The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-23
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
Explanations offered By Kelly, Nc
Vey. Corbett. and SharkeY.

Explanations offered By Kelly, Nc
Vey, Corbett, and sharkey.
New York, Nov. 22-John Kelly, the
referee, made the following statement:
81 stopped the bout and gave the de-
cision to Sharkey because McVey, one
of Corbett's seconds, in violation of the
rules, jumped into the ring.
Il called all bets off because 1 be-
lieve the action of NIcVey was paid for
by somebody who had bet on Sharkey,
and did not propose tic. decide public
money on a palpable fake. [ would not
be party to such a fraud.
mo one can tell me McVey lost his
head. He has been behind fighters for
years, and there was some fraudulent
deal behind his movement. SO far as 1
can see, the fighters were on about even
terms when l stopped the bout in the
ninth round
Con McVey said: 81 jumped into the
ring because l saw Sharkey hitting in
almost every clinch, and sometimes so
low that anybody ought to have been
able to see it. / called out to the referee
time after time in the last round, and
then l could stand it no longer and
stuck my head through the ropes, but
Kelly did not see me. 'ThenaI saw
Sharley hit Jim in another clinch.
guess 1 lost my head and put my. foot
over the rope, when they gave the fight
to Sharkey.
81 am sorry that I am the cause of
the decision being given. against Cor
bett. He would have won with a GER
tainty. He had Sharkey whipped.
but I could not stand seeing Jim fouled
without making a protest"
Jim Corbett said: 81 think that those
who saw the fight will agree that had
Sharkey whipped and would have had
the decision in another round or two.
did not want to win fight on a foul,
and it was my misfortune that McVey
jumped into the ring to call the
referees attention to Sharkey's foul
fighting.
HE did fight foul. He hit me low,
once in the second round and again in
the seventh L did not see NIcVey- jump
into the ring. My back was turned to
him and when Kelly said You VIM [
thought he meant me, because [ knew
1 had away the best of it.
I AFTER l realized that the decision
was against me-, 1 offered to fight out
with him then and there but he walked
away. 1 did too much drawing out. [
ought have gone right after my man
and whipped him in four rounds well,
1 can not kick. only hope next time
the other mans second will jump into
the ring. 1 will leave the decision to
those who saw the fight"
Tom Sharkey said: 81 regret that
Corbett's second got into the ring, for
in a few more rounds, perhaps the next.
would have put him out fought
fair. Corbett struck too low once or
twice. and l am little sore below the
belt now. Not blow that was de-
livered hurt me. 1 am just out of the
bathtub, and as you see, I have not a
scratch or mark on me-
81 believe 1 can whip Corbett or any
one else, and 1 stand ready to fight
him or anybody in the world, Fitzsim-
mons preferred. 1 agreed to his arti-
cles and obeyed implicitly O'Rourke's
instructions. Corbett's cleverness
counted for nothing.
They say that 1 am not clever and
that 1 fight foul and that 1 lose nv
head, but here stand tonight, without
ever having lost a fight on a foul. and
have stood Corbett off, with ali his
much-vaunted cleverness, for eight
rounds, without a scratch on me. I can
best any man in the world. and will
make good my words whenever L get
into the ring"