showed the pow
er in his arms to-day by hitting his
punching bag with such violence that
he broke the rope by which the bag
was swung. 1t Was a good stiff cord
of the thickness of a mans forefnger,
and Fitzsimmons snapped it with his
final punch into which he threw all the
force of that awful right arm of his
The work of Fitzsimmons in hitting
with one arm free and on the break
aways, as shown in his boxing this
morning was not of character to bear
out the statement of Martin Julian,
rtade in yesterdays conference. to the
effect that Fitzsimmons was not ac-
customed to that style of fighting His
short, quick right and left jabs for the
head and stomach We're made with