| Show OF PETER JACKSON Will He Have a Fight with John L Sullivan V THE NEGRO AS A PRIZE FIGHTER Jackson Wouldnt Be in I if Sullivan Was Fit Is the Opinion of Most of the Sporting MenThe Men-The latest news in heavyweight prizefighting circles the talk about the fighting crcle o prospec ivo meeting between Peter Jackson and John L Sullivan The latter is too well known to need any comment in this article nit the former is of peculiar interest both because of his color and his physical attain I neuts Jackson is probably the only pugil ist excepting perhaps Slavin the Austra ian who could furnish meat dignified with uflicient skill and muscle to be hammered on the Sullivan chopping block It is very likely that these two giants will face each other in a roped inclosure although not within six mouths The reasons why a match will b made nro chiefly financial ones Offers of sums ranging from S 10000 to 35000 have come from interested parties in New Orleans and California in order to bring off the fight in either oC those localities As afar rc now with Sullivan a victory over Jackson would mean tho filling of A de leted pocketboolc His share out of the Kil rainSmlivan dispute at Richburg amounted to less than 03 This sum has been expended ex-pended in riotous living Plans had been perfected by Jack Barnett to form coin pan with the big fellow as the central fig ure tout the fascinations of Boston held him witit Too closea grip and this scheme was g1p swme Abandoned After Jacksons defeat of Jem Smith when Sullivan was informed that the California Athletic club had offered a purse of 10000 for him and Jackson to battle for the champion said that such tvsum was too small With that air of easy assurance I nowiiver lor > w men helms always been noted iieaiid he was willing to meet he black provided pro-vided the ante of the black was raised SoOOO and the winner got all the money When this news was conveyed to Jackson he said ho was willing to fight a limited number of rounds The implication was that he was afraid to meet the Bostonian to u finish The latest offer comes from the Pacheco Cal Athletic club Contrast this kings ransom with the 300 prizes for which sUn some of the greatest fistic battles in the history his-tory lof > ipugilisin have been fought 447 y PETER JACKSON IThe consensus of opinion among the most well informed sporting men in New York seems to be thatJackson in the language of She ring wouldnt be in it if Sullivan was 1it These are the sentiments of Charles Calvin E F llallahan Arthur T Lumley Billy Edwards and W E Harding It is thought by some of these gentlemen that Jackson is not a London prize ring fighter All of his battles have ben fought according t ilarquis tQueensberry rules and a a rule with gloves Ho is regarded to belike be-like nearly all the other negro pugilists lacking lack-ing iin heart which is only a synonym for courage On account of his phenomena length of reachhis fingers touching his knees when ho stands erect he ha been able t keepsilliof antagonists so far at arms length Butshould he get up against a mat who isabloto break down his guard and get a few pile driving blows in on his stomach it is thought that Mr Jackson would fall forcibly into the pugilistic soup The truth of these sentiments however is yet to be demonstrated It certainly would surprise the sporting world if the greatest fighter of modem times should be overthrown by a negro The talk of pitting the American against the African suggests talk of the negro prizefighters fighters who have attained to emineucj in the history of fisticuffs In the whole range of fighting with the fists there were only I three negroes who can be truly said to have been worthy of classification with the king of the turf These were Thomas Molineux Robert Smith and Bob Travers whose real name was Charles Jones All of these were American who on account of naturally roving rov-ing dispositions turned up in England Th first to make a marked impression upon thE bodies of contemporaneous bruisers was ilo lineur He was a heavyweight of herculean build and pronounced ugliness I is said of him that his body was a marvel of physical perfection and that his bust was a pet mode for statuary His battles extended over a period of ten years including 1SOS and ISIS His most notable fights were with Tom Cribb then champion of England The opinion has often been expressed thaI Molineux would have won the first of these two battles were it not for the fact that when Cribb was in an exhausted condition the figh was stopped to give some one an opportunity t bet a 5 note on the result Molineuxl last battle was fought with George Cooper at Galway Ireland when he was defeated and retie from the ring He fought eight not ble battles winning he In the latter years of his life he strolled about England teaching boxing In these expeditious he attracted a food deal of attention on account of the extravagance ex-travagance of his dress It was his habit t drive into a country town with a chaise and four horses attracting universal attention His immorality and love of Jiquor rapidly robbed him of his strengthand for a longtime long-time previous to his death ho was a walking skeleton There was a scarcity of prominent negro pugilists from tho time of Molineus death until tho year 1853 when Bob Smith a mid die weight rose above the pugilistic horizon He was born in Washington D C He met men of the mettle of George Crockett BiU Hayes Bos Tyler Bob Brettle Jem Mace Hcrry and TomAllen The latter ho defeated defeat-ed R bile fighting with bare feet Ahiut eight years previous to the time o Smiths popularity Bob Travers u Charles Jones He weighed about 13 pounds attracted a good dear oT attention in Eng land on account of his skill and fought some twenty battles He was defeated several tie notably by Jem Mace It i admitted by prize ring historians that Travers rig hitorian Trvers might have won tho championship of the world but he lacked heart Travers i ktilllivin in England at an advanced age In the opinion opin-ion of some good authorities he was the bet negro soiL pugilist who ever fought on English soiLThe The last and the one who promises t rankin rank-in history with the immortal Molineux is Peter Jackson He i a native of the West Indies and was born in 1861 I fighting trim bfl weiebs about 200jximtls th we abut 2 poumlE He stood J G feet l3unches Ho ISP 4 machinist Dy fraae and did his first fighting in Sydney N S W during the early part of 18S2 He knocked Jack Hayes senseless in eight rounds He was defeated by Billy Farnum of Melbourne He whipped Tom Lees in thirty rounds for 2000 and the championship champion-ship of Australia The battles which brought him prominently to notice on this continent were with Joe McAulifTe Patsey Cardiff and George Godfrey a of whom he easily disposed ERNEST JARROLD posed of ERlST ARROLD I |
