James J Corbett - great boxer, but poor champion

[solidman]

I finished reading the book about him by Adam Pollack. He was by all accounts a very smart, scientific, talented boxer. However he was a very poor champion, avoiding all the top contenders until he finally fought Fitz in 1897. It is hard to know how great he was because he lost dedication when he became champion. The guy who fought Fitz was not the same guy who fought Peter Jackson and john L Sullivan. How do you guys rate Corbett?

[Dr Z]

Corbett foused much on theater at his peak, and should have been more involved in boxing. This is true, but he is underrated in the sense that he had 35 known matches ( Box Rec is wrong ) and fought eight men who were in the hall of fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_J._Corbett

[QueensburyRules]

I finished reading the book about him by Adam Pollack. He was by all accounts a very smart, scientific, talented boxer. However he was a very poor champion, avoiding all the top contenders until he finally fought Fitz in 1897. It is hard to know how great he was because he lost dedication when he became champion. The guy who fought Fitz was not the same guy who fought Peter Jackson and john L Sullivan. How do you guys rate Corbett?

- - Early Fistic Dandy and hysteric. Fitz well sorted him...

[Willie Pep 229]

- - Early Fistic Dandy and hysteric. Fitz well sorted him...

Nah! Fitzsimmons never 'sorted out' Corbett.

Corbett was beating Fitzsimmons into next week until Fitz caught him with his famous Fitzsimmons Shift (solar plexus) punch.

It took Corbett only 20 seconds to regain his breath, ten seconds too late.

Fitzsimmons was cut and his face battered. Corbett was unmarked. Corbett flew into a rage an attacked (tried to) Fitz after the fight.

Fitzsimmons was a 'one punch' champion. It's why he couldn't hold the title past one defense.

Fitz was a great fighter, one of the best but he didn't belong in the ring with the big boys and usually didn't do well when he was.

The first Zale-Graziano fight went the same way. Rocky brutalized and beat on Zale for five rounds until a Zale body shot put Rocky on his knees for the ten count.

When it was over, like Corbett, Graziano was unmarked and furious he had lost the fight. The winner Zale was beaten up.

Rocky (like Corbett) looked so un-hurt at the end of the fight that the NYSAC convinced itself that Garziano went into the tank for gang money. They suspended him in New York for a year.

Fitzsimmons was a one punch champion. That's probably why he ducked the rematch.

[QueensburyRules]

Nah! Fitzsimmons never 'sorted out' Corbett.

Corbett was beating Fitzsimmons into next week until Fitz caught him with his famous Fitzsimmons Shift (solar plexus) punch.

It took Corbett only 20 seconds to regain his breath, ten seconds too late.

Fitzsimmons was cut and his face battered. Corbett was unmarked. Corbett flew into a rage an attacked (tried to) Fitz after the fight.

Fitzsimmons was a 'one punch' champion. It's why he couldn't hold the title past one defense.

Fitz was a great fighter, one of the best but he didn't belong in the ring with the big boys and usually didn't do well when he was.

The first Zale-Graziano fight went the same way. Rocky brutalized and beat on Zale for five rounds until a Zale body shot put Rocky on his knees for the ten count.

When it was over, like Corbett, Graziano was unmarked and furious he had lost the fight. The winner Zale was beaten up.

Rocky (like Corbett) looked so un-hurt at the end of the fight that the NYSAC convinced itself that Garziano went into the tank for gang money. They suspended him in New York for a year.

Fitzsimmons was a one punch champion. That's probably why he ducked the rematch.

- - Well, Fitz was 3 yrs older with 75 fights whereas Corbett was younger, fresher with only 13 fights and still he got KOed. This after Corbett in that time of the month hysterically abandoned his belt that led to Fitz KOing Maher in Langtry, Tex for the vacant title. Before that he KOed Sharkey with the same body shot as he did Corbett to no credit by Wyatt Earp who was the ref.

After KOing the hysteric Corbett, he went straight into Jeff who also disposed of Corbett twice.

No rematch was ever needed nor desired by either party...