The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-11-24
PUGILISTS HAVE
ODD AMBITIONS
Shining Stars Of Ring Wanted
Other HonOfS. -''.
NOT SATISFIED TO FIGHT.

Lanky Bob Fitzsimmons Had Burning
! Desire to Be Known as Tenor Sing
er-kid Broad Would Have Been De-
| lighted to Be a Circus Clown, and
Terry McGovern to Be Ball Player.
| 1t is human nature to want what one
! does not possess. 1t is also ambition
| which is just Il desire to get something
that is little out of reach. There have
| been n lot Of fighting men whose pri-
yate and personal ambitions We're little
known to the general public.
There was Bob FitZsimmons, for in
stance. Bob had the skinniest legs in
captivity, with one exception. Jim Cor
belts were SKINNER, although that was
Il great point for discussion between
them. Besides the legs, Bob had an
other distinguishing trait-one by
which you could have detected his
presence in the dark. Bob was pleased
TO describe it as Il tenor voice.
Thousands of men would have given
| half their lives to possess Il quarter of
his ability and his fame. But Bob
didn't care much about lighting as Il
| fame getter. He wanted to be known
as that beautiful tenor. Mr.. Fitzsim-
MONS
BOb's one other ambition was to have
nice thick legs. He used to look crit
ically at Jef's underpinning and sniff
and say that Jeff's legs were too heavy,
but lie didn't really think so. Down
deep in his heart he admired those
! DpGtIil-n NH 4 hs. no
boastfully said that his son Bob's
thighs were thicker than Jen's."
Kid Broad's name hasn't been seen
in print for many years. But he was
a famous fighter in his time. rush
ing tearing human bulldog. When he
fought he twisted his face into an ex-
preston As fierce as that of a Japanese
war mask. But do YOU know what his
greatest ambition was? He wanted to
be Il funny circus clown and make
jokes He never went into n circus
but he still practices the jokes.
johnny Coulon. who recently lost the
bantamweight title to Kid Williams
would like chance to fight again and
win it back But that has become
merely a secondary ambition.
Coulon's hair has been routed ant
! has fed from the top, of his head feav
ing that place of@thoAght, nearly n:
p-srneet Ff and sfolishetieas.a biEliafdsbn ball
His present ambition is TO grow an
other head of hair a great thick moi
like a violinist's. He'd prefer that t.
winning back his title. He says 81
himself
AID af VTg1g IN q gt1.i
fellow. He's full of that fighting stuff
But this is regarded merely as n step
ping stone to something else. Nelson
has stage ambitions. He thinks he ha
the making of Il great tmonOlOgiS
why" said Nelson one time. when
come out in my little dress suit an
spiel that funny stuff l knock et
right off their chairs
He also has designs upon the repl
tations OF numerous well known AT
thors He's writing books and expect
to make Mr.. Shakespeare look like
shine.
Terry McGoyem was the creates
- little fighter of his time greater tina
-, any we have now He won champion
II ships as easily as Christy Mathewso
H wins game of checkers. He had a
II the fame in the world. EveryWhel
II he went people shook hands with hi
II and told him how proud they We're
H meet him-"Proud to meet you. Te
II ry"-just like that. And what did Nj
H Govern have under his cap?
II Why, just Il wild desire TO be reg
II lar professional ball player The ba
H players looked at Terry with popeye
II admiration, and he looked upon eat
II and every ball player as the most wo
derful and admirable thing on cart
II McGOvern could make $4,000 in {
evening He would have been williI
to trade everything he knew abo
fighting for enough ball playing SIX
II to be allowed to sit on the Giant
bench as a subfelder.
II Remember Stanley Ketchel? Pc
Ketchel was fighting marvel, but
III ambition wasn't in the ring. He wal
ed to be known as a wild, darede'
COW puncher. He carried guns. wo
II high heeed boots with spurs al
T. spoke the picturesque language of I
plains-as it used to be spoken.
And if he could have known he
his end would come he would ha
been tickled plumb silly at the idea
dying with his boots on in regul
=. dime novel western style.