The Washington herald., 1917-01-14
jim CORBETT HANDS
BOOST To LES DARCY
Veteran Heavyweight Claims the Au-
stralian Is the Best Middle
weight Since Ketchell.
BY RAYMOND K. BRYAN.


II saw Les Darcy go twice while
was in Australia" said Jim Corbett,
former champion of the world, to the
writer yesterday.
IF it were possible to match Les
Darcy and Stanley Ketchell. the sport
ing world would see the greatest fight
that was ever pulled off in the his
tory of pugilism.
Darcy is the greatest man. for his
weight, that l have ever seen per-
FORM He has the punch; he has the
ability, but, best of all he has the
vitality that makes him a wonder as
a fighter. .
Now, l saw him twice as fighter
while l was working in Australia. In
both performances he showed me that
he could go, and that he was so far
superior to everybody in the Antipodes
that he had to go to the United States
to meet anybody that was anywhere
near his match.
= L think that for the punch, for the
cleverness. the ring generaIship, there
Is nobody in his class today that can
meet him and put him away.
Il think he makes a big mistake
in meeting Carpenter if he fights at
his best weight-l5s pounds-or possi-
bly, 160 pounds.
He is biting Off more than he can
chew when he meets Carpenter at 17S
pounds. which is his logical weight.
No man living can concede that
amount of weight and be at his best
Human nature decides these questions.
Weight and ordinary conditions mean
strength.
Just another word about Darcy He
can pepper them all. poke in and jab
them to death and still maintain his
superiority on poihts. over the ten
round route 1 don't think that he will
be success. 1 tell you why, because
while he has Kay o record for a
number OF his opponents in Australia
l do not figure that he can show to
the best advantage in the United
States over the short distance. A
man may be able to run around him
for ten rounds, because Darcy is not
as clever as Mike Gibbons, but in the
long run his vitality will bring him
victory"
Asked about the heavyweight situ-
alton, Corbett said: "I think that Jess
Willard is so far ahead of every other
contender that his crown is safe for
at least two years.
Willard is not a man who is OBJ
sessed by the desire to accumulate a
great fortune. Since he DEBATED John
son he has made more than enough
to keep him in comfort for life.
These stories that he has fndulged
people who know him best. He is a
man who has lived a moderate life
and has taken advantage of the
money-making proposition that his
ability as a pugilist has offered
Let me recite little history about
what the championship meant for me.
When I defeated Sullivan 1 got $4,000
in cash. In the year that followed 1
earned for my part approximately
s165.000. Now. in earning this I had
to work afternoon and evening per-
sistently and constantly to make the
bookings that were arranged for me.
worked hard because l was am
bilious to make. not only a reputation
as a fighter. but a reputation as a
man who had more than the ordinary
fighter possessed. So l tried hard.
Mich. at matinee. when was forced
to show again at Bay City, across the
river that night and had only fifteen
minutes to snatch a bite to eat but l
always felt that whether it was in the
ring or on the stage I ought to give
the best that was in me. know
that Is why 1 get booking on the
stage today.
I'VE hear a great deal about ex-
cess weight and the fact that because
of this Jess will slow up and be un-
able to train down to the point where
he can fight effectively. On this point
'let me say this. that Willard is so far
in advance of the average contender
that she can lick them without train
ing, and with training he can lick the
majority of the contenders with one
hand tied behind his back That is
the best evidence of his superiority.
Il don't think Willard ever wants
to fight again. He is not the kind of
man that wants an immense fortune
He made a comfortable fortune in
licking johnson. He is a man of very
modest tastes, and $4,000 represents
enough to keep him and his wife and
his family and all with whom he is
concerned in comfort for the balance
of their lives.
when I won the championship
got bookings in the theatrical game
that earned from $3.50 to $1,000 per
week. That seems like a big figure,
but 1t is not excessive for any man
who has strong hold on the athletic
public of the United States and who
can back it up with ordinary ability.
II want to say in passing, that I
appreciate the fact that the fight
game is longer the main concern
of roughnecks and thugs but that
more and more it is becoming to be
recognized as the sport of real men.
The art Of self-defense is something
that ought to be inculcated into the
minds and body of every little boy
yes. even every little girl that grows
up in this great nation.
TT doesn't mean the. DEVELOPMENT
or the encouragement OF brute
strength. 1t means substantially. and
and robust manhood and womanhood
for the whoIe IIpifed Stafss,,