Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-20
WHAT CAUSES OUTCRY
AGAINST BIG F|CHTS7
Dan Stuart Was Up Against
Same Game in FitZSim-
moAS-Corbett Mill.

why is IL that heavyweight cham
pionship nights cause such an outcry in
this country when other glove contests
pass practically unnoticed?" asked
well known sporting man during a dis
cussion relating to pugilism the other
night. This Jeffries-Johnson affair re-
minds me of the trouble the late Dan
Stuart experienced while trying to pull
of the Corbett- Fitzsimmons affair. and,
by the way, il was Stuart who had the
law passed which may allow Jeffries
and Johnson To settle their differences
in Nevada. Stuart was just such
promoter as Tex Richard. He was
dead game chap. liked prize fights and
was willing to run the risk of losing
money to pull one OFF. When he
matched Corbett and Fitzsimmons in
1896 Stuart thought he had it all fixed
to stage the scrap in Texas. There was
no law against fighting in the Lone
Star state at that time and stuart
picked out Dallas as the battle-ground.
The business men of that city were
with him to a man and II looked ike
a sure thing until shortly before the
scheduled date. when Gov. Culberson,
in response to protests from the clergy.
called a special session of the legisla
ture and passed a law that killed the
fight.
stuart was $1,000 out of pocket
which had been spent in arranging de-
out place in the Indian Territory for
the battle-ground and was going ahead
without opposition when Congress step
ped in and blocked him Then he turned
to MeXicO-JuaTez-j across the Rlo
Grande from Ell Paso, where bull fights
are still pulled off. but the greasers
told him there could he nothing doing
Florida put up the bars and finally,
when Stuart received assurance that
Hot Springs. Ark, would stand for the
mill FitZsimmons. in disgust. declared
everything off.
by that time Stuart was $4,000 in the
hole. but he didn't give up. He got tip
that Nevada wasn't averse TO prize fight
ing, so he went 10 Carson city ana TAXED
the matter over with politicians and busi-
ness men, with the result that the leglsla-
ture passed a bill legalizing finish nights
upon the payment of license fee OF
$1,000. Then, signing Corbett and F1tz-
simmons all over again, he built huge
wooden arena with room for l5,WD spec
tators and sent word to the sporting world
that there would he no interference The
fight took place March IL. 1897, and the
men battled in the open air; snow was
on the ground and the little town was
crowded with fight fans. Yet when noses
were counted there were not more than
T.NOp spectators that paid. Stuart took IN
ONLY $1,000 and was big loser on the
venture itself. but he owned the moving
picture privileges. which Melted more than
$4,000 in profits. After that aHalr
Stuart declined to promote any more
prizefishts saving that il was not worth
the trouble and wOrry.
When Sullivan fought kilrain at R1ch-
burg Miss. in 1889. there was a strong
protest from the ministers. and III was
only by selecting this outlandish place
that the mill was carried out F1tZslm-
mons and Maher in 1895 had to travel all
over the south before they met at Lang
trv Tex before a few hundred specta-
tors, Fitz scoring knockout in round.
Sharkey and Corbett in New York were not
interfered with because or the existence
of the Horton law. There was no serious
opposition 10 the COrbett-Suil1van nght al
New Orleans in 1892. while the Corbett-
Mitchell fight at Jacksonville TWO years
later was held without trouble There
was no interference with Jen nghts on
the coast with Sharkey. Fitzsimmons.
Rubin, Munroe, Choynski, jackson and
others.
ring contests than any other state in the
Union for that matter. The Fuzslm-
mons Sharkey. Corbett-Sharkey, Coroett-
Choynski Jackson-Corbett, Fitzsimmons-
Hart. O'Brien-Burns. Johnson-Har
Burrs-Souires Johnson-McVey, Cans
Britt. Gans-Nelson. tell-Moran, Atteii-
Nelson. OBrien-Kaufman, Johnson-ket-
chsll Johnson-Kaufman, Barry-kaufman,
Mcfarland Walsh. Ketehell-Thomas. ket-
cheIl-Papke. Neison-Young Corbett, Mel
son-Britt Nelson-Wolgast. Hyland-Cross.
Britt-Young Corbett, McGovern- Dung
Corbett. McCoy-Jack '(Twin) Sullivan.
Langford- Barry, Langford-Flynn. MUIR
phy-Moran and many other big fights
have been decided on the coast without
interruption
ITS a matter of record that no heavy
weight championship fight in this or any
other country has ever resulted fatally.
These big fellows. as a rule, are better
able to stand punishment than fighters
in the lighter classes. yet somehow when
they are matched to scrap for the title
the cry of prize fight. goes up and
there is trouble Police Supervisor Herget
of San Francisco said recently that
prize fight was scrap with bare
knuckIes to a finish. with wrestling and
tripping allowed. and that such an affair
was far different from a contest with
padded gloves under rules that prevented
brutality I'll bet that II Jenrles and
Johnson come together neither will be
seriously hurt beyond black eyes and
few bruises.