The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-22
Champions of the Past and Future.
The Worlds Ex-champon Does Little Prophesyfns.
BY BOB FiTZsiMmoNs.

and poor old John punched himself
tired-at nothing. That was the first
Of the modern changes. The gladiator,
the stolid man of muscle, gave way 10
the shifty man. with the fair punen,
who could get in quick. strike quicker
and get away again before MS man hau
q chance to counter.
For some years that was the ideal
school, and then somebody found out
that Corbett didn't have any particu-
larry hard punch and that he mostly
wore his men down by letting them
work themselves out. putting in good
jab here and there 10 help the work
along. / think 1 can safely say that
/ was the chap of the new school who
made the next change. I took Corbeits
measure because I was pretty fast with
my hands and feet and I had the
punch. Every time / hit man 1t
hurt and hurt badly, too, and that did
the business for awhile. You see, I'd
gone to work on the principle that
combination of the two men who stood
at the top-Sullivan and COrbett-
would do the trick. If / could move
about as fast as COrbett, or nearly as
fast and could hit like Sullivan, Ia
stand a fair chance OF winning out.
went 10 work along those lines ana
they worked out right.
But there was another change COM
ing along and ! didn't see that
don't think anyone will call me If /
say that l couldn't be expected to see
il. ] was working along easy, with
the belief that / could trim any appli-
cant that showed up. but 1 thought the
giants had all been done with.
couldn't know that young bull was
going to come out of the west, who
moved pretty fast and who weighed
A.. u
had been trained by the fOXiest trainer
in the business. I didn't think that an
elephant - beg pardon, Jim - could
move quick. but I found it out at Coney
Island and i'm just II rounds the eie-
phant-paTdOn again. 1im-had put me
away. / say now, just as ! said then,
that Jeffries was and is an accident.
You don't look for many men Of his
kind in a century. He's not the regu-
lar run of men by a whole lot. In fact,
1 guess he's sort of a made-to-Order
boy for the particular job he had TO do.
I don't honestly think he's a regular
fighter. not the fighting machine at
least. He's the best. however, just
now. but if he sticks to the game some
fellow is going to get him IN time.
You see, he's big and stronger than
the ordinary and he hits hard and
then he's fast. too. on his feet and in
his movements. He carries out my
combination all right. and my dope is
right at that, but he's too big for the
ordinary man to take hack at.
Maybe some day in the future there
viii be q new style of champion who
viii make US of the present day look
like a piece OF debased money. but |
doubt il. There will be mighty few
more of the Jeffries type. and it's my
idea that the coming champion VIII
be a man of about $50 pounds, who
II combine extreme speed with hit
ting quality that will count for some
thing. and who will be as shifty as
they make them. The combination, as
l have doped il out, ought 10 whip
anything that walks on two legs. bar
ring accidents of the JeffTies kind.
/ claim TO know Jim Jeffries about
as we'll as any man can know another
and l don't believe there's a man in
the business today that can whip him.
I worked with Jeffries a lot after our
second fight in San Francisco, and l
can mOdestly claim to have taught him
something. too. You'll notice as a gem
eral rule that championship fights are
getting shorter, too. Corbett whipped
Sullivan I'm Il rounds. / beat Corbett
III IA and Jeffries put me away ia II
the first time and in eight the second
LltlSs vi GDuESts IL sO0 NAAAiN0 bAAAS
much further. you'd have a man
whipped before he got into the ring,
but what | mean when l point that out
is that the fight of the future is going
10 be between speedy men. who win
fight fast and hard and who will only
go a short distance. Something Ike
the racing of today. There used TO be
horses that could travel ten miles at
a fast clip, and hold it TO the end, with
z saving burst OF speed for climax;
but today it's the horse with the fast
speed for the short distance that brings
home the money.
These things are all bound to reach
a certain limit, of course, but I think
the combination I speak of or a short
distance fight is going TO be the thing.
Not so much endurance, but more
speed and grit while the short bout is
on. Why. there have been Queensbury
fights that have run into so rounds, but
l never heard that any of the specta-
tors enjoyed them half as much as
they aid the rip-rOaring, speedy battle
that went along at racing clip for 10
or Il rounds and ended with sharp
rally all over the ring.
Just the same. it's quite q long step
from old Figg down to Jim Jeffries-
and. say, did you ever think how many
black eyes. cut lips and twisted noses
were wrapped up III those years?
Copyright. 1895. by Joseph B. Bowles.)