Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-02-14
JOHN L. SULLIVAN WAS THE LAST CHAMP
OF THE WORLD WITH THE RAW UNS"-IT
WAS HE WHO INTRODUCED GLOVE BOXING

John l.. Sullivan was the last cham
pion of the world with the raw uns."
The last championship fight was be-
| tween John l.. Sullivan and Jake Kill
rain, at Richburg. Miss. in July. 1889.
1t was held under London prize ring
rules. The first champion Of England
was James Figg, in 1719. He was vir-
tually champion Of the world, as there
was no boxing worth recording at that
f! time in any other country.
1t was John L. Sullivan who intro
duced the use Of padded gloves in a
heavyweight championship bout, I'M
der Queensbury rules, and as he lost
he resigned also the title he held I'M
der London prize ring rules. AT any
rate, he didn't care to fight again, and
so there never has been another bare
| fist champion.
Civilization has been making slow
strides in ring affairs. The ancient
Greeks held boxing to be their great
est sport. Championship boxing con-
tests were held every four years in the
stadium at Olympus, and the fights
were to a finish, not with gloves or
bare knuckles. but with the cestus,
which was really a deadly weapon.
The cestus covered the wrists and
hands. 1t was usually made of hard
brass rawhide, with strips Of lead or
brass studs covering the knuckles. As
properly landed blow usually ended
the fight and might kill the recipient
or smash his jaw, boxers were COM
PEELED to use a great deal Of swiftness
and skill. There was no boring in
head down, and swinging both hands
Sometimes the contestants fenced and
tented and avoided blows for hours
before a decisive blow was struck
There is an ancient record Of cham
pionship fight that lasted whole aft
ernoon and ended when one contest
ant struck body blow with his fingers
extended. The fingers were protect
ed by bronze shields-which pene-
trated his opponents abdomen and
killed him. The blow was adjudged
"fou" and the survivor banished from
Greece. 1t took something to make &
foul in those days, but the punishment
was in proportion to the offense.
Greek boxers stood with right foo
and right hand extended, their theor,
being that this gave better protection
to the heart A blow over the hear
with cestus-encased hand was NJ
joke.
1. Boxing died out when the Roman!
conquered and held Greece. 1t wa:
revived many centuries later in Eng
land, where James Figg first made i
a recognized sport. There had beer
boxing before Figg's time, but withou
rules to govern. During the next hun
dred years England had score o
, good boxing champions. Ireland fur
, nished many of them. Under the Eng
! lish rules wrestling and throwing ant
, falling on an opponent were legiti
! mate, each throw or knockdown end
, ing round. Fights were always tt
, finish
, John L. Sullivan's many early rins
| battles, fought under all manner 0
7 difficulties, were of about the sam
sort as the old-time English fights.
When the padded glove came in box
ing became much gentler sport. l
is difficult to compare exactly the mel
r of John l.. Sullivan's time and the mel
e who have fought for the heavyweight
! title in more recent years. BOxinI
D with five-ounce gloves is a strenuou
4 sport, but there are few long fights
and boxers have not had to make tn
study Of generalship that was needle,
in finish fights.
< Sullivan, Of course, never develope,
much strategy, for until he passed hi
4 prime he never found a man who coul
$ stand up to him. His method was
sudden rush and a furry of blows an
make the other man drop.
But there were many very skillfu
men, even when Sullivan was king O
: the heavyweights. Bob Fitzsimmon
i came in before Sullivan went out an
: tried hard to induce Sullivan to figh
: him. Sullivan refused on the grou1
q that challenge from a middleweigh
!, was a joke. Perhaps that wasn't ex
y actly John LIS private opinion.
= Peter Jackson was wonderful
G clever and hard hitter Peter WASH
: an Australian He was born in 81
Y Croix, West Indies, July s, 1861. H
s went to Australia when boy and be
t gan boxing there, winning a lot o
1 fights with knockouts. He came t
D America in 1883. He beat George God
). frey and Joe McAuliffe in 10 and 2
I rounds. He beat lot of other heavy
n weights, sailed to England, beat Jer
: Smith, champion of England, in tw
| rounds, returned to America and wen
on to Australia after stopping Denve
Ed Smith in five rounds. 1t was whel
he returned to America again tina
). Jackson fought Corbett 81 rounds
, Jackson had bad ankle, so that h
stood on one spot and turned to fac
Y Corbett, who danced around him. TIL
= bout was declared mo contest" whe,
/ no more blows were struck. Iacksn