The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-20
Records Show Jimmy Britt Was
Always a Fighter.
Raised in the Tough District OF
San Francisco.
WHIPPED HIS BROTHER
One of His Early Efforts Was
Along This Line.
Bout With Candle Showed His
True Gameness.

San Francisco, Jan. 20.-A special
sporting writer says
Jimmy Britt, of San Francisco, who
is to fight Young Corbett on March II,
is one of the best in the business. He
will give Corbett all the mixing he
wants as long as the fight may last,
and in my opinion he will have no
worse than an even break in the
chances of winning.
Britt is a fighter, and has been
fighter since the day his parents first
allowed him, dressed in short skirts, to
go out in the streets. He was brought
up south of the SLOT" as the district
in San Francisco south of Market
street is called. There is where all re
Frisco fighters not from the precincts
of Telegraph Hill come from
1t is just as natural for Britt to be
in the fighting game as for John D.
Rockefeller to be fussing with oil and
everything else that there is money to
be taken out of. Britt always liked to
fight, whether or not there was any
money to be gained.
His brother Billy was featherweight
champion (amateur) of the coast, and
as clever a little fighter as might be
met with in many days journey. From
the time he donned his first pair of
pants 1t was Jimmy's ambition to whip
Willie He seconded his brother in sew
eral fights, and boxed with him when
in training. l remember the first time
that it daWned upon Willie that his
kid brother was beginning to threat
en- his supremacy with the gloves. Will
lie came to the office Che was cub"
reporter on the San Francisco Exam
iner) with his eyes shining with ex-
element He called me over into a
corner with an air of mystery and in
a whisper said :
Now, what do you think? Jimmy
can lick me-
When I expressed my complete dis
best Willie Britt, Willie grew ever more
earnest. He seemed filled with pride
in the fact that he had such9a won
derful brother.
That's on the level We had the
gloves on this morning up in our room,
and he walloped the stuffing out Of
me-" CWillie does not affect the didac-
tic speech of Jimmie-he talks straight
from the shoulder).
He's been boxing with some of
those fighters out at the beach. and
he put it all over me. He's a wonder.
He'll be a champion. I'm going to get
him on a train and go into the amateur
tournament at the Olympic club. He'll
beat all those fellows like rolling off a
| log 81
As Willie reported to me day after
day the progress that his kid broth
er was making, and grew more and
more enthusiastic as the weeks passed.
I was finally induced to go up to the
tournament and see the yourhful
phenomenon.
Jimmie did all that was expected of
him. He beat all his opponents with
quite ridiculous ease, and strafghtway
became an amateur champion. The
feSsional title was to come.
Jimmie showed himself to be hitter
of rare ability in those amateur fights.
He crouched and bored in viciously, al
ways willing to take any blow Tor the
chance to get in a return. That is the
way he has been fighting ever since, In
general style, although as boxer he
has vastly improved.
Just before the Fritz-Gardner bout a
few weeks ago I had the pleasure of
seeing Jimmie Britt in one of his best
fights. 1t was the battle with Martin
Candle, the most clever of all little
fighters in the country today. Canole's
cleverness did not save him from get
ting a beating at the hands of Britt.
He Outpointed Jimmie for while, but
the steadiness and savagery of the Cal
ifornians attack was too great a strain
for him to hold out against. Candle
lasted to the finish by making splen-
did exhibition of cleverness and game
ness.
Britt fought like champion in that
fight. He was cool and steady all the
way He forced the fighting steadily
for 20 rounds, never wincing as Candle
drove blow after blow into his stom-
ach and against his battered face. Ca
mole cut him up more than any other
fighter ever succeeded in doing. During
the last five rounds Britt cut loose,
chased Candle around the ring, Knock
ed him down once and beat him to a
standstill Candle could not have gone
more than a round or so further, in
spite of his gameness, while Britt was
practically as fast and strong as ne
was at the start.