The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-03-31

4 .I'NI ,blItSUfUl'Htt VI ! ~ UNA IsfIlllIlT.
New York. March 2S.-In the brave day.
Of old. when pugilists were fighters Will.
In the ring. and not play actors most of til,
time, there were rules governing tine cham
pionship which were as inexorable as tn.
famous laws which were in force in tn,
times OF the Modes and the Persians.
The wearer of the belt and the title ir
those days was compelled to FIGHT all rom.
crs. first come first served. wi!o could put
up the required stake (Which was only
$1,000, and the only bar to the aspiranty
was that the champion could not be made
to fight oftener than twice in one year. and
he could not no compelled to defend his
title without six months Intervening be-
tween each fight.
All this IS changed nowadays. The cham
p!on dictates his own terms, and every year
he (whoever he may bel makes them more
and more suitable to himself.
John L.. Sullivan was the beginner Of this
bad practice. He drew the color line to
escape a meeting with Peter jackson, and
when Paddy Slavin went all the way from
New York to Cincinnati and thence to St.
Louis TO shake a fight at him, he evadcd 1t
by stating that he was Ell route 10 Aus
tralia to fill 4 Theatrical engagement, but
he would accord him u meeting (prOyiIed
he, Slayin, was unbeaten in the meantiIne)
on his return. He set himself up TO be
SipeIIcI ~ Iule anu pIGctI.Nt, ana MS Sue
ccssor5, jim Corbett and Sob FitZsimmcns.
initiated and enlarged on his bad examples.
But it remained for the present champion
to cap the climax of fistic assumption. His
match with Gus Rubin having fallen
through. for the present at least Enough
Billy Madden. who is as clever an adver-
t!ser almost as Billy Brady, claims 1t will
be In San Francisco early in
the SUMMER. he last week announced
through an interview his programme for
the future. OF course, he assumes that he
will defeat Rubin. He will then be willing
to accord another meeting 10 Tom Sharkey.
though if Bob F~itzsimmons still hopes for a
chance he will give The Honest Black
smith the preference. So far. so good.
Isn't he kind-to himself?
When asked If he would fight Jim Corbett
to a finish Ghe ex-pornpadour champion be-
ing DESTROYS Of such a meetins). the big
boilerInaker stood on his dignity. He as
serted that If he did make another match
with COrbett the latter would have to guar
antee him that there would be no taking
as he asserted there was when Corbett and
Mccoy met, and besides Corbett would
have to bet his own money" Now. even il
Corbett was willing, to accede to these
OF me can't see how he could satisfy jeff
ries.
In the first place, despite the fact that
their wives both publicly asserted that their
battle was in accordance with an arrange
ment made between them and Consequently
deny that their contest was not decided on
its merits. There is a very strong suspicion
that Mccoy did not do his best on that &C,
down,'' but that fact has never been def
nitely proved. and IL Jefries is set in his
IDEAS of the subject l don't see how 1t
would be possible for Corbett to Induce MIN
to change his mind.
II it were possible to do SO how would
Corbett be able to satisfy the champion that
any money he might post was absolutely
might claim that he believed that the
money was put up by a third party or par
pose of posting it in a match. In short, Mt;
J~effries, in naming these terms, has put up
a couple of hurdles which he hopes mat
Corbett cannot successfully negotiate
Now. the facts in the matter are probably
these. When Jeffries agreed to meet Cor
test which took place at Coney Island. but
which only lasted twenty-three, the Doiier.
maker was outgeneraled and outwltted: as
was his crafty manager, Billy Brady. Both
were under the Impression that Corbett was
a mere physical wreck" and that he WouId
prove an easy thing for the champion. so
pion and his manage lost money on their
that Corbett wouldn't last ten rounds,
Corbett is ''sly, devilish sly" and he hood.
S SinS des,r ms in G bSxing Jef fHs was merely 10
net a little reputation and the losers end
Of the purse. Not only did he get the repu.
Jeffries look like the yeriest dub In the
ring, but by his shrewdness IN outTittdns
Brady in adopting his (Billy's) eleventn.nou !
suggestion 1Sa matc to S ssa sneeee eae m in actually get.
ting more money for the losers enc 'han
the champion got for winning.
left was naturally very sore over being
hoodwinked by Corbott, both as TO MS
physical condition and also In getting tne
best of him financially, and ne IS d u maEe a
dollar through coupling his name =. .h ms
IL he can in any way avoid IT. For TINS
reason he backed squareiy OUT OF a SIN
ouIv a week or two ago decidedly refused
him in a limited-round bout, nom
estly acknowledging that. barring accldent,
he wouldn't stand any chance Of winning
with Corbett in such an affair. In naming
he terms he does he lays himself liable to
the supposition that he fears Corbett more
than he does any other living man.
hat, admitting for the sake of argument
Corbett has been guilty of all that he
accuses him OF; ig sIh,s g.er nlm' Of or him INNS Is
hardly the proper thing to do. Some OF
he most notable champions that ever lived
we're accused Of crookednesS In their times.
Jack Langan. who was the legitimate
of Dan Donnelly as Irish cham
,ion. fought Tom Spring twice Tor tne
championship of England. and they were
two Of the hardest fights that Spring ever
lad. Langan had no money Of consequences
before these fights, but shortly after the
asst one he was able to buy a hotel In
liverpool. and he died fairly rich. He was
lccused mot to his face. but by hundreds
II Irishmen OF having sold his fights to
spring, and there are veterans in the '"Ould
to-day who believe that the charge
against Langan was true.
When Yankee Sullivan was beaten by
Tom Hyer there were lots OF men who had
,et on Sullivan who thought that he had !