The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1921-04-08
BOB FITzSIhMONS
LAST GREAT BATTLE
Fought Jeffries With Same
Skill, But Strength
Lacking.

The concluding battles of Bob
Fitzsimmons brings us to his coupe
de grace He did not wear the cham
pionship crown long-from March,
1897 to June 1899. During that
time the records chronicle but little,
and that of no Importance. The
fact of the matter was that there
was no one to fight, he had practical
ly beaten them all.
But IL the search is sufficiently per-
sistent there is always some one to
be found. In this instance II was
James J. Jeffries. He was a physi-
cal giant; stood six feet, one and one
half inches, and fought at 230
pounds. There have been very few
men in the ring as large as Jeffries.
Jess willard, 1t is true, is four and
one-balf inches taller, but with this
immense difference in height there Is
their fighting weight, so If they
should meet in the ring, IT would be
questionable whether there would be
any advantage between the men.
Gossip among fighters is to the
effect that Jeffries was one OF the
hangers-on at the different training
camps of those days, and that Cor
bett was specially partial to the
big fellow because he could maui and
pummell him to his hearts content
without any apparent damage to the
big fellow, and Jeffries always con-
descended to, take these maulings
goodnaturdly. In other words, Cor
bett found him punching bag par
excellence.
Started Out in 1896.
Through innumberable punchings
Jeffries became fairly adapted to the
game, and he soon started on his own
initiative. He is credited with win
ming several contests of minor i'm
portance. in 1896, and in the follow
ing year he met and defeated sew
eral prominent fighters, among them
Gus Rubin and Joe Choynski, whom
he fought to draw in twenty rounds.
In 1898 he had remarkable rec
ord, beating Joe Goddard, Peter jack
son, Pete Everett, Tom Sharkley and
Bob Armstrong; These men were
certainly a quartette of top7notchers
and in winning from them he had ev-
cry right to challenge the champion.
They were matched to fight at Coney
Island June o, 1899.
There are tow distinctive class of
fighters, and both of them are figur-
ed among champions, real fighters
by these is meant superior at boxing
and the finer points of>the game
and those whom it is impossible to
knock out; possessing natural in
stincts to suffer without loss of con-
seriousness; a capacity for standing
punishment to a greater extent than
an adversary is capable Of giving.
Jeffries belonged to the latter class.
Weight In Jeffries' Favor.
Jeffries fought at 23O pounds; Fitz
at 1872. Jeff stood six feet one and
one-half inches; Fitz measured five
feet eleven and one-half inches. When
one considered the physical differ
ence of the two men, the wight,
strength and general magnitude, it
is certain that the only chance the
smaller man had was his ability, dex-
terity of arms and legs, in other
words the art of self-defense. There
was thirteen years difference in their
ages, and Fitz had arrivd at that
period of life when the allotted span
of the athlete has passed. He was
at least 81 years of age; Jeffries "a.
The thought is uppermost, however,
that If this physical giant could have
met Fitzsimmons at the time he
fought DeniSey and Peter Maher,
Fitz would have had little difficulty
in defeating him.
A few years makes vast differ
ence in the essentials necessary to
the fighting game. The agility and
the power to stand punishment is not
there and as it is safe to say that he
was but a small part of the Fitzsim-
mons of earlier days.
Another obstacle against perfect
condition was that he had forsaken
the smithyt for the glare of the foot
lights and the applause Of the audi
ence, for he was a popular favorite
at this time. He missed the rugged
exercise of the blacksmith. and his
habits were not conducive to strength
and stamina, and this was against
him.
Strength was Lacking.
And so he went down to defeat.
But the account he gave of himself
will not be forgotten BY Jeffries so