The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-12-21
JOHN |. SULLIVAN
ON THE SQUARE
Old Pug From Boston Has
Not the Reputation of
Others
(By Bruce.)

Every once in a while some one bobs
with the inquiry. ancient and hoary.
as to whether John l.. Sullivan ever
was the champion Of the world. Then
some n else gets out pad and pencil
n figures lengthWise and cross Sec
lions to the effect that the good old
Boston warrior held the coveted
title and that he laborcd in the vine-
yard those fruitful years under a mis-
apprehension. Coming down to a fine
point of hair-splitting argument some
one might arise and say that Adam
never held the championship of the
garden of Eden. Adam retired. you
may be aware-from the garden-and
1t has generally been held that up to
the time of said retirement he was
the loud Shrek. even though he didn't
carry a cane. But II any of us want
to figure as close as some of these ex-
perts are figuring In the case Of John
Lawrence, We can say that the serpent
was h champion, having gained a de-
cision over both Adam and Eve.
At the time they were nearing the
time for putting over the biggest hip
podrome this country Eel witnessed,
namely the Jeffries-Johnson fight, old
and venerable John l.. came out in
his writings and said some truths.
This pricked the pride of some Of the
who had been telling along
what a set-up the spade was for the
grizzly OF California. and hence some
OF the questions regarding whether
or not John ever held the. highest
pugilistic title in the world.
Selling tho hroadaX Of caustic ON
ment and striking out through the
woods of marshaled fact we are here
to say that the boy from the hub of
culture was the greatest of his day,
whether he was the champion of the
world or not, and that when the fnal
word has been written 1t will he found
that he will remain the most respected
heavyweight of his time.
Take the big men who came after
him and let us see some of the things
that have been said Of them. Jim Cor
bett framed the fight with Kid Mccoy
and was the gink who put fighting UNI
der the Horton law on the blink. Rath.
er than take a licking from the husky
hands of Tom Sharkey, he had big
Con McVey, his second. jump through
the ropes and have the fight awarded
to the able seaman.
There arc some to this day who will
always hold that Fttzsimmons gave
that first fight at Coney Island to Jim
Jeffries. believing that he could win
the title back. That does sound like
1t came out from between the covers
OF n OF the kind Of books baited with
salactous Slander-but nevertheless II
is said.
Then came Jim Jeffries. and DESPITE
his size and huge of ami
htlating the other fellow. 1t is true
that upon several occasions" the men
behind him had to use eloquence and
stern logic to get the big fellow into
the ring.
tommy Burns followed with the
nasty deal with Philadelphia Jack
O'Brien on the coast. A poor champ
was Thomas; one who could not have
lived In the days of the men before
MIN, and yet. game as he was, SANDER
left Its dtngy mark upon his escutche-
on.
Jack johnson has the worst record
OF n man who eve held the heavy
weight championship. This goes for
Sweeney. and you can go as far back
as you please; back to the days when
the rival cliff jewellers had champions
who fought go-as-you-please battles
for wives and other small purses.
No. little brother of the doubtful,
old John may have been the cham
pnion of the world. as some say. and
he may have licked only a lot of dubs.
and he may have done many other
things thai the gentle philosophers
wave nfe's danger signal against: and
vet, withal, he was v in all the
years he held hat old belt accused
Of taking, and he never allowed his
friends to bet their money without the
honest belief that he was going to win.
Old John may not have been many
things, and yet he was honest in his
own boisterous way. Perhaps that en-
plains he reason why there are today
many of the true sports of the past,
men who are gray around the temples
and wrinkled Of c~ountenance, who will
stack along with the old boy from
Boston until the grim reaper writes
fms at the close Of the book.