El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-11
Who Was the Champion Heavyweight
Up To the Negro JacksOn's Feat?
By W. ". Naughton.

q AN FRANCISCO. Cal, Feb. IL
Here are a few samples of orders
- which come in regularly to be
filled
W. W Naughton.
San Francisco Examiner.
Dear Sir-To settle a wager, win you
kindly answer the following questions
at your earliest convenience:
Was John L. Sullivan the heavy
weight champion of the world? If not.
was III. corbett heavyweight
champion of the world? If not, why not?
S-Was Robert Fitzsimmons heavy
weight champion of the worldz If not,
why?
Twas James ]. Jeffries heavy
weight champion of the world? If not.
why?
SIS Jack johnson the heavyweight
champion of the world? If not. why?
Taking the questions in the order in
which they appear. the best that can
be said about Sullivan is that sporting
authorities differ as to his right to-
any title more pretentious than that
Of champion of America; and so 1t will
probably continue TO the end of time.
Some eminent sporting critics have
argued that Sullivan was never the
champion of the world under the old
prize ring rules, although those who
hold the opposite view rely upon the
records to prove that John =. really
was the king pin of bare kunckles
fighters in his years of activity.
To prove their ground, Sulliyan's sup
porters instance that Joe Goss wrested
the London prize ring championship
from Tom Allen; that Paddy Ryan de-
feated Goss. and that John L. Sulli-
van knocked Paddy Ryan out at Miss
zci-1 oh 1880 in
rounds.
The Other Side.
Yes" says the other side. but Sulfi-
van failed to defeat Mitchell in a bare
knuckle fight for the championship at
Chantilly, France, on March 10, 1888,
and such being the case, he could not
call himself the best man in the
world
There is a chance for an argument
there all right, but it is fact, never
theless, that John L. Sullivan and Jake
Ktlrain met in a contest for the cham
pionship under the old rules at Rich
burg. Mississippi Is months after the
Mitchell-Sulliyan fight and that all the
world at that time recognized the right
of the men to battle for the blue rib
bon of the prize ring.
Charley Mitchell. in fact. was a party
to the arrangement as he acted as Kill
rains principal second; and it was not
on record that Mitchell rebelled at the
function being classed as a worlds
championship dispute. Sullivan won
that fight and according to the spirit
Of the times clinched his right to be
known as London prize ring champion
of the world
If hair-splitting is resorted to, doubt
can be cast OF almost any proposition. |
but If my opinion counts for anything.
Sullivan was the champion of the world |
when bare knuckle fighting went out |
of vogue. He had no belt, no diploma, |
or no championship badge to display |
as his insignia Of superiority but he |
was the champion to majority of peo !,
pie, and as far back as I can remem- |
Der, that is what counted In the affairs |
of the ring. If there had been anyem |
living better entitled to be called cham |
pion. the public would not have placed |
Sullivan on the high pedestal of pugi- !
liSm.<
When Sullivan Lost Out.
When the Queensberry method of /
boxing took the place of old style fis-
ticuffs, it was considered that Sulli- |
vans title became clouded when he
refused to meet Peter Jackson in a