The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-21
HOW CORBETT LOST
To FITzSIMM0NS
Champion Was Too Confident,
and Exposed Himself
CareleSSly.
BOB SINKS HIS LEFT
INTO SOLAR PLEAUS
Fight Is Over and Greatest
Ring General Wins Game
Fight.

periodical, tells how he lost the cham
9iouship TO Bob Fitzsimmons. His story
follows;
''Ou the day of my fight with Fitz-
simmons, we drove 10 the scene of the
contest II was in sort Of valley sur
rounded Gy snow-cappcd mountains, and
truly ideal spot.
When ! arrived nj Carson City |
learned that Fitzsimmous wife was 90
ing 10 be in his corner. What woman
she was, She is dead and gone now;
and, although she said many unkind
things. and flung numbrrless taunts at
me. to which | could not reply | have
no hesitation IN SAYING that she was the
best friend Bob Fitzsimmons ever had,
''Thcrc she was in Bob s corner. |
did not approve of her being there, for l
hold that the prize ring is not the proper
place for woman But who could help
admiring her love and devotion to her
great, frecklc-faced husband? Yes;
when she died Fitzsmmons lost his best
chum.
Aggressive Start.
I'm his corner, my opponent had hlls
brother.in-l law, Martin Julian, couple
of other men, and his wife. There all
was harmony. In my corner there was
discord among the Jealous trainers, and
! had more trouble with them than |
thought | sh ould have 10 defend my title
Of champion of the world against Fitz-
simmons.
"The great fght started. And ] made
M my mind that | was going to carry
E.itZSimmons along faster than he had
ever been carried before. bItZ had to
settle himself before delivering a blow,
whereas ] was like a phantom, fitting
here and there, and thinking my speed
and micknesS would so mix up FitZslm
mons that all the calculations would be
knocked out of him.
$50 | went RIGHT I'm aI the beginning,
and started the aggressive tactics.
Just AS soon as he would get settled !
would not fight him; ] would get away,
aud then dash back. hitting him every
time | struck at him.
Fitz Is Down.
"Spced. speed, speed 1t is telling lis
tale. l see the fight over again as
write. land again and again on his
body; his face is punched almost be-
yond recognition.
"Speed speed, speed! Surely it is
leading Fit2 on 20 his doom. The sixth
round. ] hit him terrible left-hand
hook on the jaw. Down he goes. Sure
", / think, the fight is mine! | am
still the world s champlonl
''Can he get up? \ woman dashes
TO the side of the ring. 'Bob-Bob!'
she shrieks. sect up!'' Her voice rings
above the turmoil, beseeching, praying,
commanding the man on the floor to
rise and continue the grim struggle.
''Thc woman is in frenzy of de-
spair as the still figure makes no move.
Bob-Bob, Get up she walls again.
And. in some mysterious manner, her
supplication seems to penetrate through
the mist which envelops has brain, and
titzsimmons rises to his feet
81 am wary / know that Fitz is
never more dangerous that when he
seems licked, because l have seen him
win four or FIVE fights after he has ap-
parently been beaten.
''We are at it again. 7 determine to
keep away from him until | see a clear
opening. There it isl | 90 punching
away at him for every ounce ] am
worth. Will he never give in? What
gameness; what ability TO take punish
mentl ] have never seen the like of il
before. He takes all l can give him
and then comes back for more.
Round after round passed, until, in
the fourteenth. begin TO get more con-
iident. F'itz is getting a little slower,
am feinting TO get FitZ 10 let n
right-hand swing go. He has done this
fifty times in the fight with such force
that it turns him completely around
So far, ] have jumped away to avoid the
punch. and ] have not been able to get
back in time to do any harm.
But | think the next time I will
simply fling my head back, without
moving my whole body, so that / shall
be right on top of him when he turns
round.
"EWeu. this great swing comes at
last. | simply throw out my stomach
and fling back my head. FitZ' left
hand comes in contact with nv stomach
and all my carefully thought-out
schemes are shattered.
'As the glove crashes to its goal
all the breath leaves my body. Down
[ sink with a groan.
Good Excuse.
"'Now, if the altitude had not been
so great / could have recovered in
tween 5000 and 1000 feet above the
sea Level. where, if YOU ran twenty
Yards. you had TO sit down TO get your
breath. If / could have risen | coul6
have fallen down again, and so obtained
another ten seconds grace. But / was
like man paralyZed. / could use my
hands. hut not my feet
''Duriug this awful struggle my
breath was coming back But. alas!
] had been counted out. Corbett was
no longer the world s champion but
in his stead reigned Bob Fitzsimmons
Rushing at FitZ, well. although
he had won, ! knocked him down ] an
sorry for it even TO this day,
He was hurried out of the ring, anC
after / had cooled down ! realized thai
had lost the fight honestly and square
". Then ! thought Of this man s won
derful gameness-this man with The
heart of lion, to whom J had giveI
The hardest punching | had ever givci
10 any man. Tho more l pondered thu
more ] admired.
Now, perhaps you will think it
little strange my writing like this
and. really, it seems just as strang,
to myself. If Fitzsimmons was no
such wonderful man / should not fec
so talkative; but when you lose to on
OF the greatest fighters who ever live,
we'll, defeat has compensations
"The blow which deprived me of th
world IS championship was an ordinar,
body blow; but Fitz had tremendou
force behind it, and some newspape
man asked famous doctor TO describ
it, as the rumor went around at tb
time that ] had died from the punch