Evening star., 1933-02-21
THE SPORTLICHT
BY GRANTLAND RICE

ping pubic. Ten years after his de.
feat he blocked traffic In two Of Amer.
icas leading cities.
When he fell before young, lean anc
1.-the Jim Corbett there we're thousand.
who refused to believe that the impos-
sible had happened.
They had forgotten that Corbett hac
whipped the hard-hitting Choynski-
that he had travelled 81 rounds with
the great Peter jackson.
They had forgotten that Sullivan
had been hard drinker for years
that Corbett was in marvellous condi.
tion-that Corbett had speed, science
and youth on his side.
The Heavy Odds.
EVEN the great majority of the ex.
- perts thought Corbett a set-up
Only Harry Weldon of the ole
Cincinnati Enquirer picked the yount
Californian from start to finish-ant
from that point on his reputation wa.
made
George AIDE covered that fight 70,
his Chicago paper, and only short
while ago he told me some OF the un-
usual details concerning the odds.
&C" 0dyo DC1O1C tIl6 AQe
said, Bill Brady asked me to come
over to Corbetts training quarters
Bill was handling Corbett and the odds
then were to on Sullivan, with
almost no Corbett money around.
Il can't make Nbs fellow out,
"'Tn what way?' I asked" the ia.
nous Indiana author Continued.
well, Brady said, Either Corbett
is crazy or every one else Is He wants
me to bet every nickel we have on him
to win. He doesn't even think it's q
gamble, but a sure thing
II called on Corbett," George Ade
went on, "and when mentioned the
fight he began to laugh.
I'm laughing about those Odds
Ivan and they ought to be 10 to /
on meat least 10 to /. I'll tell you
something, Mr.. Ade. That fellow
couldn't hit me in a year. I'll take
my time, but I don't think he'll win q
round
When I left Corbett," George Ade
said, Il didn't know whether I was
crazy or Corbett was Few can realize
the 1892 magic Of Sullivan's fame and
neme-hiS dominating personality
his look of destruction. I was thor
oughly convinced by Corbetts evident
sincerity-until I saw and talked with
Sullivan again."
Corbett's Angle.
"77HATS the way it was" Jim Cor
l. bett said, when I gave him
George AIDES angle. "Forty-one
years ago Is a long, long time, but I
still can remember most Of the details
of that fight.
John L. was aggressive from the
start. But he was too slow. He kept
swinging at me, trying to murder me
with one punch-but he couldn't land.
"One funny thing about that fight
was that didn't even hit at Sullivan
until the third round. Most Of the
crowd thought I was running away.
But I merely wanted to see what he
had. how he worked
Il finally decided to start sbmething
in the third. I first broke his nose
with a left hand and then I slueged
him across the ring. That was the
first ttp-off to the crowd that a real
fight was on-that those 5 to / odds
were not as safe as they had looked
to be.
"1ll say this for old John L.. he re-
NAMED aggressive and determined TO
The final round. He never quit trying.
He gave everything he had. and any one
II those punches might have closed
put the show, if any one had ever
anded squarely.
I've heard it said" Jim continued.
that Sullivan fell from exhaustion
hat I never knocked him out. I'll tell
'ou about that. In the twenty first
''ound l saw he was firing. I finally
ound an opening. feinted with my left,
mo let him have a right to the Jaw
With everything had.
i saw he was badly Jared, SO I let
70 with another right and left to the
lead. I followed this with a right to
he jaw, which carried everything I !
lad left-and he fell to the floor.
There were five hard punches to |
he jaw In all, and the fifth punch |
old the story-and II that isn't knock
ng pan out don't know the answer. |
md irf those days was young, strong
md could hit lot harder than any
ne believes today.
There was no quitting in John L. |
Sullivan. If he could have gotten up
le woald have come at me- even know
ng I had gun in one hand and O
.nife in the other. He was that breed.
3ut those five punches In the twenty.
irst round had done the work. He
lad to be carried to his corner"
(NextS The Fitzsimmons fght.)
Copyright. 1888. by North American News
paper Alliance, Inc.) !