The San Francisco call., 1897-02-08
"FIrz" IN FINE FErrLE.
The AntipOdson Tells What He Expects
to DO to Corbett.

to DO to Corbett.
CHICAGO, ILL, Feb IA special to
the Tribune from New York saws: With
in a week, probably, or next Wednesday
Fitzsimmons will depart for Nevada TO
make final preparations for meeting James
J. Corbett on March IL, in what, it is
universally ad mItted, will be the greatest
pugilistic event in the annals of fistiana.
Corbett mas been training assiduously
for this fight for some months. until at
the present moment he is in condition to
do battle. Fitzsimmons, on the other
hand, started in to take exercise and that
of a light character, only ten days ago.
This delay in beginning heavy training is
in strongly m arked contrast to Fitzsim-
mons behavior on all former occasions, as
it has been customary with him, when
matched for a hight, to move with his
family and belongings to some quiet
place, where he systematically carried out
a prescribed system of training some
months before the event. His failure to
act according to his time-honored custom
in this the most important battle of his
career has given rise to much speculation
among the sporting fraternity.
Corbett's friends are loud in proclaim
ing their doubts of the antipodean's sin
cerity. To these cynics it will be more or
less gratifying to learn that, first of all,
Fitzsimmons' prime condition releases
h m from long siege of heavy training,
and secondly, that his delayed departure
ior Nevada is due entirely to the serious
illness of a member of his family, crisis
for better or for worse having been daily
expe cted.
Could these same critics see Fitsim-
mons, well muffled up and wearing
sweater and cap, trudging along in the
morning to and around Central Park on
. his twelve-mile iaunt and returning 10 his
hotel dripping with Precipitation, they
would think differently. And. perhaps,
could these alarmists follow Fitz to his
room IN the Bartholdi Hotel and see him
strip for his exercise with the dumbbeils
and wrist machine, and note his condi-
ton, they would hesitate long before
again commenting unfavorably on the
Cornishman.
BOD Fltzslmmons is in superb condition
Tor this hight, and he looks it. His flesh Is
hrm ana smooth, his muscles hard but
pliable, while his massive chest and back
denote great strength and power. His
face and eyes show that he is not dissi-
pated. In fact, he could not possibly be
in any better physical condition than he
is at present. and he knows it.
While he was being rubbed with alcohol
after his bath to-day, Fitzsimmoas said:
$50 the latest talk is that / am not
training properly? Well, suppose that
Corbett's friends viii want me to follow
their instructions. 1t should be Just their
. pie if don't get right and my loss. Such
kickers and cranks 1 never heard of. Why
they will exrect me to fight to their direc-
tions soon. 1 have heard SO much talk
lately about what / am doing and what
Corbett is going to do to me on March II
that often wonder where the tales come
from. Well, 1 don't care what people
think about my training. l am going to
DO the fighting and know just how
/ should be. l feel great and am fit to enter
the ring now. Ny wind is good and
strong, and the only thing necessary for
me is to become acclimated to the high
altitude of Nevada. l will have four long
weeks to do this before the fight. ,
'How do you propose to fight Corbettr
Il don't know; but he does, or rather
says he does. 1 have seen where Corbett
says am tricky fighter. Perhaps I am,