Evening star., 1918-02-03

OF the old school of give-and-take
battlers this American of Irish ances-.
try was fighter at heart and game to
the core. The question of weight and
size of gloves, or the use of any at all
for that matter, never bothered Sulli-
van. nor did he concern himself with
limiting his bouts and interposing con-
ditions to protect his title, which fac
tors receive SO much consideration from
the present day circus-owning and
vaudeville performing dollar chasers
who infest fstiana.
Although no Slouch a ring general
sullivan did not begin to compare in
technical skill with some of the more
modern crop of pugilists and it was to
one of the most famous exponents of
the speedand-science brand of fisti-
cuffs-Jim Corbett-that Sullivan lost
his title Of American champion in 1892.
just ten years after he had attained it
by knocking out Paddy Ryan in the
ninth round of their bare knucl<le scrap
under London prize ring rules at Missis-
sippi City. Miss. Sullivan missed his
opportunity to become champion of the
world when he met Charley Mitchell at
Chantilly. France. in 1888. this fight.
which went thirty-nine rounds being
called draw. The following year at
Richburg. Miss. Sullivan met Jake Kill
rain for the American title and $4,000
a side, in what probably was his most
famous fight. John L. getting the de-
cision after IS rounds of grueling work.
Both the Mitchell and Kilrain encoun-
ters were bare knuckle affairs
Sullivan started boxing as an amateur
in Boston, where he was born, when
seventeen, and was twenty-four years
old at the time he became champion of
America. an age at which many of the
boxers of more recent days, especially
the little fellows, are through as wit
ness Terry McGovern, who ceased to be
terrible" at the age of twenty-one.
frankie Burns, who won and lost the
bantam title before attaining his ma
jority; Knockout Brown, who was fin
ished" the year he cast his first vote,
and most recently Kid Williams, the
former bantamweight title holder, whose
career was ended at the age of twenty
four the other night, when a shifty
youngster named Lynch punmelad him
into helplessness in Philadelphia ring.
sullivan was thirty-four when Corbett.
a clean-living boxer, eight years his
Junior, took the title away from him.
Notwithstanding his large earnings as
fighter Sullivan did not die a rich
man His years Of Indulgence in the
cup that cheers and the free-handed
liberality with which he entertained his
legion of friends precluded the amass-
ing of the fortune which might have
been his, but his striking personality |
and friendly Celtic nature won for him
a host of followers. Considering his |
mode of living and absolute disregard |
for any of the rules of training his :
sojourn of a decade on the crest of the |
heavyweight division of fighters was a |
remarkable demonstration Of the stami- |
ma of the man. Some twelve years ago
Sullivan came to a realization that his |
battle with old John Barleycorn could |
result only in defeat for him, however,
and from that time until his demise he |
was an earnest and active advocate of
temperance.
John L. Sullivan is gone. but his men,
ory will live long after many of those
who succeeded to his ring laurels have
been forgotten. He was fighter who
could and did fight. He was a real
champion.