Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-08
LURE Of RING
TOD MUCH FOR
F|TZS|NNONS
Naughton Declares Comeback
Bee Is a Disease Which
Attracts All Veterans.
BY w. w. Naughton.

y AN FRANCISCO, Jan, S,-MaAv
surprises are sprung in connec-
ton with pugilism from time to
Time. but the news that the lure of the
roped and resined platform has UNI
settled veteran Bob Fitzsimmons
comes pretty near TO being the pre-
mer sensation of the year just
closed.
The pity of it is that Fitzsimmons
seems terribly in earnest about it. In
he plea to be given a chance to show
What he can do he does not claim that
he IS as good as ever, or even advance
Inc argument that he feels he has
lnr good fight left in him.
He simply reasons that the present
day heavies are a bunch of inca pables
and begs for an opportunity to show
.hat he is not undertaking them.
What causes me to Law special
stress on Fitzsimm0ns' earncstness in
This connection is the fact that while
other "eXempts" along the big fell
lows have spoken from time to time
of getting back in the game they al
WAYS weakened and made denials
when they saw the things they said
in print
This thing Of feeling an itch to
read the boards again after years of
retirement is disease and it disap-
pears very quickly when the fellow
afflicted with if secs that he has he
come a mark of curiosity to the pub
lie and mark of ridiCule for the crit
les
If YOU don't believe me. ask Jim
Jenries, Tom SharIley and few
others
fitzSmmOnS is with one exception
the oldest eX-champion Of the world
in captivity, his senior being John l..
sullivan Bob has passed the half
century mark and recalling his earlier
exploits even in America, smacks of
looking back into another life.
Naughton Tells OF Battles.
The writer saw him in his first bout
in this country. That was when he
whipped Billy McCarty at the Cali
fornta club. San Francisco. about %
years ago | saw him win the cham
pionsNp from Jim Corbett at Carson
J So" him lose his heavyweight title
10 Jetfries. and | saw him in the re-
turn match in San Francisco | saw
him box Gus Rubin at Madison
Square and even at that time-it was
thirteen years ago. noticed how
bunaIinsly he splashed around in the
opening round lie went back to his
corner and said to George Dawson
who was behind him: Il don't know
what's the matter | seem to have
forgotten all | knew"
"You'll be better when you get
warmed up" said Dawson encourage
lUgIN and sure enough ROb imme-
diately improved round by round un.
Ill he laid Rubin low with his IA
nous shift in the sixth
Bob in Long Downward Slide.
saw him two Teeks later with
Tom Sharkey at Coney Island That
time Bob profited by his previous eX-
perience and did his warming up in
his dressing room before entering the
ring. And Sharkey lasted about n
round and a hal@.
| remember that Bob, flushed with
success, leaned over the ropes and
beckoned vigorously to Jim Jeffries to
come up and be challenged but Jim
merely laughed and shook his head.
After another few years | saw Bob
step twenty spiritless rounds with
George Gardner in San Francisco and
said to myself right then; My. what
FL ltmentable falling away
Two wears lsteT-it was in 1gO5-I
saw litzsimmons slide from his chair
ln state of coma after completing
thirteen rounds with Jack O'Brien,
and it occurred to me then that it
would be a good thing if there We're a
law debarring pugilists from follow
ING their vocation when they were
mamIeS-ly on the down grade.