Evening star., 1909-01-31
YOUTH IS SELDOM
SERVED IN THE RING
History of Pugi|ism Proves
That Most important
Fights Are Won by
Veterans.

From time immemorial one of the pet
axioms of prize ring followers has been
youth will be served but the time
honored tradition receives an awful jolt
when one puts it to the acid test. When
great match is on the tapis you read
expert opinions as to why one certain
boxer should win because he has youth
in his favor" While there are instances
on record where boxers have won great
battles and even championships at nine
teen or twenty. it is the exception rather
than the rule. When a boxer has youth
I'm his favor he must necessarily be at a
disadvantage. SO far as experience is con-
cerned. and experience in the ring means
nothing more or less than science. clever
ness. generaIship or whatever else you
may call IT.
Experience begets science, naturally anu
no matter whether a man Is nashly cle'er
like Jim Corbett, or. like Kid I'av1gne'
possesses that sterling quality techmcauE
known as fighting cleverness, 1t Is eh-
nerience that gives it to him. and that Is
what wins many important patties.
boxer isn't settled, as rule. nor does ne
strike his true fighting gait untli ne IS Is
well along in the twenties-sometln,es III
man has won a championship "heh ne
was past the twO-score mark.
Experienced Men the Best.
The worlds greatest fighters dld tleiF
best work between the ages OF twenty-five
and thirty -fve-approximately. Here anu
there a dashing youngster may sprung op
like McCovern and accomplish "ohoeiS
long before he reaches the voting s'ase'
hut ring history does not furnish hialIy
Snci, Instances When You glance over
tho records of thirty and odd of the most
canable and celebrated boxers OF the thi GO
fighting countries 1t will be seen tIia' si'o
above is not a chimerical hypolnesls - -
structed merely for argumentatNe -
poses, but is founded on ro'h
facts. ,,,n;on
when Jim Jeffries Won the cnahipigi. "
shin from Bob Fitsimmons at Cohe9 Is
land he was twenty-four. he was W
ty-eieht when he beat jim Coroelt III ,n oa
F'rancisco and it scarcely need De saiu
chat Ire was rather "spry for a EounS
fellow when he took the eX-bank cierhs
measure Jeff was thirty When ne pun
Iv announced his retirement at heHo,
New, the day Hart and Root loushl "a
his relnouished title. That Srallu oiu
warrior. Bob FitzsimmonS, the greatest
fighting machine for his poundage III
HEAVYWEIGHT circles. was tWeit! poipI
he boxed in public for remuneration. re
was almost thirty when ne won no,, TUE 6.mn- .,,,
sew at New Orleans; he was th1rtS.hHe
wien he won the American heaVy~elsnl
championship from Jim Coroett AZ NaI
son City: he was forty-one When ne cap
tured the light heavyweight title In tWen-
nv rounds at San Francisco from George
Gardner. and to cap the climax he was
forty-fiye years old when ne met JAIN
Johnson in Philadelphia
DR. Osler Is not one or f1tz adIni[eIs. a.
Wi iO1f L..
who was twenty-four when he took tne
title from Paddy Ryan at Mississippi City'
at thirty he defeated HIRAM at HiIH-
burg. and when he lost the championship
to Corbett at New orleans Tue pis Aoi-
low was thirty-four.
johnson Still in Prime.
When lack Johnson won the champion
shin Of the world at Sydney from Tom
my Burns he was within month or two
Of his thirty-frst birthday. That he still
is In his prime and able to put up
rather interesting battle the average
fight fan will be free to admit. Peter
Niaher, the incontrovertfble irish cham,
pion. was twenty-seven when he RnocKso
ont Paddy Slavin and Joe Choynskl: ne
was thirty-one when he put Steve ODon-
nell away in one round at the old Broad
vay A. G.: he was thirty-six when ne
handed Joe Butler the sleep pellet IN one
round at Philadelphia, and today, at tnlr-
ty-nine years of age, he still Is hghtlng.
and for fear folks might forget him scored
another victory via the knockout route
in the Quaker city a couple OF weeks ago.
Tom Sharkey is another VINO did some
real fighting after he passed the ouVenie
stage. At twenty-six he fought Jenrles
the toughest battle the latter ever TOOK
mart in. and at thlrty-one Sharkey boxed
Munroe in Philadelphia. 1t was after TINS
lie retired. Jim CorDett was tWenty-six
when he won the championship from Sui
livan at New Orleans: he was thirty-one
when he lost the title to Fitzsimmons at
Carson City, and when he boxed Jenries
In San Francisco Corbett was spring
chicken of thirty seven.
Jake Kilrain never was Young blood
at any stage during his fighting career
When he was twenty-eight he fought Jem
Smith those 1O6 rounds In France; at
thirty he went seventy-tiVe rounds Win
Sullivan at Richburg. Miss. and when he
was thirty-se he boxed Paddy Slavln
at Baltimore.
The barrier champion. old Joe God
dard, furnishes another true eXcmplif1ca-
ton. He was thirty-one when he stopped
Peter Maher in three rounds at Coney
Island: at thirty-siX he slowed away MICK
Dooley at Johannesburg In two rounds
and when he fought Tom Sharkey in Phil
adelphia Goddard was thirty-nne
jackson Began at Twenty-Five.
Although Peter Jackson was twenty-five
when he wrested the Australian cham
pionship from Tom Lees at Sydney in
thirty rounds, it really was the beginning
OF this truly great boxers career. He
was twenty-elght when he beat Jem
Smith in two rounds at the Pelican \. c.,
London; he was thirty at the time he
boxed that historical sixty-one round no
contest" battle at San Francisco with Jim
Corbett and when he was defeated by