Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-17
INTERESTING FIGHT
LETTER FROM CORBETT
Ex-Champion Joins jetfries'
Camp Next Month-Wil
Help in Sparring Work.
By James ]. Corbett.

By James ]. Corbett.
Copyright. 1910. by the Tribune Company. Chi
| caeo Unauthorized reproductions Of this arti-
! Gle will be pTosecuted.l
| Reports from their training camps
which have reached me from the west
| indicate that Jeffries and Johnson have
both begun real work in preparation FOR
/ their battle for the championship heavy
weight honors July 4. 1 don't think
| they have started any too soon or that
in their system of preparation there Is
any chance that either will go stale be-
fore the date for the big battle. And
that 1t indeed will be a big battle /
haven't any doubt. Not in my recollec-
ton have two men Of equal ability ever
| begun work under better physical con-
| dtion, and they should both come to the
ringside fit in every way
| I've a special personal interest, by the
| way, in Jeff's condition aside from the
big contest July 4. You see, he thinks
he can beat me in a 1O0-yard sprint and
also at hand ball. He also thinks he can
lick me In the ring. Well. maybe he
can make 1t a three-t time victory with
the gloves. but I'll be hanged If he can
peat me IN sprint or on the hand bail
court. Indeed. | have thought so we'll
of my chances against him in the latter
two forms of sport that 1 have bet him
$500 on the outcome of the two con-
tests. If / win l expect to blow the reg
ular reporters to the big fight off to a
dinner after the contest of July 4. and
Ii jeff should beat Johnson the big fell
low probably will add to the wine list
for the spread.
Jeffries training work at the Reward
enen camp up in the Santa Cruz noun
talnS, about eighty miles from San Fran
cisco, shows that he isn't overlooking any
bets. His easy road spins show that he
has plenty of wind. and his sprints in
dlcate that he has speed From the per-
sonal reports l get of Jeff's work he is
going at it right. Indeed. one might
imagine that my old friend, Tom Eek,
had taken the big fellow in hand with
the idea of embarrassing me in the
sprint race.
1 expect TO find Jeffries in fine shape
when / reach the camp the latter part
of next month. and then the work of
preparation for the big fight will go mer-
riy on. My own work, even while keep
ing up my theatrical engagements in the
east, has been the ha rdest taken in years.
as ! devote all my spare time to physical
perfection Harry Frazer and Frank
Gotch will join me in Chicago on my
way to the coast, and after a short rest
at the training camp on my arrival l
shall be ready to take Jeffries in hand
and work along with him up to the day
Of the fight.
Jeffries Different.
The statements that have been heard
relative to any mistake made by Jeffries
in his not having arranged fight or two
before the contest with Johnson as a sort
of help in his preparation do not lead me
to such conclusion. To be sure. there
is some help to be gained in such trial
contests before big fight, but with JEFF
fries everything seems different from
any other man. / don't think he has lost
anything in self-confidence. ring general
ship or any of the attributes of a great
fighter which go into the makeup OF
those of championship caliber. Those who
have been in his training camp when he
has prepared for his previous contests
know that Jeffries doesn't play with his
trainers Maybe some of my readers
have heard OF what happened to Fitz-
simmons when he tried to cop one over
on the big fellow in a sparring bout. With
his punching ability and all of them real
ly trying to do what johnson hopes to
accomplish there isn't any doubt that jeff
will get all the fighting he wants before
he goes in to lick the "big smoke July L.
July 4.
Johnson, in Chicago, seems to be doing
some earnest work, 1 judge from pri-
vate reports that have reached me from
his camp. kid" Cotton. who has been
a protege of Joe Choynski. have heard
and he is likely to be quite a help to
Johnson. They tell me that the big col
ored man is working for speed and en-
durance. thinking doubtless that if he
can Withstand the roughs assaults from a
man of Jeffries' tremendous strength he
can outpoint the boilermaker by greater
speed. but l can say to Johnson that he
is going to meet the fastest big man the
boxing world has ever seen.
The recent statement Of Sam Fitzpa..
rick would seem to confirm some others
In my last letter which were in the ma
ture OF a contradiction of Johnson's as
and hitting power to Jeffries. because. as
Johnson said, he had made this COM
parison by his fights with Tommy Burns,
Ketchell and some others. I couldn't see
the comparison. And now comes Fitz-
patrick, the former manager of Johnson,
who says that in their fight in Australia
johnson hit Burns fifty times flush On
the jaw and couldn't put Tommy away
and the police finally had to stop the
fight" Under such conditions how in the
world does Johnson expect to best Jeffries
In twenty rounds, as he has fixed the
limit?
The result Of Jeff's effort to show that
absence from the ring for several years
had not been a serious handicap In de-
Tending a championship Is already having
the effect of bringing others OF former
prominence in the limelight. One of my
reportorial friends got tangled up the
other night with Tom Sharkey, with the
result that the sailor declared with all
seriousness that he soon is to make a
preliminary test of his ability to "come
back in a course of physical training.
with a view, If conditions warrant, of
his challenging the winner at the Emery
vile ringsde July T. Tom adds that he
is sure he can lick johnson.
Middlewe1ghts Busy.
My prediction that the return of Billy
Papke from France would be sure to stir
up trouble in the middleweight class
seems about to be verified. Papke Is to
have a twenty-round fight with Frank
Klaus in San Francisco May IA. with the
understanding that the winner will be
matched with Stanley Ketchell for
championship battle in July. This ought
to clear up the middleweight muddle.
Ketchell and Sam Langford are to fight
six rounds at the National A. c., In
Philadelphia, April p. and Ketchell is
putting in some hard training work here
In New York for the contest. Langford
Is a mighty tough proposition. and this
contest ought to show whether Stanley
is going backward" as some of the
critics say.
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien has been
given another chance to show what he
can do with AL Kaufman. they just hav-
ing been matched to fight six rounds in
n; n u,