Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-24
YOUNG C0RBETT'S"
SUDDEN DOWNFALL
Bob Edgren Says Fighters Seldom
Regain Their Past
Positions.
He CITES SEVERAL CASES.
Their Decline Is Nearly Always Due
To Dissipation Little Denycrlte
Has Learned Great Lesson.

The following interesting article on
tho downfall Of champion pugiltsts' was
written by the well known sporting
writer, Bob Edgren'
Now that the first furry OF excite
ment over the whipping Of Young Cor
bett is past, sporting men are discus
sing the future chances Of the niue
Denyerlte. When Young Cor0ett peat
Terry McGoyern In such magnlicenI
style three years ago I'm Hartford lol-
Ioyvers OF the game we're sStisiled that
n voupgNer had appeared on the scene
vbo would last. When he repeated nus
victory over the hitherto inyinclOle
Terry In San Francisco the opinion
seemed verified u,,.,
Young Corbett was a small edition
M John L. Sullivan He had the ldeal
dehtlng build, and nervous force enough
40 carry Il heavyweight through ms
battles. His legs we're good, ana lroll
the waist up he was more Welter'
weight I'M build than lightweight ne
had sturdy farearms and his tlsts We're
chunky and round and heavy-pertecl
machines for the delivery OF the knock
ONT blow. lie had no end Of courage
ana confidence. He was not u clever
boxer but there was no doubt That as
n ring general he was the equal, u not
The superior, Of all the little hghters
IN his class. For two years he went
through the ranks Of feather and llght-
welRhtg like IA ball IN a china shop.
Yet IA spite OF all his natural fight
ing qualifications, C0rbett dropped as
suddenly as he had risen. The first IN
dlcatIon that he WAS not inyinclble
came a year ago, when Jimmy Britt
then little known in the east Qutfought
him IN 90 rounds Eastern sporting
men who had seen Corbett would not
bcleye that he had been whipped fairly
They thought that the referee had won
the fight for Britt, and predicted lhat
when Britt and Corbett met again
there would be sudden reversal OF
form.
In that fight Britt won through box
ing Cleverness as well as lighting ag-
Rresslveness. Young Corbett was
there" all through the fight, but was
outpointed I'm spite OF his constant
rushing. lie finished little weary,
but III to fight 10 rounds more II he had
been called upon TO do 80.
A year OF rest from the ring and the
Der erlte faced Battling Nelson,
comparative novice, VINO had not as yet
done anything TO show that he had a
chance TO win the fight The betting
was 2 to 1 In Corhett's favor.
Ills crushing defeat IN 10 rounds
came as a paralyzing surprise to all ot
Young Corbett's friends, and to Cor
bett himself. In six rounds Battling
Nelson beat him down, stopping his
PUSHES, had the little fighter who never
before had acknowledged SUPERIOR
cUnching and holding 10 save himself
-Four rounds more Corhett's grit alone
kent him ON his feet, through a terrific
Rrueling, and than the sponge was
thrown into the ring and the defeated
yOungster. who had 80 lately been a
terror among the other fighters In his
class. was carried limp and helpless to
bis corner
Courage IL the one thing that sur
wives dissipation. That Is the reason
fhat young Corbett' was not whipped
sooner His endurance, hls strength
and qulcknoss disappeared IN that FIRST
six rounds. II must have come to him
with crushing force there In the ring
the idea that ne had been fool. one
ytar of hard drinking and furious dis
slpation succeeding his defeat by Britt
had turned MS muscles to putty and
lis nerves to streaks or rust Instead OF
live wires.
But now the question Is whether or
not young Corbett" can come back!
lie has his youth-that Is all that Is
left him to work on. He says that he
will try.
There Is just a chance but, Judging
from the experiences Of other defeated
champions OF the ring It is a bare one
Terry McGoyern, who did not take to
dissipation after being whipped by
"Corbett" has done some good fight
ing since that time and now seems
10 be almost In his old form But ne
has not yet had a chance to Try again
with a champion his own class ana II
Is impossible to tell whether or not
he really ~ the Terry Of old. George
Dixon, who was whipped out Of his
championship by Terry, never recoy'
cred even a flash Of his old form. But
he was old lie went on fighting A
few weeks ago. IN England, he lost a
bout to youngster who never had
been heard Of before and II was In n
thlrd-rate preliminary scrap at that
kid" LaWgne, once the greatest IT.
Gle champion that lived went rapidly
10 pieces after losing to Frank Erne.
lie never came back. Frank Erne
hmpelf clover rs he was, didn't recover
after his defeat By Cans. Britt beat
him. and then he dropped from sight
among the fighters. Harry Forbes lost
10 Nell. Where is Forbes now!
The big men turn out the same way
John L. Sullivan fell from his pinnacle
In one swoOp when he lost 10 jim Cor
bett Corbett was whipped by Fltg
and never fought another winning
fight IN the heavyweight class. Flt2
was beaten by Jenries. He fell back Ia
the light heavyweight title, but his
next fight with the big fellow showed
him farther from heavyweight cham
plonship form.
In many OF the instances the result
ing decline Of the fighter was due e
dissipation as Il was with young
Corbett." In some OF the others It was
loss OF confidence, or less OF ambition
A fighter works better when he Il
fighting with confidence than when h.
IA fighting with desperation. II is Ike
climbing a hill As long as a mar
keeps his feet he goes up with a rush
AS soon as he begins TO slip and strug
gle TO catch his footing he loses IN,
stride.
Young Corbett' may work hls way
up again, but II he does he win furnish
novelty IN matters OF the ring Long
hard training might DO the trick. II,
II young. But while he ~ working hi
way up again other fighters, still un
defeated win be working up, too. Whel
he arrives near his goal they win b.
waiting for him, ready to oppose hi
renewed strength and skill witt
strength and skill that have neve
been dulled by dissipation They Wi
have the confidence. and he win hay
the memory OF defeat to handicap him