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Show FITZ IS TRULY A VETEHAH FIGHTER Oldest Man Who Has Eve-Taken Eve-Taken Part in King Contest Con-test in America. Tribune Special Sporting Service. JL' SAN FRANCISCO. Jan. e.-Fllzslmmoru" Is the oldest man who has ever taken f -m part In a ring contest In this country. He was born May 23, 1S63, and 13 over AZ j ears old Jem Macs wis about 41 when he met Joe Coburn for the heavyweight championship cham-pionship at Bay St. Loulo, while Joe Gojs was 40 when he lost th? championship toy Paddy Ryan. A fighter Is supposed to b , . at his best between the ages of 2j and 20. ' Was Champion at Twenty-Three. John L Sullivan held the championship from 23 to 34. .ind Jim Corbett from 26 to 30. Fitzslmmons was middle-weight champion cham-pion at 23, heavyweight champion from S3 i to 37 and llht-heavy weight champion at 41 Joe Gans won the lightweight , championship when he wan 25. Terry Mc-' Mc-' Govern was bantam champion at the age ! of 20 and won the feather-weight title i when he was a year older, only to lose It 1 at 22 Has Quit the Pang. James J. Jeffries was in the city this l week He said emphatically that he has ; quit the lighting game, i "Is there any chance that 1 will fight aM ' O'Brien'' Not a chance Not one I'll t spell It out for you If you think you don't understand It. and I'm willing to set It to I rnuslc and sing It, whistle It. draw a dla-I dla-I gram of It any old thing, so long as you i understand and make It plain that I do ' not intend to light again Yes. that's the i answer. I've retired and I mean it Hard to Let Go of Title. ! "It wasn t a v.-ry 'u?y thing to win a world's championship but I'm finding !t I harder to let go "f it than it ever was for me to get it in the first place The fight promoters ind the sporting writers will not let me alone on this proposition. I have never lied to them In my life, and : when T mad,- up my mind to retire I told . them so and I didn't hold anything back. ' 1 simply stepped out that was all. Knows H1 Business. "I do net Intend to let anybody Influence J me In thi.s manner. I know my own busl-r.S8 busl-r.S8 best, and I am on the level when I say 1 will not fight O'Brien or any other man. I am done with the game. D-O-N-E. Do you understand that? Well, write It in your old brown hat, for It goes, and you can unbelt on it ' |