The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-23
Corbett's Daily Letter
 On Great Sport Topics
By JAMES J. coRBErr

l (Note: This is the sixth chapter of a
 series of articles which Mr. Corbett is
 writing on "John L. AsfI Knew Him.
 It relates many heretofore unpublished
 incidents in the life of the gerat warrior. | The next installment will appear tomor- | row.)
 | John l.. Sullivan did more to popularize
 boxing than any dozen other men that
 ever lived. He was the first outstanding pjugilist to use boxing gloves. It was
 that Greatest Roman of them alr' who lifted pugilism from sport that was
 under ban almost everywhere to un-
 dreamed of heights of popularity. Before John l.. became champion in
 1882 pugilism was an under cover"
 sport much as is dog and cock fighting
 today. It was a game dominated largely
 by gamblers and one which police offi- cials everywhere tried to stamp out.
 Then came John l., and new era for
 the sport was begun. et.
 Months after Sullivan whipped Ryan. be money making stunt to send tho champion on tour. Others in his profess sionA termed the experiment "a fools trick" They felt that pugilist appear Ing on the stage would decrease rather than increase the crowds. But the the- atrical man went through with his of fer, Sullivan accepted-and both reapeu a golden harvest.
 Billy Madden, who was John LIS man ager, announced at the outset of the tour that John l.. would met all corners in four-round glove contests and that 500 will be given to any man that Sul- livan cannot stop in four rounds" Mad den was one of the shrewdest fellows ever connected with the ring game, and wonderful publicity getter. The new Sullivan offer, which doubled the earlier one, created furore
 One hundred dollars in those days was a sizeable bank roll. And more than 5U men tried to acquire 1t through the me- dium of facing John L. for four full rounds. In, every city that John visited he was confronted by a. strange coiiec- ton of humans. each anxious to take a chance for that $loo. Huskies with fair knowledge of boxing, huge lumber jacks stevedores and truckmen, with no boxing skill at all wanted to take on John l.. And each was accommodated.
 The whirlwind way in which John l.. disposed of those rivals marked the real beginning of his worldwide fame ana his amazing popularity. And it was tho beginHing. too, of boxing as real sport in America. Many who saw John L. in those days. were witnessing their first exhibition of the art of boxing. Folks who had before frowned on boxing. went to see John L. in action. hoping it would convince them beyond the shad- ows of q doubt that 1t was a degrading sport. Instead they found 1t something entirely different. And they went wild about it.
 A demand was created for boxing in- structors. Many fighters who had re- tired from the ring and were in the down and out class were lifted to pros perity by opening boxing schools. Put pills. young and old. flocked to them. 1t | seemed that everyone wanted to learn | the sport; wanted to be 'just like John L.
 Youngsters who were among the gall lery gods that saw Sullivan the night before spent parts of many following days explaining the Sullivanic rush ana the Sulliyanic punch to their fellows. | The older folks became similarly affect cd, They, too. spent much of their leis- ure telling of the deeds of the mighty Sullivan. Their enthusiasm was conta- Efous. And pugilisna. as q sport. began | to come into Its own; vas lifted from the gutter to heights no other sport ever has reached. Newspaper writers who | had been santagonistic toward pugiIism saw Sullivan and changed their views. They began to 1aud John l.. to the skies.