The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1911-09-30

OF THEWW
FIGHTERS NOWADAYS SOON az.
COME HAS BEENS."
They Do Not Last as Long as the
Fighters Of the Years That
fave Passed.

Their was only one Ruby Robert
F1tzsimmons. Only one gawky ack-
smith who. at the age O: So. ..cnt
out and won a worlds championship
and for five years successfully De
Tended IL. Old Bob set a record that
will probably stand for all time.
Fftz was the Nine. Bernhard OF
fightdom. Age did not leave any de-
fects upon him and he was fighting
great battles when other men were
past the meridian OF their years. The
freckled Kangaroo established q
goal hat fighters of the present day
will never be able TO touch.
There r few old glove
in the ring today. The rusty arms
or antiquity nave evidently been CON
signed to their proper place-the
1unkman's back yard. Age cuts small
figure with the opponents OF the
manly art OF pummeling. Youth IL
king and a mans proficiency is not
gagged by his years. because all OF
the children OF the god OF fsticurs
are pretty equitably matched in this
regard.
In the hit-and-get-away game OF
today a man past 30 is rated as being
on he decline of his powers. He is
looked upon in ring circles the same
as an o-ctogenarian. Such a man a
not a chance OF ever ascending to a
title, although one does hold one now
JAG johnson. But Jack is an ex-
ception.
Only FIVE fcfters o are now
making their livine Oy Sticking gloves
into an opponents features are over
80. They are Jack Johnson, Cyclone
Johnny Thompson. Nike and Jack
(Twin) Sullivan and Jim Flynn. Only
two are 3O@Jem Driscoll and Ru-
dolph Unholz.
or those past the acknowledged
period OF d~ecadence, Cyclone Johnny
Thompson is the eldest. Syracuse.
Ill, vas the first training quarters
OF the cyclone one 30 years ago.
Thompson is the Oldest fighter of the
present time. However. he didn't
start as early as some OF his COM
petitors and has been in active con-
fict only nine years.
Queer angle connected with the
Cyclones history. \ lightweight and
welterweight until 30, he turns into
a light heavyweight. heft registered
at lGl pounds. Next TO Thompson is
the champion. Johnson. The negro
has participated in the sorrows and
Joys of mundane existence for 80
years. Johnson has come the closest
to Fits record. lie was nearly 81
when he won the title from Tommy
Burns.
The two antiquatcd. bald-headed
twins, Mike and Jack (Twin) Sulli-
van. rank next in order in the list.
Jack has been stopping cross-coun-
tiers and moving his hands in fault
less rhythm for nearly Is years. Nike
Is the junior twin of the ring sport.
He only took up the game IN earnest
in 1901, when the fame of his brother
began to permeate his being.
Jim Flynn. the Pueblo fireman. is
in his thirty-sccond year. The fight
game has known him for nine years.
Flynn is tho last OF the millers over
the one score and ten.
Following are the ages OF the other
Oldest ring celebrities Of the day,
showing positively that youth is dom
inant: owen Moran. %: Packey Nc
F%arland. %: Ad Wolgast. %: Frank
Klaus, %: Tommy Murphy. 20: Harry
Lewis. %; Willie Lewis. %: Abe At
tell. %: Tony Caponi. %: Hugo
Kelly. 2s; Fighting Dick Nelson. 20;
jew Driscoll, 80. and Rudolph Unholz,
80.