John L Sullivan vs Frank Slavin, why it didn't happen

This potential fight has caused some controversy on this forum, so I think it merits some in depth analysis.

First to set the context:

Sullivan was prosecuted after the Killrain fight for Making a Prize Fight, and he was tied up by the courts until 24 June 1900. He also tried to gain nomination as a Democratic Senator in the second half of 1899.

Around this time Frank Slavin was coming to the medias attention, because he beat Joe McAuliffe and Tom Lees more convincingly than Peter Jackson. After Peter Jackson's draw against Joe Goddard in October of 1890, many people started to see Slavin as the more qualified challenger.

On November 3 1899 Jim Corbett wrote a letter challenging Slavin:

"A few weeks ago I read in the daily papers a telegram, in which you speak very disparagingly of John L Sullivan. Mr Sullivan has proved himself the greatest fighter that ever stepped within a ring, and you certainly presume considerably when you attempt to criticize his achievements. And after expressing yourself quite freely regarding him, your insinuations are directed towards American fighters in general. Now my dear sir, there is one American who has not accomplished one half as much as Mr Sullivan, but who deems it a pleasure to accord you a meeting."

On November the 22 of that year, John L Sullivan got drunk, and fell out of a hotel window.

In Late December the National Police Gazette presented Slavin with their belt, and recognized him as the Champion of the World.

On December 24 Sullivan made the following statements:

"I have retired from the prize ring for the present. Whatever fighting I may do hereafter will be as a sort of recreation. My business is acting."

"Whether I meet Slavin or not, no man will ever dare accuse me of cowardice. If our business turns out to be as good as it has thus far, my bit for this season will amount to 25 000 dollars, an its a whole lot better to make money this way than to get it as I did in Mississippi. I had to spend all the money I made out of the Killrain fight in getting myself free."

One newspaper said that Sullivan rose at noon, had champagne with breakfast, and made $2500 a week.

 

Part 2

 

On January 18 1891 Sullivan met his eventual conqueror Jim Corbett for the first time. Corbett made the following observation:

"I always had an idea that Sullivan was the most maligned man in public life, and now I believe it. Sullivan is champion of the world, and an American likewise. His record ought to protect him from the attacks of such men as Slavin. If that fellow wants to fight, why don't he fight me: Im nearer his class than Sullivan is. I posted $1000 with a challenge to him, yet he did not accept it. I am convinced that Slavin is a blatant blowhard, who would rather talk than fight and who takes advantage of Sullivan's engagements to get in his licks."

On February 12 Sullivan said the following:

"I am making plenty of money now, and making it without much effort too. I would be a fool if I gave up my present position to go into training to fight for a small purse."

The following is from the Sun of April 28:

"On April the 27th 1891 in St Louis, Australian heavyweight Frank Slavin, who had recently arrived in the US, asked Sullivan whether he would consider a match. Sullivan said that he had a contract for another year to appear on the stage, and therefore no longer was in the ring. More and more it was looking as if Sullivan had bid goodbye to the ring forever, or for the very least yet another year."

On June 03 The Referee announced that Sullivan had retired, and that:

"The next battle will decide the championship. It lies between Slavin Jackson and Corbett."

The San Francisco Chronicle of June 22:

"It was said among boxers that Sullivan's fighting days are considered over. It is not believed that he will ever again enter the ring for championship honors."

On June 24 Sullivan sparred an exhibition with Corbett. He said that Corbett should succeed him as champion, but that he would be willing to fight Slavin after he returned from his tour of Australia. Ironically Slavin seems to have been in the USA during Sullivan's Australian tour.

 

On March 05 1892 Sullivan issued a public challenge:

It started with:

"To the public in general and Frank P Slavin, Charles Mitchell and James Corbett in particular-"

And finished with:

"I give precedence in this challenge to Frank P Slavin, of Australia, as he and his backers have done the greatest amount of blowing. My second preference is the bombastic sprinter, Charles Mitchell, of England, who I would rather whip than any man in the world. My third preference is James Corbett of California, who has achieved his share of bombast."

Sullivan's challenge demanded a sum of $25 000, and was open to all qualified challengers except Peter Jackson, against who he drew the color line.

The result of this challenge was that articles were signed for the Cortbett fight on March 14.

 

So my conclusions?

I think that Sullivan was retired in all but name after the Killrain fight.

He was clearly making a lot more money on the stage than he could in the ring, and he was not going to train for a title defense unless it was for an unprecedented purse.

It might be that he hoped to stay retired, but that his financial situation forced him to change his mind.

I think that he would rather have fought Slavin than Jackson or Corbett, because he saw him as a better stylistic match.

I think that the title fight would have gone to whoever came up with the sum of money that he was asking for first, with the possible exception of Peter Jackson.

It might be the case that he was so far gone, that the succession turned on who got him into the ring first.

 

Sullivan was very inconsistent on the issue of Jackson, and that might merit its own thread.

To cut a long story short, he became less keen on the idea, the less likely it became that he would win!

 

If Sullivan had stayed retired, we might be talking about the Slavin Jackson lineage today!

Some champions are just too big to stay retired.

 

His second book covers the subject in much more detail, and perhaps leads to slightly different conclusions.

I think that I have demonstrated that such a fight could not have happened before mid 1890, and that effectively pushes it into 1891 even is Sullivan had been active.

I suspect that they were, but there is nothing clear about it.