The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1897-03-25
FITZ WINS THE FIGHT
KNOCKS OUT CORBETT IN a
LIVELY BATTLE.
Cornishuan Is Loudly Cheered-Big
Crowd Is Present-Estima ated that
at Least $5oO,O0O Was Staked on
the Result Of the Contest.
Fought Fourteen Rounds.

Robert FitZsimmons defeated James D..
| Corbett in the fourteenth round in the
contest at Carson City, New, for the pu-
gilistic championship of the world. The
decisive blow was a left swing on the
Dit of Corbett's stomach. He fell on his
face in the center of the ring and was un-
able to regain his feet in the specified ten
seconds. The Californian seemed to have
! a shade the better of the battle up to the
! last round. He had Fitzsimmons weak
in the sixth round, but failed to finish him.
-Four thousand people were present. Ihe
| day was clear and beautiful and just right
for the kinetoscope.
| The result of the battle came like bolt
of lightning to Corbett's friends, who
deemed him literally invincible. The
kinetoscope should net $1OO,0OO to each
pugilist. in addition to which Fitzsimmons
receives the purse of $4,000 and Cor
belts side bet of $1,000. There were
about twenty women present. titzsim-
mons weighed 167 and Corbett lS3
pounds.
Time was calle! At 1901. The lanky
pugiist refused to shake hands with Cor
bett. The opening sparring was cautious.
! but the Cornishman soon began to force
Corbett, trying left swing.
For thirteen rounds the two men sway
ed and shifted pythonlike around the
| white rosined floor, watching each other
like two great eagles Then the bell clang-
ed for the fourteenth. and up they came
again, light-footed, wary and aggressive.
Fitzsimmons was bleeding badly at the
mouth. Four thousand spectators roared
around the ringside like troop of lions.
Hundreds of men became hoarse and hys-
| terical with bowling.
FitZsimmons' small, ferrety eyes twin
kled in his pink and apelike face like little
bits of shin. glass as he swayed up to
Corbett for the final round.
| Champion Is Fallen.
Corbett darted forward and drove his
long left in Fitzsimmons' stomach. The
| latter grunted and swung back with three
| hard raps on the Californian's jaw. The
finish followed, like thunderbolt Fitz-
simmons sprang forward with a great
right-handed smash over Corbett's heart.
The blow would have finished an ordi-
nary man. 1t only staggered the tremen-
dously muscular fighter. That momen-
tary stagger. however, was sufficient.
Fitzsimmons rushed in with left flush
in the pit of the Californian's stomach
Down went the big fellow on all fours
like stricken beef. All his grand
strength had vanished. FitZsimmons
with his face still contorted in that red
and featureless smile. stepped away at
the order of the referee, WIZ sprang be-
tween them. With a roar like that of
whirlwind 1000 spectators sprang to their
feet, turning over chairs, crashing over
boxes and pouring hood-like down the
yellow pine slope steward the ringside.
1t is estimated that not less than $780,
600 changed hands all over the country on
the result of the fight. Most of this money
was wagered at Carson City. New York
and San Francisco. Corbett wagered
nearly 5000 on himself in addition to the
stake of $4,000 side. Fitzsimmons did
not bet any money, for the reason that he
had none to bet. His stake money, even,
was deposited by two New York and one
Detroit sporting men. Martin Julian, his
manager, is financially as bad off as his
brother-in-law.
The fight was for purse of $4,000 and
a wager of $4,000 side. the winner to
take all. 1t was announced for the cham
pionship of the world, but as the cham
pionship of the world has never been tech
nically held by one man, the title is not
generally looked upon as settled by the
fight