Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-07-27
FIGHTERS WHO LOSE HEART

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1.-THE gamest OF fighters is liable to
lose heart at some stage of his career
and become the worst kind of q cow
ard" remarked we'll known trainer
Of pugilists the other day. 1T usual
ly occur after he has been knocked out
or received severe drubbing. I have
never known it to fail, and can cite
several instances. If you recall, there
was no grittier scrapper in the bust
ness than Kid Lavigne, the former
lightweight champion. Lavigne did
not know what fear meant until he
was knocked out by George McFadden
at the Broadway A. g. Up to that time
he revelled in beating. But after
that time he was decidedly leery of
any kind Of hard blow, and would
let up III his lighting as soon as his
rival managed to reach him with any
effect. or course, at the time Layigne
fought McFadden his powers and
strength were on the wane. Still he
was thought capable Of holding his
own against third-rate men and at the
time McFadden was not regarded as
of much account. After his defeat by
McFadden Lavigne went down hill at
rapid rate and soon became real
has been
Probably a knockout is what
fighter fears the most. Tt takes all
the courage out of d man and makes
him cautions and careful. He lis not
apt to take many unnecessary chances
after he has been quito sleep. Some
how his confidence deserts him. II he
happens to be OF the so-called rushing
type his downfall is all the more rap
i'd Instead OF wading in and banging
away at random, depending upon his
strength and one solid blow to do the
trick. he will try to become clever.
Rushing pugilfsts are seldom scientific.
AS a rule they are men with strong
constitutions and heavy hitters. When
they assume cleverness< they invaria-
bly, become easy marks for their ri
walls, if the latter happen to know
more about the manly art than them
selves. In this way they leave plenty
Of openings and are quickly whipped.
in handling fighters I have often
made it a rule to match my men
against bruisers who have already
been knocked out. In nine cases out
Of ten have found that they are the
easiest to whip. They are afraid OF q
repetition Of the punch that gave them
their first quietus, and will 1inmistak-
ably show it in the ring.
There was no more courageous
fighter in the business than Terry Nc
Govern until he was knocked out by
Young Corbett. After their first fight
at Hartford McGovern was never him
self, as you know. McGovern IS
still a young man, but he is not the
fighter he was before Corbett knock
ed him out Terry remembers the
blow to this day, and whenever be
fights he is always mindful Of recefy-
ing similar smash.
tom Sharkey has never recovered
from the drubbing Jim Jeffries admin
istered in their last fight at Coney
Island. No grittier man ever donned
a glove. He was as game as they
made 'ern, but ever since Jeffries beat
him up as he did he has not been the
same. Somehow his confidence de-
serted him, and he was comparatively
easy for other pugilists. Gus Rub
lin had no trouble in whipping aim,
and Bob Fitzsimmons took his meas
11re with a Knockout in couple Of
rounds. Since then he has suffered
defeat after defeat. Yet before the.
last Jeffries fight Sharkey successful
~ stood off Fitzsimmons at San Fran
cisco, knocked out Runlin with a
punch, and polished off both Jim Cor
bett and Kid Mccoy without much
trouble.
Frank Erne's downfall came after
he fought Terry McGoyern ait Madi-
son Square Garden. Prior to that
Erne had never known what it was
to be knocked out, but Terry did the
trick Erne was never himself after
er4d hn al n fch H.
weights, Franks lightweight cham
pionship honors did not suffer. But it
was the beginning Of the end. for
when he met Joe Cans the second
time at Fort Erie he was put to sleep
in jig time Then came his combat
with Jimmie Britt at San Francisco,
who also clipped Erne on the jaw for
tue full count.
stJim Corbett is another example
of the fighter whose successful career
was nipped in the bud by Knockout.
Prior to Corbett's contest with Bob
Fitzsimmons at Carson City the ex-
champion was looked upon as irwin
chile. But Fitz put him hors de COM
bat with peach on the solar plexus,
and after that Corbett went to the bad.
Jeffries easily took his measure when
they met at Cor1ey Island, and repeat
ed the dose when they met at San
Francisco last year. Corbett lost to
Sharkey, and you know how he Jared
with several Others OF course he
whipped Kid Mccoy, but that scrap
was denounced as being a cut and
dried fake, and i guess from facts at
hand it was phony victory at best.
John L. Sullivan never fought again
after Corbett put him away at New
Orleans. / guess If re had he would
not have amounted TO anything, for
the drubbing Jim gave him took all
the starch out of him.
Jack Dempsey never got over the
beating he received ct the hands Of
Bob Fitzsimmons and died of brok-
en- heart, and yet there was no gamer
fighter III the ring than the Nonpareil.