The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-26
C()RBETT On TIE HCHI
Not a Pin to Choose Between
Jefries and Sharkey.
SAME KIND OF FIGHTERS
Predicts the Limit Will Find
Them Both Afoot.

| New York, Oct. 26.-James ]. Corbett
writes in the Journal:
| With my knowledge Of Tom Sharkey
and Jim Jefries 1 would not dare pre-
| dict the result of the encounter. This
| much 1 win venture: It is not an odds
! on contest by any means Jeffries is q
| favorite, I know. but those who favor
| him dc lot take Sharkey seriously enough
| He viii fight Jeffries harder than Fitz-
| sirnn ons did. And on his victory with
| Fitz. Jeffries' betters seem to calculate
when summing up the two men,
In Truth, never in all my ring career
| did I know of two fighters SO evenly
matched. Both men are rugged as old
| oaks; strong as bulls; terrific hitters;
and they belong to the same school-they
| fight with less care than a scientific man
relying to no little extent on their eror-
nous capacity for punishment Possibly
in the forthcoming battle these tactics
may not be employed; but 1 think they
will
Sharkey is the lighter man. This may
be regarded as disadvantage / do not
think so. He is constructed substantially.
His is of the stocky sort, and hard as
rock all over. His appearance in the ring
may not be graceful. 1t certaily is not
d1scouraging TO his opponent. But after
a round you will change your opinion of
that awkward stand and apparently wild
method of throwing the arms about That's
one of Sharkey's strongholds. He keeps
corning.
Jeffries may reach him again and again
but Sharkey is likely to take it all with
&
hit that I know of. His body is a varit-
able bulwark against weakening blows.
And his face-wen, after punching itun-
til weary you begin to think that II is
false or covered with a plate of steel
do not mean by all this that Sharkey can
be HIT at will. Many seem TO believe that
he is unable to act on the defensive. This
is fallacy. Sharkey, for all his careless
movements, blocks cleverly. He is not
slow, and nine times out Of ten his bur-
ly arms receive the swings and uppercuts
intended for some more vulnerable por-
ton of his anatomy.
It's much the same with Jeffries. The
Californian is a free arm fighter. His
aggressiveness is annoying. He will also
take a blow for the return delivery. Jim
is big fellow, husky, and has a bit of
skill stored away for use at the proper
time. For his ponderous form he Is not
slow. He glides about quickly and with
astonishing ease. Jeffries has courage by
the barrelful, and, like Sharkey, wants
no idle feinting and fruitless leading in
his. He will walk into the brunt Of the
battle every time unless the other fellow
comes his way first.
When Jefries meets Sharkey I do not
think he will assume that crouch that |
helped keep Fitz away. 1t wouldn't puz- /
zle Skarkey in the least. Sharkey is not |
of the puzzling kind. Sharkey would |
smash in recklesly rip up his right and |
get to Jeffries' frame with one Of his fear |
full left body smites. Body punches, in |
nv opinion, will be handed about freely |
when the pair meet Jeffries' jaw is not |
an inviting proposition, and Sharkey has /
been hit there so often with no result |
that some really believe that no man can
knock him out in the regular way. When /
it comes to body lashing, it's even money /
and take your choice
Shrkey's left can bore in with the pow
err of a Pile driver, even when it has ap-
parently little swing. Jeffrits also uti- |
Lies his left when rib-crushing or wind
tanning is in order. Neither man is |
one-handed fighter. Sharkey will try /
right along with right swing for the /
head It won't land as a general thing;
but if It does, Jeffries will have a faint
idea that something happened. Jeffries' |
right will pound the ribs chiefly. That
has been its function hitherto, at any
rate. With his left Jeffries will whip. IN
for the body, and every little while change
its course upward.
Really, the more I delve into the two
methods and their ability the more per-
picked It becomes. On the one hand you
have Sharkey, a man who can accept
terrible beating without perceptiole ef-
feet: a minute in his corner and he IS
back like a new man; a vicious puncher
and a fighter who faces the storm IN
hesitatingly, willing to back his volley
against the other fellows fusillade. Then
Jeffries-a big man. long reached one
who regards a punch with no more ter
ror than an elephant does a fly bite. A
man who wants to fight from bell to bell
and who will bang away with both hands
every time he Is near enough TO strike
and that is nearly all the time.
II I were to venture an opinion-and
I wont-it would be this: The fight viii
90 the. limit. with both men strong and
ager for more