Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-04-22
MY TRIALS WITH
THE FIGHTERS.
By Tom O'Rourke.

By Tom O'Rourke.
The secret of my success as a man
ager of fights lays principally in the
fact that I've always carefully studied
my man before taking hold of him. |
look him over like an expert does a
race horse; l watch him in and out of
the ring, and if he strikes my fancy
and he needs a manager I'm ready to
do business with him. 1t has taken
years of experience for me to be able
to pass Judgment on fighter ability,
and even now I'm sometimes mistaken.
Some fighters are simply unmanage-
able, and l would not have them under
any consideration, for a fighter who
will not follow your advice will give
you any amount of trouble aud cause
you to lose more than you'll make out
of him in the long run. There is an
other reason why I've had some sue
cess as a manager, and that is my
knowledge of training. I've been an
athlete myself in my younger days,
having rowed in ST. Mary's Temper
ance Crew, Of Boston, against Hanlan.
Ross, BraYley and Breen, known as the
West End crew, in a Fourth of July
regatta, and we won out. A knowledge
of training is most essential for man
ager of fighters. He must be able to
judge how far his man can go, and in
just what condition he should be to en-
ter the ring for a long battle.
Good men are often beaten by bad
management. l always know the OPP
ponent who is going up against nay
man as thoroughly as | do my own
10Th hiC ir ~, h-n lt1tn Nv
Take for instance the case of Joe
Choynski against my man Joe Wal
colt.
For five years I've been after Choyn-
ski because l knew WalcOtt could beat
him, and know furthermore there are
a number of other big fellows whom
Walcott can defeat and I'll get to them
in time | fought Dixon out of his
class many and many a time, and al
ways won out because / knew just
what Dixon could do and just what the
other fellow could do also.
I'll put Walcott against Billy Smith
and Tommy West, and when he gets
through with them III go hot after
some of the big fellows and he'll sur
prise them all before many moons.
Tom Sharkey has improved greatly
under my management, and if he steps
into the ring with FitzsimmOns the
people will see a great fighter. Shar-
key has improved in many ways. He
was too retired and modest when he
came to me. Now he's up and up with
all men about town, and can hold his
own with any of them. / believe in
bringing a man like Sharkey to the
front and putting him into society-as
it were.
The next time Tom meets Jeffries
you'll see a new champion, clever,
game, strong as lion and full of con-
fidence. If l had had Sharkey a few
years ago I'm quite sure he would be
the champion to-day.
Fighters generally are queer birds to
handle. They require different treat
ment from the general run of human
beings, but | must say that the men
whom | manage at present give me no
trouble whatever, simply because | al
ways try to treat them right.
During the twelve years of my man
agement of George Dixon | never had
but one real quarrel with him, and
that did not amount to anything.
George was always a good, willing boy,
and worked faithfully under instruc-
tons to the finish.