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James J. Corbett, “Turning Point in Pugilism” Part 1
By: Monte Cox
Anyone can learn to lay a brick but it takes a master brick layer to turn a corner. James J. Corbett was a revolutionary boxing master who turned the corner in the sport of boxing from the rough and tumble days of the bare knuckle era into a modern sport of skill and finesse. “Gentleman” Jim was the first heavyweight boxer to win the championship of the world under Marquis of Queensbury rules. As a fighter Corbett was more than an innovator he was a rare boxing genius who was considered the greatest fighter of his time. After successfully defending his title against Charley Mitchell the Sept 10, 1894 National Police Gazette reported, “Corbett is still champion. He proves to be the greatest fighter of modern times.” Bob Burrill, author of Who’s Who in Boxing wrote “Corbett marked the turning point in ring history, replacing mauling sluggers with the new school of faster, scientific boxers.” Jim Corbett was a trailblazer who helped develop boxing into the sport of skill that we know today. There are three factors that made Corbett a great boxer and a revolutionary figure; his fleet footwork, the development of his left jab and hook and his understanding of ring psychology.
Before the arrival of Corbett onto the scene boxing was very much a sport that resembled no holds bared fighting more than it did modern boxing. “To be sure”, said Bob Fitzsimmons, who fought in both bare knuckle and gloved matches, “the rough and tumble boys were game.” But they were strangers to what he called “the leg qualities.” Corbett’s footwork was a revelation. His use of quick sidestepping, circling, maneuvering and defense demonstrated that one could hit without being hit in return.
Rex Lardner said of Corbett in The Legendary Champions, “No heavyweight ever approached him in the ability to ride with a punch (and so remove part of its sting); slip a punch; make his opponent lead before he was ready and then counter with piston like jabs; feint an opponent into committing a defensive maneuver and then attack the newly vulnerable area; or drift just out of reach of a punch a split second before it reached its intended target. No other heavyweight and few in the lighter weights ever approached his clever, gliding, instinctive footwork.”
Joe Donoghue, who had worked years earlier as Corbett’s trainer stated in Nat Fleischer’s book “Gentleman Jim” – The Story of James J. Corbett, “good left-hand performers were rather scarce, especially among the big fellows.” Donoghue recalled how the fighter had discovered that his left hand had less strength than his right. Corbett worked on his left in painstaking fashion shooting that hand into a cushion to improve his stamina and his accuracy and by practicing his technique in sparring sessions. In time Corbett would have a left jab unrivaled by anyone in the game.
Corbett is also credited with being the inventor of the left hook, one of the deadliest punches in boxing. According to legend it was during a match with his arch nemesis Joe Choynski that Corbett first used a hooking punch with his left hand. The two met on May 30, 1889 and the bout was broken up after four rounds by police but not before Jim suffered a broken right thumb. They met again a week later on June 5th this time fighting on a barge near Fairfax, Ca. where the bout could go on uninterrupted. They fought with 3 ounce gloves. In the third round Corbett using only his left hand broke two knuckles on that hand after landing a hard blow to the head. Now what was Corbett to do? Being a smart fighter and innovator Corbett began to arc his blows using the thumb side of his left hand so that his fore knuckle connected, saving his broken knuckles. At that moment he had invented the left hook. Incidentally Corbett won the bout on a 27th round knockout.
At the age of 59 Corbett sparred three rounds with heavyweight champion Gene Tunney. Grantland Rice, one of the great sportswriters of the era saw the exhibition and wrote, “Tunney was on the defensive. Corbett was brilliant. He still had bewildering speed! He mixed up his punches better than practically any fighter I’ve ever seen.”
Tunney who spoke often with Corbett said Jim could talk better about boxing than any other man that he had ever known. Corbett was always talking about defensive boxing. Tunney stated, The Saturday Evening Post Magazine February 10, 1940, “He told me he used to draw diagrams of defensive boxing problems, charting the position of feet and the movements of footwork. He'd diagram his position in a corner of the ring, and his opponent's position, and sketch the way he would feint and side-step, eluding a rush. It was something like a dancer charting foot positions of a new dance--always a defensive dance with Gentleman Jim.”
By: Monte Cox
Anyone can learn to lay a brick but it takes a master brick layer to turn a corner. James J. Corbett was a revolutionary boxing master who turned the corner in the sport of boxing from the rough and tumble days of the bare knuckle era into a modern sport of skill and finesse. “Gentleman” Jim was the first heavyweight boxer to win the championship of the world under Marquis of Queensbury rules. As a fighter Corbett was more than an innovator he was a rare boxing genius who was considered the greatest fighter of his time. After successfully defending his title against Charley Mitchell the Sept 10, 1894 National Police Gazette reported, “Corbett is still champion. He proves to be the greatest fighter of modern times.” Bob Burrill, author of Who’s Who in Boxing wrote “Corbett marked the turning point in ring history, replacing mauling sluggers with the new school of faster, scientific boxers.” Jim Corbett was a trailblazer who helped develop boxing into the sport of skill that we know today. There are three factors that made Corbett a great boxer and a revolutionary figure; his fleet footwork, the development of his left jab and hook and his understanding of ring psychology.
Before the arrival of Corbett onto the scene boxing was very much a sport that resembled no holds bared fighting more than it did modern boxing. “To be sure”, said Bob Fitzsimmons, who fought in both bare knuckle and gloved matches, “the rough and tumble boys were game.” But they were strangers to what he called “the leg qualities.” Corbett’s footwork was a revelation. His use of quick sidestepping, circling, maneuvering and defense demonstrated that one could hit without being hit in return.
Rex Lardner said of Corbett in The Legendary Champions, “No heavyweight ever approached him in the ability to ride with a punch (and so remove part of its sting); slip a punch; make his opponent lead before he was ready and then counter with piston like jabs; feint an opponent into committing a defensive maneuver and then attack the newly vulnerable area; or drift just out of reach of a punch a split second before it reached its intended target. No other heavyweight and few in the lighter weights ever approached his clever, gliding, instinctive footwork.”
Joe Donoghue, who had worked years earlier as Corbett’s trainer stated in Nat Fleischer’s book “Gentleman Jim” – The Story of James J. Corbett, “good left-hand performers were rather scarce, especially among the big fellows.” Donoghue recalled how the fighter had discovered that his left hand had less strength than his right. Corbett worked on his left in painstaking fashion shooting that hand into a cushion to improve his stamina and his accuracy and by practicing his technique in sparring sessions. In time Corbett would have a left jab unrivaled by anyone in the game.
Corbett is also credited with being the inventor of the left hook, one of the deadliest punches in boxing. According to legend it was during a match with his arch nemesis Joe Choynski that Corbett first used a hooking punch with his left hand. The two met on May 30, 1889 and the bout was broken up after four rounds by police but not before Jim suffered a broken right thumb. They met again a week later on June 5th this time fighting on a barge near Fairfax, Ca. where the bout could go on uninterrupted. They fought with 3 ounce gloves. In the third round Corbett using only his left hand broke two knuckles on that hand after landing a hard blow to the head. Now what was Corbett to do? Being a smart fighter and innovator Corbett began to arc his blows using the thumb side of his left hand so that his fore knuckle connected, saving his broken knuckles. At that moment he had invented the left hook. Incidentally Corbett won the bout on a 27th round knockout.
At the age of 59 Corbett sparred three rounds with heavyweight champion Gene Tunney. Grantland Rice, one of the great sportswriters of the era saw the exhibition and wrote, “Tunney was on the defensive. Corbett was brilliant. He still had bewildering speed! He mixed up his punches better than practically any fighter I’ve ever seen.”
Tunney who spoke often with Corbett said Jim could talk better about boxing than any other man that he had ever known. Corbett was always talking about defensive boxing. Tunney stated, The Saturday Evening Post Magazine February 10, 1940, “He told me he used to draw diagrams of defensive boxing problems, charting the position of feet and the movements of footwork. He'd diagram his position in a corner of the ring, and his opponent's position, and sketch the way he would feint and side-step, eluding a rush. It was something like a dancer charting foot positions of a new dance--always a defensive dance with Gentleman Jim.”
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