The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-09
CHAMPION FIGHTER
MUST HAVE NERVE
Gan1cncss Is Born in q Man, aid
He Cannot Be Schooled
to Ii.
SOME LIKE THE WALLoP
Livery Champion Has Bee,
Known to Be Able to
Take a Beating.

a top-hight fighter needs neyera1
star accomplishments, but the 1host I'm
portant one Is the one which cannot ba
drilled into a willing performer. Came
ness counts more points han any OF
the other qualifications.
or course there arc those who vii,
not agrec with this theory. There are
%several thoughtful men with bulgtne
foreheada who believe that above
everything else a Fighter must be
clever. They cannot soc q champion
OF the Dat Nelson type. Now clever
ness IL a great thing in itself. but 30
per cent. of the clever boxers sacrifice
power to speed. and show their clever
ness in cvadlng punishment when they
should be giving 1t.
The woods are full OF moving. pictura
boAers who canno hit hard enough
TO upset q water pitcher. They know
al about the block and the sidcstcp
and the light left jab. but when n
comes to doing any real damage they
are not present; they remain ham.and.
cgs lighters because they never whip
anybody.
SO much for cicverncss as the chief
asset.
Some Like the Wnl,op.
others incline to the wallop. Every
man WITH a ~ brognri, u So hat and a
~ collar thinks that n tighter should
have the big kick. So? Well, there
have been many terrific hitter Who
never got anywhere. Take, for In
stance, that Mexican lad. Herrera. In
the days when tho loving Aurelio was
wasp-waisted md youthful enough 10
DO l23 without hurting himself, l1e
packed q wallop which would have
done credit to a heavyweight.
or all the hard-hitt.ng little men
that the ring has produced, the brown
boy from tho Tehachapi country ear
ricd off tho bacon. Any time he got
that right over to the right spot the
other fellows second had to climb into
the ring and carry away the cold meat.
He could hit a man so hard that hi,
head would be the nrst thing TO strike
the noor. and even In his decline lie
nipped Young Corbett with q short
high-cross. and Bills nose was the
first thing to strike the canvas II
took a thumpcr to drop Young Cor
bett with one short poke.
Herrera might have been rated az
worlds champion eight years ago.
when he fought McGovern ii San
Francisco. lie nailed Terry Just once
on the chin. and tho Terrible One was
erosseyed for the rest of the round.
II Herrera had been game enough 10
in and finish the job. McGovern
would have taken the count. for one
punch vas all he needed. Bat
says that Herrera hit him SO.
hard that he forgot everything for
about five rounds. Herrera, gifted "a
he was with the "tcn-sccond sleep
tablet" never amounted TO anything
but a good trial horse, for he lacked
the heart. Any time an opponent
could slap Aurelio on the bridge OF the
nose the Mexican would begin to pack
He would fight like q tiger until
stung. and that was the end OF him.
So the punch Is not the only thing.
Gan,cneas Counts.
1t Is the Sa1neness which counts, at
ter all, and hat Is something which
has to be born In a man. We have
who, though faint-hearted by nature.
schooled themselves into taking tho
GAIT This degree of moral courage is
but 1t Is not exactly like
the old bulldog grit which is born In
4 real fighter. Many q man can BIO
game when he sees q chanco to win.
but 1t takes a stout heart to carrysa
man out of his. corner round after
In a losing fight.
It may surprise a lot OF people to
know that Jimmy Britt, With all his
and all his cooperating little
mannerlsms, was one of the ga,nesEs
lighters that ever drew on a glove.
Van Court, the trainer Of many
remembers thai when youna
Britt, tho unknown kid. came TO light
his first amateur battles, he threw away
a pair OF crutches at the door and 4
walked into the Olympic Club OF two
feet SO badly blistered that. had his
been known, he would not
have been allowed to contest. Britt
had been reducing his weight and the
road work, to which he was unaccus-
nearly ruined his feet; but In
his crippled condition he fought his
way through the amateur tourney and
won championship.
Britt the Galmcst.
He showed that gameness again when
beat him at colma. Britt was
the sixth round. He had tried his new
ly discovered right-hand pun,h OH
and Nelson had fought him,
back until Britt's knees knocked to-
The rest OF the way Britt Went s.
on his nerve, and when he was sobad!S
hurt and so tired that he could no
longer see, he staggered about the
ring, throwing wild haymakers, In tho
hope OF landing one end turning the
His exhibition OF pure grit won
aim q crowd which had always been
to him, for Britt was never q
favorite In his own town,
Ketctlel showed what a n mar
could do when he fought Papke In Los
Angeles Knocked down and practiy
sally defeated In the very first punch
tho fight. he found his feet and
until even the men WIKI had bet
and thousands on him begged
lim to quit and save himself needless
Ia ,1nlering.
You may teach a man to be clever;
'ome men say they learned how to de-
liver a finishing punch, but there is no
school where a. man can get N heart.
The chief requisite nf a fighter must
pc born in him.
SLATED FOR BENCH:
Tiger Catcher, on Account Of Poor Showing
~ In Rlr SerieS. NIny I3a@ Snn0paadaIH iTft