The Washington times., 1905-08-27
Robert FItzSin1n1Ons
Tells of His FIGHTS
Former Champion Heavyweight Says That
He Never Had a Tremor During His
Three Hundred Battles.
By BOB FITZSIMMONS.

when Corbett turned about and faced
me. and the fight was decided then and
there. l made UP my mind to mark
him on the body and leave his faee
alone, for that was the only way
could get the steam out OF his legs, and
IL you don't know il, I'll tell you right
now, that punch in the stomach will
hurt a man worse and make him want
tc sit down to rest quicker than a wal
lop on the nose.
The first makes him tired and the
last OILY makes him mad. When we
got together in the first round we were
both feeling each other out and L was
telling him a story. It's q habit of
mine to talk a bit when I'm lighting.
and some of the things / said seemed
t. make Jim a bit miffed at me, but
that was part of the game.
Account Correct.
OF the battle as il went, the newspa-
pers at that time gave a pretty ac-
curate account of il as / remember. But
then things look a lot different to the
boy on the outside to what they do TO
the fellow that's doing the fighting.
seem to remember that / was doing a
lot of humping up against Corbett's
left hand, and that it didn't annoy me
in the least, and then / think 1 began
TO get busy.
Along about the eighth round-that
was the one If you remember that it
was said the job was to occur in-I got
angry for the first time 1t had been
said pretty roughly that I'd taken big
piece of change and was going TO let
Jim trim me in that round, and it
struck me that right there was a good
place to put 4 crimp in that lie 1 know
got little buster than before, and l
guess L had Corbett on the run for the
first time in reality. Somehow it seem
ed to surprise him a bit. and 1 had a
little warm feeling over 1t in my insides.
He looked at me once when 1 reached
him on the rits, and new idea seemed
to strike him with the punch. L was
afraid he had tumbled that 1 was trying
to plant him on the body. so L played
awhile for his face and worked the no.
ton out of his head.
Down Went Corbett.
A lot OF chaps who are fond of airing
their opinion and lack OF knowledge of
the fighting game viii tell you that
when the fourteenth round opened
hadn't a notion where l was going to
plant Corbett, but then they didn't
know all about il. I'd been practicing
on the quiet for that solar plexus for
a good many days, and I'd figured out
TO the dot just where it ought to land.
Then a lead and follow for the
face and the right went over for the
jaw, and 1 shifted a DIT and the left
touched Jim where / thought it would,
and 1 crossed him quick with the other
hand just as he started to fall.
1t was pretty hard for him TO figure
out just how it happened, and L don't
blame him for thinking he still had a
chance. 1 know what II feels like TO
lose the worlds championship, and
guess he felt the same way l did later
but 1 won it fair and square, and
think he'll acknowledge IL now.
Coming home from the fight was the
hardest part for me some way. 1 sup
pose I'm still a boy in some things. for
1 couldn't seem TO get It right In my
head that there / was on the top of
the heap. where I'd been aiming for a
good many --ears, and maybe the lads
who Travelled with me thought there
was something queer about Fitz. and
I'm going TO tell something now I'd
thought 1 was going to keen locked
up forever. 1t was when we drifted
into Washington-the first time I'd ever
been there-and 1 went up 20 the Capt.
tol and looked around a bit l met
a lot OF men-Senators. Congressman,
and office-holders, and citizens, and
just people-and we shook hands. and
1 went into the Senate chamber. and
IL was there something hit me. You
remember it was just after the sugar
scandal. and I stood there and thought
10 myself:
Proud of Title.
You've got a lot TO be thankful for.
old pal There's some great men here
and some good men Some of them
have got their greatness in funny ways
mean ways. whole lot-and some
Of them have been stealing their great
ness. and those that stole il and work
ed their friends in tricky ways for what
they got must feel quite a bit ashamed
when they look themselves in the face
nights. I guess you've got the best Of
the lot Of them. old chap.
There's about as much talk of Won
In this country now as any Of them.
and you've brought yourself up 10 ii
with not a thing but your two hands.
and you've never had to lie to a lot OF
widows and kids and steal your
friends money to DO il either. There
are n lot of men here that will call Won
brute. but I'd rather be 4 brute that
way than gentlemanly crook their
way
Maybe you folks that read this think
this was conceited, but il wasn't meant
that way / meant it and I still mean
It. and it's the only bit of real advice
m going TO put over the plate Next
week I'm going to tell you something
about that Sharkey business out in
Frisco. where they trimmed me for nv
record and my friends for their rolls
with as pretty a bit of crooked work
as you'll find outside a States prison
and l can prove every bit Of IL. and
that viii help some. as the boy saws.
Copyright, 1905. by Joseph B. Bowles)
nETR0IT nCHInCC