IN THE DAYS OF REAL FIGHTING -part 4 by Rob Snell

[Mofo2]

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

4 October 1915

IN THE DAYS OF REAL FIGHTING

Part 4

Fitzsimmons Didn’t Get Cent When

He Defeated Jim Corbett For Title

Winner of One of Greatest Ring Battles Became Partner of

Promoter and Was Compelled to Contribute His

$15,000 Purse to General Expenses and Losses of Fight

Conducted by Dan Stuart in 1897.

How one of the world's greatest championship battles was fought for nothing.

The fight between Bob Fitzsimmons and Jim Corbett for the heavyweight championship of the world was worked up for years. There was deadly rivalry between the two. Fitzsimmons had repeatedly challenged John L Sullivan ( whom he could undoubtedly have beaten in a few rounds then ) and Corbett was the lucky one to get the Sullivan match. Fitzsimmons, disappointed in the Sullivan matter, camped right on Corbett’s trail and annoyed Corbett exceedingly with challenges.

Worse than that for Corbett's peace of mind, press and public began to wonder if Fitzsimmons wasn't Corbett's master in the ring.

They met once in Green's hotel, Philadelphia and Fitzsimmons asked Corbett publicly for a match. Corbett expectorated in Fitzsimmons eye (fighters' manners being somewhat crude in that day), but that didn't prove anything. The upshot of it all was that Corbett was driven by public opinion into making a match with Fitzsimmons to defend the heavyweight title.

He didn't want to do it, but he had to. And once matched he became filled with an overwhelming desire to beat Fitzsimmons to a pulp and prove that Jim Corbett's equal didn’t exist on earth.

Probably no man ever trained harder for a fight than Corbett trained for Fitzsimmons. The fight was held at Carson City, Nevada March 17, 1897. As a cub sporting writer I joined Corbett’s camp a little over a month before the fight and for four weeks sparred with him daily and took long jogs on the road.

In all the camp Jeffries was the only man who would stick to Corbett in his daily runs. The champion was never satisfied that he’d done enough work. He was at it from morning to night, handball, boxing,rope skipping, shadow boxing, bag punching, running, walking. He even went for a long run the day before the fight, and for a walk the morning of the fight, which was fought at noon.

Men Agreed That Winner Take the Entire Purse.

Over on the other side of Carson City, a few miles away, Fitzsimmons worked nearly as hard as Corbett. There was a difference. Fitzsimmons wasn't driven on by doubt and anxiety. He was full of practical jokes, good natured, - pleased with, everything,and quite .satisfied with his condition

and confident that he'd win. '"'The' Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight attracted more attention than any other since Corbett and Sullivan met at New Orleans. People came from all over the world to see it. Carson City swarmed with the best known sporting men of the continent.

And the purse offered by promoter Dan Stuart was just exactly $15,000, winner take all.

Compare that with the $33,700 paid McFarland and Gibbons for a neat ten-round exhibition, and have a good laugh at modern boxing and everything that goes with it.

For the '$15,000 purse Corbett and Fitzsimmons were to fight to a finish; not even a forty-five round fight, but a fight that could end only when one or the other was unable to continue. It was for the most important world's championship – and the purse for both men was $15,000. Things have changed!

To go just a little farther I might as well say that the Corbett-Fitzsimmons match was fought for nothing, which is literally true. Corbett, as loser, didn't get any money and was out of pocket on training and other expenses, to say nothing of the money value of the title he lost that day.

And Fitzsimmons, winner of the fight, didn't get a dollar of the $15,000 purse.

The reason for this is little known. Dan Stuart, the promoter, came to Fitzsimmons a short time before the fight and offered to take Fitzsimmons into partnership. Fitz accepted. The gate money was all eaten up by the building of a large arena, advertising and other expenses. In fact it was more than eaten up, according to Fitzsimmons for being a "partner" he was compelled to contribute his $15,000 purse to the general cause of promotion, and he never saw a dollar of it.

The biggest fight in many years was fought for nothing!

During the first few rounds Corbett jabbed Fitzsimmons almost as he pleased. He cut Bob’s lips and made them bleed. A large part of the trouble was Mrs. Fitzsimmons , who sat immediately in front of me. She jumped up every few seconds and .shrieked advice to her fighting husband, and whenever he heard her voice he looked around, and whenever he looked around Corbett stepped in and nailed him.

After a few rounds it began to look bad for Bob. He wasn't landing his heavy hooks and swings. He was bleeding, a little dazed, grimly patient, and still turning his head to listen to Mrs. Fitz and nod encouragingly to her while she shrieked to Corbett: "You can't lick my Bob." Corbett smiled at her in an aggravating way over Fitz's shoulder, which drove her to greater endeavours, and Fitz still turned his head, and Corbett nailed him.

In the sixth round Fitzsimmons who had been jabbed until he was dizzy and who was choking with the blood that ran down his throat from cut lips and nostrils, dropped to his knees. Corbett was jubilant . Referee Siler held him off and counted nine. Having cleared his throat and rested a little Fitzsimmons got up. But then the bell rang and Fitz reeled to his corner so picturesquely that his own seconds thought he was whipped.

In the beginning of the seventh Fitzsimmons leaped from his chair and ran across the ring, almost catching Corbett in his own corner. He had been stalling. And from that moment the fight changed its character entirely. Corbett, pale and grim and trying his best, for he had plenty of courage, fought like a champion who knows he’s beaten, but who intends to “die gameâ€.

Fitzsimmons rushed him constantly. In the 14th Corbett, backing away, was trying to hold Fitz off with jabs. He jabbed, Fitz let the glove slide over his shoulder, shifted his right foot forward, and hooked his left into Corbett’s middle. As Corbett fell forward Fitz clipped him on the jaw with the same left hand, bringing it up, and whirled around to nail him with the right. But he held back the last blow. It wasn’t needed. Corbett was counted out.