The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-09-24

When James Figg, the first heavyweight boxing champion, hung out his shingle in 1719, an- nouncing to all "the fancy" (the fans) of London that lessons in the manly art of fisticuffery could be practiced at his residence. he little realized that he was starting some- thing more than an exercise.
 Able Man
 F'igg was a swordsman, wrestler and all-around athlete, and 1t was his idea to entertain the young bloods by a game in which points were scored with the bare 2 knuckles.
 Fist fighting dated back to The agenes of ancient Greece who bat tered in the skulls of more than 140O opponents Ono setups, either). Figg and his protege, Jack Brough- ton, however, visioned finer and more sporting way of taking and inflicting punishment. They draft ed g. set of rules.
 The law frowned on Figg's pas time. Agitation by those who op- posed indiscriminate breaking of noses and scrambling of ears led to legislation. The sport became a hit and-run proposition, hidden from the eyes of the police.
 It met the same reception when James Burke, the English cham pion, brought the sport to America in 1885. Boxing in those days was a game to be indulged in only ill sylvan retreats, barn lofts and barges.
 But the manly art flourished. Glamorous figures sprung up to demonstrate their pugilistic abili- ties. Young men found 1t an ad- venturous career, and boxing be- came more widespread year by year.
 The names of such gladiators as Paddy Ryan, John l.. Sullivan. Jake Kilrain, Charley Mitchell, Jim Corbett, Joe Choynski, Tom Shar- key, Bob Fitzsimmons and a host of others became fireside topics.
 From a business standpoint box ing then was flop. It was neces- sary to hold the battles in secret, and only the men-about-town ani others who held the coin were mo- tified of the milling
 The reward that paid the fight ers' bar bills and kept them strut tinn about in bully boy regalia was not gathered from admission fees, but through side bets and lav- ish tips that the wealthier sports furnished when their boys came through to victory.
 yim Corbett. who lifted the crown from the gnarled head Of tho great John l.. at New Orleans wao pressed to raise the amount of his side bet. He begged and bor- rowed from friends in San Fran cisco and staked it all on his chances to turn back the Boston Strong Boy, a fighter believed to be unbeatable.
 Can you imagine the pained ex- pression that would come oyer the face of the present heavyweight incumbent, Jack Sharkey, if tt were suggested he should don the mittens without first having the guarantee of a fat purse?
 Hardships
 In the days of the Sullivan-Cor- bett bout, which was 40 years ago, aspiring boxers had to battle for nothing until they could find a fol- lowing large enough to back them against a strong contender. The SullivanCorbett bout, by the way, was the first by which a champion ship was decided under the Mar quis of Queensberry rules. which called for. the contestants to wear gloves
 Many of the old bully boys" scoffed at the gloves as effeminate.
 Despite police surveillance, box ing managed to survive and even to do fairly well until young gambler named Tex Rickard, who could sense a sucker with sugar a mile away, set up in business in the frenzied gold rush town of Goldfeld, Nev.
 Tex saw possibilities. And from the day that he saw them Fistiana knelt on the accelerator. =