The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-16
Am l Right !?

L 4 s II ~ z.
THE boxer seems to be sinking into OBJ
= security and the slugger coming into
prominence in the American prize ring.
Some ten years ago. when Corbett ham
mered whisky soaked John i. Sullivan
into insensibility, and won the heavy
weight championship, men said that a
new order of things pugilistic was dawn
ing; that muscle must henceforth be sub
ject to brain, and that the old-style
rough and-ready, giye-and- take fighter
was to be a thing of the past.
For years Sullivan, the man Of muscle,
had been supreme. Mitchell, Kilrain and
posed clevernesss against his punch and
come off second best. Muscle was king
in the prize ring.
Following Sullivan's defeat came into
prominence men like Tommy Ryan, Kid
Mccoy, Jimmy Barry and Caspar Leon
These men were scientific fighters and
the sluggers were in the minority But
then came another change. Corbett sue
cumbed to Fitzsimmons, science to mus
Gle, and later Fitzsimmons then recog-
nized as a clever fighter if not snowy
boxer like Corbett, was downed by the
giant Jeffries. Kid Mccoy lost to Tom
Sharkey; another victory for muscle.
Terry McGovern succeeded to the laurels
worn by Jimmy Barry and Caspar Leon
In the bantam weight division, and later
entered the feather weight class and
fought his way to the championship.
Terry was slugger pure and simple. Joe
Walcott, another slugger, holds the cham
pionship in the welter-weight division.
None Of the new class Of light heavy
weight men, exemplified by Gardner.
Root and Kid Carter, is boxer. The
pendulum appears to be shifting back,
and the fighter of the Sullivan type, care
less Of his defense, and schooled only to
get home his blow on his adversary's face
or body, is the popular type of cham
pion.
+ OoKING at the question more care.
- fully, however, there never was a
a
great degree of success in the ring save
Corbett, who won the championship by
jSullivan's weakness not by his own skill.
Kid Mccoy was successful only against
second raters. He never would have stood
a show in his best days against Jeffries,
Corbett. sharkey or Fitzsimmons. Tommy
Ryan is. a remarkably clever boxer form
ing, with Corbett and Mccoy, a trio Of
scientific fighters who outclass any other
men the prize ring has ever produced. But
Ryan also has the punch, and it is his
punch and his cleverness combined that
have retained the middle weight cham
pionship for him. Mccoy had the punch
and the speed but not the ability to stand
punishment himself. Corbett had neither
the punch nor the endurance.
THE ideal fighter like the ideal baseball
! player, football player, or expert in
any other branch Of sport, must excel in
number Of qualities. He must be a
clever boxer, a hard hitter, good ring
general, and must also be able to take a
beating himself. No champion yet has
excelled in all these points. Sullivan and
Jeffries could hit hard and endure a tre-
.mendous amount of punching, but neither
was a speedy boxer. But any champion,
provided he be not a champion by de-
fault Of good men to oppose him in his
class must have at least two of these
requisite qualities in a superlative degree.
Sullivan and Jeffries are freaks. When
the former was in his prime no one
seemed able to hit him hard enough to
knock him out, and sooner or later the
mighty Sullivan punch claimed its vic
tim. With Jeffries the same has been
true, and undoubtedly will continue to be
true as long as the present champion re-
tains that magnificent physique ,nim-
paired by dissipation. In all other great
fighters, however, science, or speed in at
tack, which often does quite as we'll, have
been Joined with hitting power and en-
durance. With the two exceptions noted,
in short, the masters Of the ring, in the
various classes, have been men fairly
rather than men who showed remark
able excellence in any one department.
"A KANSAS CITY paper says, 'tAn anti
= football bill has actually become a
law in North Dakota. This is the first
state to pass such legislation, in spite
of the many threats