The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-15

4
modern gladiator, a man must be endowed
by nature with great strength, agility,
stamina, nerve, bulldog courage, In
order To stand punishment, and most of
| all, brutal instinct and cunning.
have met both Corbctt and Fitz-
simmons in the gymnasium. j have
watched their work with weights and
| other apparatus, have seen them wrcstle
| and spar, and have noted, studied and
weighed each carefully. i have for years
been student of anatomy and scientific
physical culture and i will, through
practical knowledge, personal observation
and experience, try and make plain,
careful estimate Of tho fighting abilities
of both men.
To begin with Corbott Is by far the
more intellectual, and possesses the
greater acquired skill and science, whilc
Fitzslmmons Is gifted with more natural
instinct and cunning In the one faculty,
fighting. For instance, 1 will compare
Corbett with fox terrier and Fltzsim-
mons with cat. II the dog sees n mouse
poke its head out of hole, he springs at
it like n flash jumps around and wastes
"a lot of energy, which looks well and earns
praise for the terrier because of his agil-
ity, dash and showy qualities, although
the mouse has escaped, but let a cat,
which has not by any means as much
Intelligence as IA dog, sec mouse put its
head out Of hole, this animals instinct
and cunning tell him that he must make
M m Re ha rh.o
and waits patiently for his opponent to
give him an opening. Finally, the mouse,
thinking there Is no harm in an enemy
that is not aggressive comes out and 10 ]
the cat, quick as the thought gets in
straight lead or right or left hook.
In comparing the weight and strength
of the two fighters--I mean, weighing and
measuring them i'm scientific way-I
find Fitzsimmons To be the larger and
stronger man. True, Corbctt weighs about
fifteen or twenty pounds more than Fitz-
simmons, but Corbett's overweight Is not
of the material that is of benefit to him
in a fight.
Fitzsimmons Is larger of bone His
skeleton is ut least seven pounds heavier
than that of Corbett. His sinews, liga-
ments and connecting fbrcs are larger
and heavier, his heart, lungs and arteries
are larger and better developed than Cor
belts the result Of runnin and other
hard work and exercise in youth and
constant diet Of beef and animal food.
The lion and all other animals that live
upon flesh are heavy Of bone and sinew
and strong of heart, lung and limb. Their
flesh contains but little water, and they
carry no unnecessary fatty tissue. The
human race does not make food of this
class of animals, because they are not
meaty. They are sinewy. Their diet of
flesh stores up strength in their blood;
consequently the man who lives nearest
the lion will fight nearest the lion.
Fitzslmmons eats principally animal
food, while Corbett lives on oatmeal and
other vegetable diet to great extent.
The OK is vegetarian and about four
times as heavy as the lion but the lion is
"king of beasts" So Is the human being
who feasts upon flesh king of man-that
is with the fist or the sword, but not
with the pen; king as II fighter, but not
as thinker. 1t is instinct and cunning
not thought, that win for the pugilist.
Fitzsimmons measures one and one-half
inches more from the center of his breast
bone to the shoulder socket of either arm
than Corbett. In delivering blow the
spine becomes pivot; therefore, the
extra one and one-half inches give the
Cornishman greater leverage, and the
blow he strikes is consequently that much
harder than Corbctt's. Again, with his
extra length of arm and this greater dis
tance between his shoulder and his neck
can stand with his side ex-
posed to his opponent and with his fist
thrust straight in the others face as
guard
In this position Corbett will be unable
to reach Fitzsimmons by striking either
around, under or over his long and
strong guard or to break it down, and
can keep jabbing his OPP
ponent without exposing himself in the
least, and in this way Corbett is liable
TO become little tired and leave un-
guarded vital spot, which Fitzsimmons,
with the instinct and quickness Of cat,
finds with n right or left hook or
straight blow, backed up with ewing
from his broad shoulders.
AS have said, Corbett's arteries are
not so largo as those of Fitzsimmons;
therefore he Is more liable to fatigue
and cramps when the heart is heavily
taxed from prolonged physical cxertion.
Fitzsimmons is man who has from
iiet and constant training worked himself
into compact bundle OF bone muscle
and sinew. He is little old, but like a
we'll seasoned hickory bow, which will
shoot an arrow further than one twice |
~ heavy, and younger, and full of sap. |
A man of his sober habits should be at |
his best mt 40 years. Mans age should not |
DC Judged by the years he has lived, but |
nv the way he has lived them.