Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-08

half a dozen rounds" replied John L.
IN his deep voice.
Don't be too sure, John" said John
son. Remember Corbett Is a mighty clever
fellow and he may fool you"
Have no fear, Charley. II will be short
and sweet. I never felt more confident in
my life. Get all the bets on. me you can,
Numbered Sullivan as he stood np and an
swered the cali to the ring.
Mike Donovan, the veteran pugilist. who
trained. coached and seconded corbett for
this fight. declared afterwerd that Gen
tleman Jim was the most nervous. restless
man he had ever handled. He said that
Corbett could not sleep we'll for many
nights before the battle and was Obliged
TO have a physician for a week previous,
50 great was his nervousness. sulllvan's
worldwide reputation as a "knocker out"
had put fear in many another opponents
heart, so that Corbett. too. did not have
much confidence " himself when he toed
the scratch and saw the champion glazing
at him across the ring. Corbett was trained
so fine that he was simply crazy to begin
the fight. The moment he found that
Sullivan could not land his famous right
and that the Boston man was little more
than a punching bag, Corbett became as
cold as an iceberg and as merciless as a
headsman in the dark ages.
One Of the most deceptive pugilists in
point OF appearance before climbing through
the ropes was the lamented Jack Dempsey.
He was a hard and faithful worker, for all
Of his early mills, particularly. He never
failed to get to the scratch trained to the
second. Dempsey was not a really sturdy
fellow and suffered considerably from
stomach trouble. His appearance, there
fore, as he jumped into the ring on more
than one occasion prevented many of his
followers from putting a bet on his chances.
for he looked more liksla c%onsumptive than
a genuine middleweight champion. Jack
played the sick man for all Il was worth.
II was frequently the case that he seemed
ready to drop from weakness after a few
brisk round This naturally encouraged
his opponents. who usually sailed In in
hurricane style. But that was just what
Dempsey was looking for. He countered
on the rushes with telling effect and won
many battles In this way. Dempsey was
always eager and confident before a mill.
He never lost any sleep and never knew
the meaning of the word nervousness"
If he had remained in his class-13s to 142
pounds-instead of Jumping into the mid
d~leweight class, he might have been alive
today. But Jack was ambitious. A t one
time he wanted to fight Jake Kilrain, who
had laid claim to the heavyweight cham
pionship while Sullivan was "flr' in the
Hub.
One of the most busfnesslike fighters who
does not exhibit any particular emotion
before a battle is Bill Papke, the new
| 0olldlnuvot-Ak A---s ~ 4 --- A.
good humor before a mill and seems TO
enjoy the game hugely. The last time
Papke fought in this city he entertained
several friends in the dressing room be-
fore the struggle and enjoyed a good laugh
at some Of the jests and ,jibes that passed.
Battling Nelson, the lightweight cham
pion, always appears to be over-anxious
( before a fight. He longs for the tap OF
the gong that calls him before his antag-
: onist. Nelson is a rugged young man who
sleeps and eats well before a mill. He
: usually leaps into the ring the picture OF
E confidence and self-esteem. Nelson is ag.
3 gressive at all times and fears no man al
. his weight.
a Probably the most anxious fighter ever
A seen in a ring was that celebrated anG
! queerly named person, .:Mysterious Billy
Smith. Just before a battle he suggested
!, a wildcat in a cage ready to be let go a
his prey. Smith, however, did not Away
; win, for he was naturally a rough4and
tumble fighter and the restraint undel
: Queensberryf rules was not in accordanc,
with his game. One night he was knocked
out by Joe Walcott otter a slashing battle
Smith was some time coming back to life
The crowd had left the. building and nearl!
all the lights had been turned out wher
the mysterious one awoke with "a start.
80 that black fiend put me out, did her
said Smith to his seconds, who stoot
around tanning MIN. Where is her. Wit
a wild rush Smith made a bee line 70
Wolcott's dressing room, full Of fight still
"You have knocked me out" roare,
Smith. crazy with rage, but l can licl
you right now!' 1t took a dozen men t
hold Smith while wolcott. half clad. mad
his escape,
Some Of the greatest fighters ever see.
in a ring are those pale. nervous fellows
always quiet and thoughtful. Belonging t
this type are Jack McAuliffe, Kid Mccoy
Jim Hall. Packey Mcfarland. Leach Vrosl
Abe Attell, Willie Lewis and many other
who have proved their worth inside of tn
ropes.
Tommy Burns. the present heavyweight
champion. so called, is cool, clear-heade
and absolutely fearless when he faces a
opponent. He is crafty and tricky an
knows how to make his own matches. b
lodging Big Jack johnson for two year
before agreeing to meet the big negro tn
month in Australia Burma has succeeds
in causing Johnson many sleepless nigh
and he may add a few more before II
big men shake hands in what may be
decidingly interesting mill.
JOY AT RoBERTsoN's wINNIN