The Detroit times., 1910-05-20
az w. q. SHEPHERD.

NEW YORK MAY 20.-In the
opinion OF Prof. Mike" Donovan. box
ing instructor Of the New York Attn
letic club, and one OF the greatest Nv
ing authorities on the fighting game
Jeffries will defeat johnson.
This h the frst expression OF opin
ION this veteran hero OF the squared
circle has given on the coming battle
and he gave 1t TO me especially ior
DC Detroit Times, after refusing In
teryiews to half the sporting editors
In New York.
Il Mike" Donovan's opinion worth
anything?
The answer To this question is found
IN his record. Here II IL:
He IN s. years old. and at one time
was middieweight champion or the
world.
He discovered John l.. Sullivan In
the fall OF 1879. on the stage OF the
Atheneum theater Boston. After box
ing six rounds, during which Donovan
then a star OF the first magnitude. SUI
fered a broken arm trying to stave on
The PUSHES of the Boston boy, he de-
clared Sullivan would ba champion
OF the world. He watched and school
ed the youngster. and saw ms
prophecy come true. Sullivan was his
first champion.
In New Orleans, Young te!CW
named Jas. Corbett asked permission
10 call uLm Donovan AZ he Uttel
hotel. Hr and Donovan boxed aud
afIerward the veteran said Ia hin
Young man, you can lick John l..
Sullivan"
The statement frightenS Correct,
bit Donovan took him in hand, and In
New York worked with him in d gym.
nasium He taught him Sullivan's
tricks, and not many months later saw
Corbett defeat the mighty Sullivan In
the arena OF the Olympic club, New
Orleans. Gentleman Jim was Dono-
vans second champion.
II was a physical freak with whom
he was asked to pose for a photog-
rapher, that Donovan picked at his
next conqueror. After posing for the
pictures, at the request OF n news
paper. Donovan turned TO the young
man and said, I'D like 70 have setto
with you. -Fltzsimmons.
And that first meeting, In a barn on
Long Island, proved TO Donovan that
he had world beaten. He taught
FitEsimmons the now famous shift,
ending In the solar plexus, and told
him: . ..
IF you perfect this, YOU can beat
Jim Corbett3'
When this conversation occurred,
Fitzsimmons, although he had con-
quered Jack Dempsey and Peter
p.aher, was not regarded as dan
gerous to the heavyweight champion.
but that memorable day at Carson,
when in the fourteenth round he ex-
ecuted the shift and landed on Cor
belts midsection, he astonished the
world sand became Donovan's third
champion.
Donovan saw Jim Jeffries box once,
and declared himself. He predicted
the big fellow would defeat Fitzsim-
mons. and In him picked his fourth
And now another fight is pending
for the crown. Logically Mike Dono-
van lie the man to answer the ques-
ton, Car Jeffries whip Johnson"
And that Is what asked him.
1.-THE two most levelheaded men
I'm the ring today" he replied, ARE
Battling Nelson and Jim Jeffries. They
do not enter into debaucheries. JEFF
fries In this respect Is almost as steady
as Nelson, which is saying a good
deal
"The main question In the Johnson
Jeffries fight Is that Of endurance.
have received the opinion OF eminent
physicians who have recently thor
oughly examined Jeffries. They con-
cluded that he is In as good form as
he has ever been"
"Don't you think Jeffries is too old
TO have the necessary endurance" |
asked him. .f
mo, no. Some Of the greatest bat
ties in ring history have been fought
by men past go Tom Savers fought
a draw with John c. Heenan In 1860,
when he was SO and Heenan 81. II went
30 rounds and one OF the most des-
perate fights in history.
"Jeffries Is "a. and a man In natur-
ally good physical condition at that
age is in the very prime Of life It Is
the time when, II he has cared for
himself at all, he Ia at his best
"Jeffries is heavier than Johnson.
too and this weight will help him.
Moreover, johnson seems TO be
mainly a defensive fighter. and this
would not be to his advantage in this