The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-04

John L. Sullivc2 Says Old-Timers
Were Better Than Men of
Today.
MORE GLORY IN OLD BOUTS
PURSES OFFERED NOW FAR IN
EXCESS OF THOSE IN PAST.

John l. Sullivan, the greatest public
idol the prize ring has ever seen, does
not believe that boxing has advanced in
the last fifteen years. In letter Sui
Ivan expresses the following opinion re-
gardtng the past and present in the
roped arena:
Boxing has not improved as an art in
the past fifteen years. and while there
are five boxers today to one in the old
time. the class of men is no higher. and
in my opinion, not 50 high as when I
was in my prime and when the other
fighters, whose names are now almost
forgotten, were exchanging punches.
About the only changes in the game in
the past decade and a half are the in
creased purses and the fact that this
rival. England. in the class Of boxers
turned out. Now England has but one
champion. and that is in the smallest Of
the classes, the bantamweight.. Jem
BOWker holds the title of the little fell
lows, but he is all alone in that respect.
Charley Mitchell was the last real cham
piOn they had IN England and he and
Jem Mace are about the only two who
serve to freshen the minds of fight fol-
lowers on the battles Of years ago. Both
are alive, and that fact is q good indica-
ton that men engaged in boxing, or, If
you ike 1t better, prize fighting, are not
broken down when they become too old
for active service in the ring
Fought More for Glory Then.
The prize money given today far ex-
ceeds that given fifteen or twenty years
ago. One thousand dollars was a good
purse then. Sayers and Heenan fought
in 1860 for the title and fought for a
purse of $10l0. Today il is a secOnd-rate
boxer who will think of boxing for that
same sized purse. 7 take the credit to
myself for putting the game on a plane
where a boxer could make money out
of it.
Today we have Battling Nelson, Jimmy
Britt, Joe Cans and a few others as the
topnOtchers in the lightweight class, the
best liked division. In the old days we
had such men as Billy Edwards. Arthur
Chambers, Tim Collins and Patsy Shop
herd. And these men could fight all the
lghtweights we have today and beat
them easily It seems that in the pres
ent day the lightweights comprise the
most important class in pugflism. There
have been more lightweight fights Of i'm
pOrtanCe put on in the last few years
than all other classes combined. There
has been no middleweight fighting and
little work in the heavyweight division.
Weight Glasses Are Increased.
There are also more classes today than
there were fifteen years ago. Then we
had the featherWeightS, lightweights,
n.iddleweights and heavyweights. In
those days a middleweight was required
the heavyweight ranks. Nowadays they
scale anywhere between that notch and
$50 pounds and call themselves middle
weights. Now we have three other
classes, too. Between the middle and
heavy there comes the light heavyweight
class and between the middle and heavy
Fights the Welters are put in. Then
there is the smallest class the bantam,
which was not known then
In the old days it was not unusual to
see a heavyweight battle where one OF
the men scaled less than the light heavy
weights OF today MOrrissey, Heenan,
CObuTn, Mace and Dwyer did not weigh
more than 165 pounds and yet they were
heaVyWeights of high repute. The pass
ing Of FftZsimmOns does away with the
last OF the Old-style pugilists, and it is
doubtful that if he was young there is
a man in the country who could beat
him.
healthfuL clean, manly exercise. There
is less danger to life and limb in it than
in any other sport, and il also upbuiIds
mind and body to q greater extent than
any other sport
The boy or young man with a knowI-
edge of boxing has q decided advantage
over one who is not versed in the manly
art. II boxing were more generally
taught and practiced there would be less
Cse for firearms and other weapons, and
consequently less crime.
Greatest Exercise in Existence.
Boxing brings into play every muscle
in the human body. 1t Quickens the eye
and the brain, for a good boxer must be
able to conceive his opponents every
move. It is necessary TO be innbued with
the brutal instinct that many think an
essential to 3 fighter.
Some of the most able men VINO rep
resent the United States in congress were
great boxers and athletes; such men as
United States Senator Zack Chandler,
Roscoe Conklin and John MorrisSey. The
president of the United States himself
boxes continually during his spare hours
A man must have brains TO DO a fight
er. 1t is not nscesSary for him to have
great physical strength. 1t goes with.
out saying, of course. that a little fellow
cannot fight a bigger and stronger man
than himself. though he might win for
time. They must be put In their prop
er classes.
4 boxer or fighter must be much the
same as a general a good general must
know his ground. how 10 handle his men
and place them TO the best advantage or
else he will lose his men in useless fight
ing. The same thing applies to a prize
fighter He must. at a glance, take in
the strength or weakness of his opponent
These things are done TO better today
than fifteen years ago.
do not know what Nelson means to do
He has signed and hath p.sraaIf IL