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Show BE ACCURATE SAYS FITZ Ruby Rob Talks of How to Fight. Distance of Blow Doesn't Count So Much as Certainty Cer-tainty of Delivery. Veteran Describes How Ho Handod Sleep to Victims in Various Battles. "Bob" Fltzslmmons, one-time champion cham-pion of tho world, and reputed to be the most effective puncher now before the public, declares that he never really re-ally hit any pugilist with all his force. The man who sent Jack Dempsoy to defeat at New Orleans, and thus shattered shat-tered the American triumvir of pugilists pugi-lists composed of Sujllvan, Dempscy and McAullffe, recently gave an Interesting Inter-esting lllustrntlon of the various blows with which he put out his opponents. FitzBlmmons declares that It Is not the distance of the b'low that counts so much as the accuracy with which It Is landed. "Many times," said Bob. "I haVe had to laugh to hear the expressions of surprise sur-prise from fight followers when I slammed In a clout on an opponent's hend that sounded like tho report of a cannon. Well, I knew that the blow did little damage, but to hear the 'ouches' that rippled through the audience audi-ence one would think that I had shattered shat-tered a couple of bones. "Then, again, I have sent over knockout punches at a distance of n few Inches, and when my opponent rolled over on the canvas the audience seemed spellbound. How He Hit Maher. "Take my fight with Peter Maher at Langtry, Tex. The blow which put Peter right out of the running was a short, sharp right-hand cross to the Jaw. Peter had just missed me with his right hand and had his left arm under my right, so that I could not get at him with a full swing. "I shifted the position of my left hand, and Peter, thinking I was going to nttack with that member, dropped his guard against my right hand. "I had a few Inches of free space, not more than four, and I let go a crossover cross-over Jolt that almost tore his head from his shoulders. It was one of the most powerful blows I ever landed. Maher went down a.i though he had been hit with a sledgehammer, and he stayed down until some one dragged him from the ring. "The blow raised a lump on his Jaw bigger than a hen's egg. Very few of those present knew the real power of that blow, but Maher realized Its force. "I might say that I won that battle by one of the shortest knockouts ever delivered In a heavy-weight contest, the fight going less than a round, yet my right hand was not more than four Inches from Peter's 3aw when I started start-ed the punch. That chop was a beauty, and no mistake about it. Solar Plexus Punch. "My fight with Corbett Illustrates the terrible effect of the solar plexus blow. Up to the time I landed that punch Gorbett was pretty spry. I was confident that I had him licked from the first round and knew that once I got home the 'bread winner' It would be all off with Mr. Corbett. "My opportunity came In the fourteenth four-teenth round. We had not been fighting fight-ing very long when Corbett fell under the spell of my shift. His stomach was unprotected and I Bhot my left arm into the pit of his stomnch. I will never forget the expression on his face as his glove mechanically twitched at the spot on which I landed. "His face turned ashen white, hln eyes seemed to protrude from thcu sockets, and fils limbs soemod paralyzed. para-lyzed. I knew he would not come back after that punch and I walked back to my corner. "The blow was a pretty hard one, but was not backed up by all my strength. I had Intended the solar plexus to bring his Jaw within range of my right, but the proceedings was unnecessary, un-necessary, as that solar plexus made me even with Corbett for the Insults ho heaped on me." Fltzslmmons can strike a blow from any position that carries with It the force of a mule's kick. Fitz a Peculiar Fighter. Bob is a peculiar fighter and no real line on his most effective style has ever been gained. Fltzslmmons always hod more knockout blows filed away for future reference than all the others In the heavy-weight division possessed between them, and he always kept an opponent guessing as to where the next crack was coming from According to Fltzslmmons ho has been before the public for twenty-five years as a pugilist. His first appearance appear-ance was In a ring at Tlmaru, New Zealand, In 1SS0. Fltzslmmons'3 first fight of Importance Impor-tance In this country was against Jack Dempsey, whom he defeated for tho championship at New Orleans In 1891, In thirteen rounds. After Fltz licked Dempsey he was In great demand as an attraction. His next fight of note was with Peter Maher, Ma-her, and he licked the Irishman In twelve rounds, after Maher has piac-tlcally piac-tlcally knocked him out In the second round. But the saffron In Maher showed that night, and has been conspicuous con-spicuous ever since. Maher disposed of, Fltzslmmons sought now opponents, and his next antagonist proved to be Joe Choynskl. The latter was then at his best and he gave to Fltzslmmons one of tho most terrific fights In his ring career. One of Joe's stinging rights landed on the lanky one's neck, and It looked as though Fltz was done for, but he surprised sur-prised the crowd by getting up and sailing Into Choynskl. |