River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-05-17
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| PrizeRing |
INTERESTING LETTERS OF AN
EX-WoRLD'S CHAMPION
HEAVYWEIGHT
By BOB FITZSIMMONS
Copyright. by Joseph b. BOwlssl
MY FIGHTS WITH
RUHLIN AND SHARKEY


New York, August 10, 1900, as that
was, according to many of them, just
as important in its way as any of my
other encounters. To tell the truth,
had not looked on that particular fight
as one of the most important, but
since l have been recalling it, perhaps
it amounted to more than 1 thought.
for in way it settled the chances that
kuhlin may have had for the cham
pionship, by showing him that If he
couldn't defeat me, he would have still
Smaller chance with Jim Jeffries.
The fight took place in the evening.
it may be remembered, and perhaps
some of my good friends may remem
Der that took on Tom Sharkey with
in two weeks at Coney Island, and cut
HIM down to just where he belongs,
and thereby fixed his championship
bug SO that it never buzzed again.
l don't call to mind just at this min
ute whether any other boxer ever
fought two big battles inside two
weeks, but don't believe it ever hap
pened before, except that one night
out ia Chicago about two months be-
fore the worlds fair opened in 1898,
when l managed to drop seven pretty
heavy men, and that wasn't any picnic
for me, considering that every one of
them tipped the scales at something
ever 200 pounds. That was a pretty
warm session, I'll admit, and it made
quite sensation out in the Windy
City, but it wasn't a marker to the ex-
perience of settling two would-be
champions inside two weeks.
You see, 1 wasn't sure just how
much beating Rubin would take. He's
a mighty big man, and he was weigh
ing considerably more than yours
truly, and then I'd heard from men
who were in a position to judge, that
he was strong proposition, and would
take a. walloping that would mean hard
work to make him quit. Sharkey of
course, l had pretty good line on, and
| knew Just about how long he would
take to trim, I'd been up against the
sailor a time or two before, and |
knew just where that sore ear of his
was, and just about where I'd have
to tickle him TO send him away to
Greenland. When | was training for
my first fight with Tom, a man jumped
out of a carriage out in Frisco near
my training quarters, came up to me
and said:
Don't punch Tom in the jaw. It's
paralyzed."
nj IN I
out in that fight that he had mighty
tough jawbone, and in the fight at
Coney Island | paid little more at
tention to the other parts of Thomas
anatomy However, to get back to
business, I had no accurate line of
Gus Rubin, and all had been able to
find out only convinced me that he
was a tough young fellow who would
take lot of beating. Two or three
told me that he had a yellow streak,
but I'll say right here that l never
found that. We jumped into the ring
that night, and l remember chap
sitting near the ringside in a box
who made a hit with me. He was a
nice looking fellow, and he leaned over
to his friend and said, when climbed
through tina ropes:
"F'itzsimmons looks like the lean
and slippered pantaloon of pugilism,
don't he?"
I got a smile out of that remark,
and it put me in good humor for
the rest of the night. Well. After
Charlie White had given us our in
structions, / made up my mind then
and there that I'd try rushing tao
tic or two, and feel Gus out, and thus
give him a chance to show how hard
he could hit, and just how well he
could keep his head when the going
was fast We went together right
off the reel, and I kept close to him.
Just failing away and fumbling now
and then to give him chance to show
whether he would take a fair shot il
ii was given him. / found him hard,
tough young fellow, willing to keep
right close to me, and slug with all
his heart. He handed me few
choice swings that rocked my head,
and when | busted him again he stood
light up and pushed me back to the
ropes.
I'd got his measure by the end Of
the irst round, and in the second /
regan to try out his wind. | knew
| had him from the moment the gong
tapped and the hooks | tossed into
his stomach were warm ones. | kept
this up during the third, varying it
with few straight lefts and some few
crosses until | think | had Gus won
dering just where he was going to get
it next. I could see he was weak from
the punishment he was taking, and he
had hurt me little, too. Gus has
a punch of sorts. 1t isn't cham
pionship punch, however, but it will
lar a good man just the same.
couldn't escape all of them, and | took
what was coming my way. In the
fourth round | took out after Gus and
drove him across the rig, just to rat
tie him, and then / bluffed that | was
tired and dropped my head Bit. Some
easy mark in Gus's corner yelled cut:
"He's gone, Gus. Go after him."
And poor Gus did. That was where
I Strengthened up and pelted Mr.. Rub
lin clear across the ring and brought
him down on the mat near the ropes.
The gong saved Gus that time, but
was in no hurry, as l knew just where
Gus lived, and could call and get him
any time. In the fifth I played with
him-anyone will tell you that, but