Norwich bulletin., 1909-12-21
FREckLED BOB, AT 4s,
 TO FIGHT BILL LANG.
Next Monday in sydney-cornishman Thinks Himself as Good as Ever.

While speculation is rife in this country as to the possibility of a re- juvenated Jeffries. Australians are also wondering whether Robert Fitzsim mons can come back when he meets Bill Lang at Sydney in a twenty round fight for the heavyweight champion ship of the Antipodes. Fitzsimmons and Lang will hook up next Monday and Sydney is already on tiptoe.
 No greater fighter than the acient Cornishman ever lived. No harder puncher ever delivered a. knockout blow. Champion of the world. though a-snatural middleweight, Fitzsimmons gradually went back because of ad- vancing years, and in 1907, when Jack Johnson stopped him in two rounds, it was generally believed that the end had come. Fitzsimmons will be AS years old next June, yet he still con- siders himself young man and actu- ally believes that he can fight as well as ever. He has been out of the ring more than two years, but declares that the rest has done him a world of good; also that his broken hands are now as well as ever and that he can wallop with the same tremendous power that made him the conqueror of Corbett Sharkey. Ruhlin, Maher and other not ed heavyweights in days gone by.
 F'itz has been a good liver and has enjoyed life as much as any man, but his wonderful constitution has enabled him to withstand the ravages of time. When he boxed in London last sum- mer he displayed the same broad shoulders, the long, sinewy arms, the great muscles in his back and the pipe stem legs. He was remarkably active on his feet and by dint of much stren- uous outdoor exercise he seemed to have regained some of his former stamina.
 Confidence was always one of Fitzs best qualities, and it seems that he has not lost it. When he met Hugh Me Intosh, the Australian fight promoter, in England, last fall, he said:
 Hi can fight as well as never, MT. Mcintosh, hand hif you'll give me chance to show the people of Haus- tralia low Hi can go Hfll make good"
 Mcintosh quickly saw an opportuni- ty to provide special attraction for the fight fans of Sydney and lost no time in signing the ancient Cornish man to meet Bill Lang. He guaranteed Fitz a round trip ticket for himself and his wife and a 5000 bonus. win lose or draw. Fitzsimmons arrived in Australia six weeks ago and has been doing some vigorous training ever since.
 Jeffries, who is matched to fight Johnson for the worlds championship next July, after an absence of nearly five years from the prize ring. owes his world wide prominence in pugilism to his victories over this same Fitz- simmons. Ring followers who remem- Der how Jeff wrested the championship from Fitzsimmons never tire of telling the story, which is-of interest to the younger generation, no doubt.
 Moving pictures cut no figure in the arrangement of the memorable Jef- fries-Fitzsimmons fight at Coney Isl and in 1899. Fitz was the champion and he dictated terms that gave him 65 per cent. of the gross receipts, win or lose. He regarded Jeffries as a punk pugilist and did not consider him seri- ously until he actually got in the ring with him. Then he realized that he had made fatal mistake when 1t was too late.