The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-04-12
(E3y James J. Corbett, Former Heavy
weight Champion of the Worldly
CWritten for The F'armer)


Billy Mccartney had me ION the pan
1t appears he has taken exception to
certain things that have appeared in
this column pertaining to Luther Nc
Carly. While it makes very little diff
ference one way or the other what
Mccartney says or does, I am at a
loss to understand why he makes me
the patsy when there is scarcely a
sporting writer of any note in the
country who hasn't severely criticized
the so-ca1Red white heavyweight
champion"
AS for Anything that has appeared
in this column-weL, I'ua leave it to
you, reader, if have been unfair In
my attitude towards McCarty. The
fact is I'VE been rather len1ent and
unusually mild in handling Luther,
much more SO than his stand since
beating Palzer calls for. True, I re-
Gently did question his courage and
business acumen in turning down a
$4,000 guarantee to meet Bombard1er
Wells, and have referred several times
to his Discrimination to box Jess Will
lard but outside of an occasional mild
structure OF the sort haye been inclin-
ed to boost the yol1ngster-
For the beneft of those who do not
know I wish to state that Billy Nc
Carney is McCarty's manager. With
no desire to give Mccartney any free
advertising, I feel it a duty to my
readers to en1ighten them on that
point for future reference. For Nc
importance in the world Of pugtlLsm
albeit his name was unknown outside
the circle of his. intimate friends be-
fore McCarty placed his right list In
juxtaposition to the jaw of Carl Nor
r1s about a pear ago Luther became
famous in a night, and Mccartney be- |
came an important person at the same
time-in his own estimation.
Billy Mccartney is like the majority |
of fight managers. when their charges
win a few battles they swell with inn 1
portan czea To hear most of them tell
it they, and not the fighters, are en-
titled to the praise and applause OF
the public. And when they get hold
Of a few thousand dollars there is no
holding them. The jump from the
pork and bean and free lunch routes
to that state known to the select as
~-nigger rich is all too sudden and
has the effect of turning their heads.
That's about enough for ME- McGar-
ney. and hope my readers will for
give me for wasting so much valuable /
space the gentleman.
AS for Luther McCarty, that young |
man looks like the most promising /
white heavyweight material develop-i
ed in the last few years. He has the
s'makpgs'' of aaGeat fighter. The
beatings he administered to al KaOf- |
man, Jim Flynn and Al Palzer stamp |
ed him as a, youth of, great gpTbllise. |
In the hands aof a capable tnstrrctOr |
and trainer, a man who would devote |
him the finer points of the game than /
to the financial end of 1t, wpuld not
hesitate to predict bril1ia mt future /
for the house of McCarty. at that |
he may become champion some day in
spite of the fact that Mccartney is OF
little help to him in that direction.
I have nothing against fLnther. I
would like TO him win the heavy
weight championship That's the worst
luck wish the young man. At the
same time I believe he Is making a
mistake in tying himself up for fights
with a bunch of second -q'aters and.
avoiding the boxers who have quail
fed to meet him. He APPEARED pub
1icly in New York recently and pos
sibIy the frigid reception he met with
may help to convince him that his
methods do not meet with the appro-
val of the fans
Nobody who follows boxing is more
anxious to see a white fighter at the
head of pugilism than I. I would do
anything in my power to help the
cause along, and without hope of per
sona1 gain For instance, I would
gladly take McCarty down to my place
in the country this summer and give
him the benefit of the knowledge of
boxing and the experience gained in
years of service in the ring. With
out boastdng, I believe I could teach
Luther or any other heavy weight of
to-day a few important things about
the game he is ignorant of. My fight
ing days are passed, but I still retain
the knowledge of the science of box
ing and could impart valuable point
ers. to an ambitious and Intelligent
boxer of McCarty's stamp.
The average manager is Of little or
no help to young and ambitious
boxer It may be the proper thing to
employ a man to look after the fl
nances when a fighter has annexed a
championship. but until that time
what Is needed more than any thing
17f11
something about the game. To win
a championship a, fighter must keep
improving all the time, and it takes
years to develop a man good enough
TO win the heavyweight title. 1t
means hard work and plenty OF it.
The system of reaching out after all
the easy coin in sight is all right as
far as it goes, but if the manager
with a likely prospect in tow could
look a bit into the future he would
discover that the money to be made
during the campaign for the title is
insignificant compared with the posi-
bilities once the goal has been reach
ed
McCarty is an excellent prospect. | /
That lets him out. He may be good I
enough to lick willard and the Gun
boat and again he may not. The
public would like to know what he
can do with these men before putting s
Its stamp of approval his cham Z
pionship pretensions. Fighting Jim {
Flynn and Carl Morris again, both of T
whom he has decfsively beaten, will \
not tend to increase his popularity. I
I hope the report is true that McCar- r
tv is to meet "Gunboat' Smith at
Madison Square Garden next month.
Since the latter beat Wells and one
or two preliminary scrappers local
Ecrfbes are toutfng him as a wonder.
There is no denying that &c. B." has
one peach of wal1op. Anytime he
with that right hand swing :
4 means down and out for the other