The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-07-30
NEGROES MAKE
GREAT FIGHTERS
TWO OF FOUR GREATEST FIGHT
Frs THAT EVER LIVED WERE
BLACK MEN - NO USE
TO COMPLAIN.

There is no sort of use in abusing
the man who was licked at Reno.
Jenries had but one endearing trait
as man or a fighter-grcat all-pow-
erful strength. When he lost his
strength he was without any. He had
neither heart nor spirit, nor sprint,
nor nerve. AS, for his actions during
his career as champion. they did not
stamp him as a man. His welching on
his gaming losses after the Root-Hart
fight-his life In all was not such as
would win the regard of any right
thinking man. So what is the use OF
talking about the fellow whom Messrs.
London. Beach. Edgren and others
made the hope of the white race"
AS IL the honor of any race depended
upon the result of base prize fight?
Then as far as the best man goes,
put forty white wrestlers into a ring
with Johnson and any one of them
VIII tear him limb from limb. When
fights become fights. Queensbury rules
or picture privileges do not govern.
AS for the superexcelence of the
white race, II Is a matter of very
grave doubt that the best fighters
of all ages have not been negroes.
Molyneaux, Virginia slave, quite un-
skilled but very strong and game. real
ly defeated the great Crib, father of
the ring. i'm their first battle Crib
was the best man the ring knew i'm its
golden days-a sort of Jeffries strong.
patient, enduring, but slow. He was
gamer man than Jeffries and came
back. True he beat Molyneux in their
second fight, but the negro was no.
toriously unfit to fight at the time
and was sold out by Bill Richmond
another negro, who was manager for
the black fighter of his day.
In the days of Jcrries' acknowiz
edged eminence IL was always a mat
ter of doubt that Peter Jackson at his
best could not have beaten the Cave
man. Jackson was undoubtedly one
of the four greatest fighters the ring
ever saw. the other three being Cen
tleman Jackson of the middle egh-
teenth century; James ]. Jeffries and
Jack Johnson. For. no matter what
lie Is today, Jeffries was a great fight
er. Thus two of the four great fight
ers have been negroes.
SO good judge as Billy Nolan,
then manager of Battling Nelson, said
that Peter Jackson was the greatest
nghter he had ever seen. In the same
breath Nolan added that Johnson
would make show of Jeffries when
they met That is three years ago
now. Nolan said that he Thought
Johnson was as clever dnd as hard n
hitter as Jackson. but lacking I'm the
personal class of the West Indian ne
gro Jackson was n high class. in
'eIigent negro. very manly. well man.
hered and well spoken, by all odds the
most manly. gentle and best hammered
OF all fighters, white or black. He
was the very pink OF perfection when
IL came to style possessed n per-
rect left hand and was a skilled and
effective puncher with the right. He
was the last and the greatest of the
straight. clean punchers of the old
school, of which Jem Mace was such
splendid exponent. True IL Is that
Jim Corbett got n draw with him,
but jackson was VIGOROUSLY unfit at
the time. Two years later Corbett
was champion of the world. Jackson
was the only man that really ever hit
Corbett repeatedly and hard and Cor
pett was wonderfully fast and slip
perry; at the time the fastest man
ana hardest to hit that ever faced an
adversary, bar perhaps Griffo surely
the hardest big man to hit that ever
stepped into ring Corbett was
very fast then. and II was the fight
OF MS llfe He had Jackson beaten Mt
'ne end, but Peter stayed sixty-one
rounds, the last thirty on his nerve
ana cool courage Corbett never want
Ed any more OF his game. and Fitz-
simmons. who had often boxed with
Jeffries I'm Australia, always yielded
the palm to him. II will fight Cor
oett any day." said Fitz. but jack
son can lick both of us in the same
ring"