Bisbee daily review., 1917-10-28

Robert FitZsimmons, former cham pion of the world, who died last Mon- day in Chicago of pneumonia, was one of the most remarkable prizefighters the world has ever known. Bob got religion before he died and did lit- tie evangelistic work, but that has nothing to do with this story.
 He was born in Cornwall, England, in 1862, and went to Australia in his youth. where he worked as a horse shoer for many years. Finally he drift cd into the fighting game, and after beating five men in one night he de cided to come to America. A friend paid his passage, for he did not have a cent. That was back in the early eighties. His first great fight in this country with Jack Dempsey, the i'm mortal Nonpareil, for the middle weight title. Fitz won after 12 rounds, during which he cut the American idol to pieces with his long left.
 A year later he won the light heavyweight title from Jim Hall, a famous Australian fighter who Ves in his zenith at that time.
 James .. Corbett was the champion in those days, ands when Tom Shar- key, the Frisco sailor. fought Corbett to a standstill in a limited round bout, Gentleman Jim would have no more of him. Fitz took Sharkey on and gave him a terrible lacing. Then pop ular opinion forced Corbett to give Fitz a fight. Their Carson City fight, in which Fitz won the championship, stands as the greatest in all the an- nals of the ring.
 Fitz was well in his thirties when he won the crown and soon fell a victim to Jeffries. Later, Fitzsim- mons started in to force a return match Sharkey had fought Jeffries to a 25-round draw, and Fitz turned in and knocked Sharkey out Then he took on Gus Ruhlin, an aspirant for world title honors, and knocked him out two weeks later. This won derful double performance forced lief
  turn match. Tn this fight Fitz chopped the champion to pieces and would soon have finished him. but his hands. made brittle from constant breaking under his own sledgehammer blows, failed him. His right hand was broken against Jeffries' iron head Fitz put his terrible hands down and walked in to take his medicine in the form of knockout. game as always to his hearts core.
 Fitz knocked 'em out with either hand and to the body or the jaw He won the championship with the fa- nous solar plexis punch under the heart. This is the greatest blow the ring has ever known. He knocked Peter Maher out in one round south of the Rio Grande one pleasant fall morning. He knocked Dan Creedon out at New Orleans in four rounds after playing with him.
 That Fatal Fourteenth
 The fourteenth round of his great fight with Corbett at Carson City reads as follows:
 Round 14 Up to this round Cor bett had the better of the fighting He hit Fitzsimmons whenever ha pleased, and pretty much where he pleased. His generalship was far su- perior to that of Fitz. and he got away and came in again with marvellous speed. He was tiring rapidly. how ever, and was far from having the stamina that Fitz showed. The latter had been punished fearfully through out the preceding rounds, but he was still strong and game to the core. The round opened with a left swing for the paw by Corbett. It missed the mark, but he tried again with better success. reaching the jaw good and hard. Fitz was all there, however, and he sent his left to the body with terrific force. The blow sent Corbett