El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-22
Sports and Sp0rtSmen


There are two topics in the sporting
world that keep the sports busy talk
ing The one is the failure of the
SaeRgerfest Athletic club of Cincinnati
to bring champion James ]. Jeffries
and Gus Rubin THE Akron Giant to-
gether, and the other is the base ball
war that is on between the National
and American leagues and the Ameri-
can association.
The former causes much speculation
as the men may fight at some other
place Throughout the country at
present bills are being drafted to pre-
vent prize fighting. In West Virginia
and Illinois bills were introduced the
other day to prevent prize fights and
Sparring contests. Despite this adverse
legislation boxing will still be popu-
lar in gymnasiums and athletic clubs.
Boxing has lived for centuries and it
is not likely that it will be knocked
out at present by those who do not ap-
prove of it.
Not since the days of ancient Greece
when athletic sports received every en-
couragement, has the manly art of box
ing acquired such prominence as it now
enjoys True there have been times
in the last half century when for a mo-
ment it has had an all-absorbing in
terest for the Anglo-Saxon. One of
Sayers fought their memorable battle
in England. But coming down to more
recent times we have the earlier fights
in the career of John l.. Sullivan,
which were watched with a growing
interest until we come down to the
present with it's great fistic carnivals
and prize ring championships heroes
and demigods of modern pugilism.
Nodern pugilism is a very signifi-
far-r, -nar, nnr mar Qh wi a If
the past The brute strength and bat
tering-ram tactics of the ring gladiat-
ors of the old school would hardly
prove effectual in reaching the elusive
and speedy fighting machine of today.
The great onward sweep of the CEN
fury which we are just entering has not
left this sport behind. Far from it.
Not very long ago prize fighter who
could hit a man hard enough to lay
him out was the all-absorbing topic in
the sporting world. That man was
John L. Sullivan. John l.. was one of
the greatest fighters who ever entered
the ring but with all of his brute
strength he met his Waterloo at the
hands of a young man much his in
ferior in size and strength, but who
had science and it was science alone
that won the battle and the champion
ship of the world for James j. Coroett-
Corbett was once a bank clerk in San
Francisco and belonged to one oil the
athletic clubs in that city. He was
fond of athletics and determined to
conceive way in which he could make
his left arm the equal of his right. He
tried first this device and then that
until he started boxing. Then he fell
in love with the art and worked hard
and thought of new blows which he
astonished the world with when he
ms mighty
Corbett is the most scientific fighter
who ever entered a ring and despite
the science that Jeffries possesses with
all of his strength he was unable to
hit Corbett when they fought in New
York. But that battle is fresh IL. the
minds of all those who follow the
sport. Corbett after practically win
ming the fight grew careless in the
twenty-third round and gave the
mighty boiler maker an opening which
he promptly took and put Corbett to
sleep. The modern gladiator must then
be an expert in the art of scientific
boxing. The struggle in the ring to-
day will produce one result-''The sur
vivaI of the fittest.'' A close inspection
of the "fittest'' will reveal several
things. They must possess a sound
constitution, strength. endurance,
speed, courage, self-control, a knowl
edge of anatomy, the proper care and
development of the body. the proper
knowledge of cause and effect as ap
piled to blows and feintS, faculty of
quickly planning strategical maneuvers
and the indispensable ability to land
the dreamland touch on the point of
the Jaw When we find all of these
qualities dominating we will not have
to go far to look for our worlds cham
pion.
Ruhlin's Suggestion For Boxing
Matches.
Boxing cannot be suppressed says ,
Gus Rubin. the Akron Giant, VINO is
very sore because he was not allowed
to go against Champion Jeffries at Gin
cinnati last Friday night. 1.-The ma ,
jority of the people enjoy it. and they ;
will eventually have laws allowing
contests on the statute books of many ,
states when the law makers won't be
influenced by narrow-minded people ,
who would object to people walking on
the same side of the street they were
On if the public kept catering to them J
Boxing should be under the supervision
Of the local authorities and limited to !
twenty rounds or less. The floor or q
the rings should be well padded, the
ropes and stakes should be well pro- {
tected. The men should be evenly {
matched or as nearly as possible and i
when one is clearly outclassed COM c
Detent referee should give his award
% the better man at once. The matches 4
should be made three weeks in advance
md the men should be examined by 7
physicians to see that their lungs and
,eart are in perfect working order. SO
hat no violent exercise would injure
-, The tbrae weeks training would