The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-01-13
SPORTING NEWS.
Friends of Fitzsimmons Fear
He Is Too Aged.
Oppose the Idea of the PugiIist
Fighting Again.
RUMORS OF A REFUSAL
Speeches Said to Have Refused
$4,000 Asked For.
But the PugiIist Is in Good
Form at Present.

Chicago Jan 13.-The News SAYS:
that Adoiph sprecSels has turned down
f1tzsinmonS request for S2S.o1So, packing
that the Cornishman.s desire to go into
the ring with the California boiIermaker
and wife and that Fitz's years of fighting
in the ring are at an end.
of the lanky one. is still a great believer
in Fits ability if he can be brought into
shape, but even Dawson doubts the eX-
Pediency of Fftz taking on Jeffries at
Bob's weight and age. Dawson thinks it
pounds in weight and all of 20 years on
Bob viii be giving away at least 60
pounds in weight, 20 years in age and, be-
sides, is Handicapped by that bad right
ened out. owing to his having neglected it
when it was broken years ago, and now
goes wild for the reason that it lacks
sbout six inches of his real reach. Where
right hook, he now has to do it with that
left of his; and the change is entirely due
right out That is'G an awful handicap us
of course. we had lot of trouble to
get him in shape for his go with Rubin.
he was so stin- Rubin almost killed him
in the first two rounds before Fftz got
Rubin was down and out in a hurry. Al
ter that he was easy to manage, for the
put him edge. He weighed 155 pounds
when he went into the ring with Rubin,
but he took on eleven pounds in the next
ten days and weighed in at 166 when he
fought sharkey, OF course, you know the
the fight with the sailor? Wen, it was
an ,,l true; f6E he ana ,l, RaG go 8 OF Shgee
key, and that was one thing that kept
the crowd waiting. or course, ne wanted
the money hung up in sight and White
''Sharkey got into the ring about half
an hour before Fitz did because we spent
the time warming Bob up We told Fftz
stir again Fit2 hurried to The ring and
got his gloves on in a hurry. After shak-
the referee had to say he followed in
structions and waded into the sailor
be came on and into the ring he was
Kissed by the crowd. but when he began
TO mix It up y4H ought gt to have heard the
from the start because of his being
That was pretty good for an old man,
wasn't it? Forty years old? Well, per
and ] can't see how you can figure him
Fred McNally,, a close personal friend
Asserting to my mind people , would be
simmons against Jeffries or any other
fighter as they were at any time in his
II saw F1tz recently" continued Mr..
Mentally, and he was in great shape. At
kind of a school of physical culture or
q kind OF a gymnas stun somewhere in
New York. and said he had given up the
ring. Right there is where he is often
Inls1nterpreted- L never knew any man
his wife or children as Fdtz does nor one ne
who followed them so closely.
Bob never cared to retire from the
ring, but did so at the wish of his wife
and against his own desires. He has
kept in shape, however, and may have
had some idea of fighting once or twice
more. ! would go a long way to see Bob
right now that it will take the best man
that ever stepped into the ring to handle
Fitz at ALL
When Mr.. McNally returned from New
York he was reported to have said that
he was willing to back Fftz to the tune of
$4,000 any time the Cornishman wanted
him to do so.