The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-25
SPORTS
 LOCAI=BY WIRE
Miss. A. & M Game Cancelled
Corbett's Daily Letter
 On Great Sport Topics
By JAMES J. coRBETT

matched to fight John l.. Sullivan in that city the men who were going to stage the contest teamed up George Dixon with Jack Skelly and Jack McAuliffe with Billy Meyers, A purse of approximately $lo,00o was offered for each of these con tests.
 The New Orleans promoters put up a s25,0oo purse for which John l.. and my self contested in addition to this each of us posted s100o0 as a side bet. That made a total of s45,000 at s-ake-winner take all. My victory netted me s35.0o0, together with the return of the original s10,o00 which my friends had advanced to me to guarantee my appearance in the ring.
 When Bob Fitzsimmons beat Jih Hall in New Orleans the purse and the side bets totalled $4o,o0o The sum of s30.00o was at stake when I defeated Charlie Mitchell in Jacksonville, Fla, in 1884. Only sl0000 was offered for the great Fitz- simmons Maher fight in 1896. The bygone days of pugilism knew few performers who were greater drawing cards than Fitzsimmons and Tom Sharkey. Yet when those two fellows met in 1896 the purse they contested for was merely $10,oO0.
 Many persons have termed my figh' with Fitz ''the battle of the twentieth century, At the time it provoked more comment than does the Willard-Dempsey clash of this era Yet Bob and l agreed and gladly-to battle to a finish for a purse of $l5,0O0, a sum which was SIP, ,5ol short of that which Jack and Jess will SKash for in July.
 , During the height of Jim Jeffries career {, big purses came into existence. Pugilisn, | by that time had been lifted above bar 1 room sport. Many clubs were organized with good financial backing. The public | had become enthused over the fight game and gladly paid big prices for seats. That
 made it possible for the clubs to offer
 purses that exceeded anything of the | earlier years.
 1 The Jim Jeffries-Tom Sharkey fight | marked a new era in 'big money fights
 The receipts for that affair went beyond
 s66,0 ,000 and the two gladiators split s30,- | 900, which was the biggest purse ever do
 mated up to that time.
 | My first battle with Jim Jeffries ir
 San Francisco in 1903 drew a crowd that
 paid approximately s7o.OOo-perhaps the l biggest gate that pugilsm had re- corded up to that time. Jeff and I di- vided a goodly share of that money. 1 Tex Rickard became interested in pugil. ism as a promoter in 1904. He at once startled the fight world by guaranteeing
 Joe Cans and Battling Nelson $3i 900 fol a finish fight-the biggest purse ever of
 fered for a clash of lightweights. But | Rickard made money on that venture be
 cause the contest drew $4S,311. l Rickard and Jack Gleason, by jointly l guaranteeing $101, 900 for fight between
 Jim Jeffries and Jack Johnson in 19l,
 knocked the props from under all other purse records. They went even farther ! by giving a s10,000 bonus to each mar which made a grand total of $12l,000. l In 1916 Rickard established record fol
 no-decision bout by paying Jess Willard
 $47. 500 and Frank Moran s2750O for 10 round entertainment.
 1 And now coI.les Rickard with $127. 500
 a mark that probably will endure unti Rickard himself in his daring way, shat. 1 ters it.