The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-05-18
KILBANE SAYS BIG FIGHT MAY
BE WON OR LOST BY SECONDS
Outcome May Depend Largely
on Work Done by the Men
in the Corners.
BY JOHNNY KiLBANE,
Featherweight Champion.

Outcome of the Carpenter
fight may depend largely on the work
done by the men in the corners of the
two fighters.
Many a fight has been lost by poor
seconds. For an example you need go
no farther back than the last real
eavy-weight championship fight-the
Dempsey Willard bout. Had the men
in Wizards corner given him the
proper kind of handling Big Jess could
have come back after that disastrous
third round, the fight would have been
prolonged and might have gone the
limit.
Fifteen years of fighting has given
me a good idea of what seconds
should and should not do in order that
fighter may get the most benefit
from their help.
They must remember that when a
fighter comes to his corner he wants
perfect relaxation. Seconds shouldn't
touch his body. Try rubbing your own
stomach or kneading your own legs
and see how taut you unconsciously
set your muscles. 1t prevents relaxa-
lion.
Plain Water Best.
I never allow oranges or lemons or
sugar in my corner. These form an
acid in the mouth with the result that
before the next round is fairly start
ed. my throat IS dry and burning from
thirst. Plain water and a sponge and
spirits Of ammonia are the only ere
vivers' my seconds can use.
A fighter should never have more
than three men in his corner-and one
of these should stay outside to hand
up articles as needed. One man in
side TO hold out the draw string on
the tights to five fighter free breath
ing room and TO swing a towel, and
another to stand at the side of a fight
er's chair and talk with him about the
next round plans are all a man needs.
The towel should be swung high so
the air hits the head, where it is
needed.
10 Seconds Leeway.
Seconds should get out of the ring
ten seconds before the bell. This not
only gives the audience q better chance
to see the fight but it gives the fighter
a chance to get set. If he has to leap
out from behind a towel to meet his
opponent, he's In a daze and it takes
several seconds to get his bearings.
The damage that poor seconds can
do was shown in one of my fights with
Matt Brock. In the first round l upset
Brock with a left to the jaw and he
dropped. The men IN his corner tossed
In q towel, but 1t fell behind the ref
cree, who was busy counting and
didn't see il. Brock rose at the count
of seven, and his seconds, seeing that
he was unhurt, jerked the towel back.
Had the referee seen it, Brock, al
though in good fighting shape, would
have had a knockout against him in
the records.
X. o. BY Champagne.
Another example, almost as absurd,
occurred on the coast where Jimmy
Johnston was in the corner of one of
his boys who was having his hands
full with tough opponent. When he
came to his corner between rounds, ex-
hausted. Johnston poured bottle of
champagne over the top of his head.
In the next round his boy was knocked
out. Of course.
When knockdown occurs, seconds
often try to give advice from the cor
ner to the fallen boxer. stay down."
they yell, seeking to have their man
take as much rest as possible. And
the dazed fighter obeys. instead of fol-
lowing his own inclination to climb
back on his feet. And being dazed, he
often Is counted out before he knows
what has happened, although he really
had lot of fight left in him. Only the
other night, at show in Cleveland. a
promising boxer was ''knocked out" in
this way and that case is only one of
many.
Dempsey and the Frenchman must
pick their seconds with care-must
get boys who know the game and know
1t well. If they don't they'll go into
the ring woefully handicapped.
Copyright 1921 N. Z. Az