The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-17

FITz SHOULD BEAT
The "old Man Still Looks Young
Enough to Trim George
Gardner.
Younger Man Is 0vermatched in
Science, Ringcraft, Experience
and Hitting Power.
The .Fttzsirnmons-Gardn

The Fitzsinmons-Gardn battle
next month is the great thing in the
pugilistic world at present. There is
no doubt which which one will enter
the ring favorite. Nine out of ten
men who follow the fight game say
Fitz can whip any man in the world
except Jeffries, and the other tenth says
he could beat the boilermaker. if the
fight was on the square. Against
such: simple proposition as Gardner
will put their money on the freckled
one.
Most Of the sporting writer's hold the
same opinion as the public, altho some
think Gardeners youth and strength
will give him the victory. Left Hook,
in the New York Telegram, says:
THE majority fail to see where
Gardner has an even chance with Fitz-
simmons. Those who witnessed the
light heavyweight's battle with Jack
Root agree that George did not have
very much on Jack. Root was not far
behind Gardner at any stage of the
fight, they say, and a stray one thrown
over might have made the result diff
ferent. Of. course a chance blow
might defeat any man, but do not
quite agree that Gardner did not deci-
sively beat his man.
1T would rather seem that the real
way to; dope out Gardeners chances
with Fitz lies more in his method of
fighting Root than in the closeness Of
that battle If Gardner tried to solve
Fitzsimmons in the way that he did
Root, he ought to get his in few
rounds.
ANY man who comes to Fitzsim-
mons with a wide-open guard is hur-
ry1ng to his fate. A man has to fight
n n hi hySoo ef Yyf,~
mons shift is out for the money. Fitz
plays the ring game as Pillsbury plays
chess. It takes him only one round
to master all the details of the other
fellows work.
Gardner is a man who has won rec
ognition by what he has done, rather
than by the way he has done it. He
| Is not a SNOWY fighter and many per-
become light heavyweight champion.
But he wins fights, and success, above
and apart from anything else, is the
test OF a fighter. He is unquestion-
ably the best In his class. But can
he go out Of his class and win?
! There's the question.
| Technically Gardner isn't going out
of his class to fight Fitz, for the weight
limit is Gardeners best fighting weight.
But as Fttz has whipped every heavy
weight IN the ring except Jeffries, and
probaly could whip any Of them again
II he wanted to, Gardner is really go
ing out Of his class just as much as il
he had been matched with Rubin,
Corbett, Sharkey, or any of the other
big fellows whom Fitz has defeated.
1t certainly looks very much Fitz-
simmons, unless Gardner has more
ability than he has ever displayed.
There is no comparison between the
l in ofn
or hitting power, unless Red Robert
has lost some OF his steam within the
last year. Gardner probably has
greater endurance, and can stand more
punching. But this advantage Of
youth and strength apparently is all
he has over the Cornishman.
| What figure, then, will Fitzsimmons
age cut in the contest? Not a great
deal. The old man is really quite
bit older than most persons think.
But he is a we'll preserved specimen,
as Jeffries can testify. It is not much
over year ago that he hammered
Jeff for eight rounds until the boiler
maker came near losing the fight
And Gardner probably cannot stand
81 j per cent Of the punishment which
jeff can absorb without winking. I'm
less all signs fail, Fitz can keep out of
danger and jab Gardner into uncon-
| seriousness.
| This does not mean that Fitz is as
igood as he ever was. No man is as
! good physically at Fitz age as at, say
80. But what FitZ has lost in strength
IN the last twenty years he has gained
in science and ring craft. He does
not look like the man he was six years
ago, but he looks plenty good enough
to whip his younger opponent
| Gardner left Chicago Tuesday for
1 California to go into training for his
bout with Fitz. Before leaving he
said: Il leave as I shall return, the
flight heavyweight champion of the
world. If thru any accident I should
lose, shall retire at once, and as
gracefully as can be from the roped
arena. am in good shape already,
and after I have put in few more
ticks [ shall be ready for this much
believing Cornishman. I shall train
in. Alameda"
i Gardner has been quite successful in
4 the racing game this summer and