Jake Kilrain compares eras, 1931

Jake “too much man, too much tan” Kilrain

 

Another article I found by Kilrain on modern fighters, not sure when it’s dated:


"The last five or six fights I saw didn't make much of a hit with me. There was too much foot-racing and hugging and too little real fighting. Maybe I expected too much from some of the highly touted boys
I have never seen Dempsey but his fights never made much of an impression on me. He never beat any really great fighter and he doesn't fight much more than once a year. I think this fellow Wills may be too much for him.

"Of course the experts all write about Corbett's cleverness, but I never raved over him. Corbett was fast on his feet. He had a good pair of legs and turned most of his fights into a waltz.

When Sullivan was beaten by Corbett he dropped from exhaustion trying to catch up to Corbett.

"Corbett used to dance about so much without regard of his opponent, that he would often be forced to glance about to see what part of the ring he was in.

"It was at such a time that Jim Jeffries landed the punch that knocked him out in the twenty-third round of their fight. Likewise, Fitzsimmons landed the solar plexus that won him the championship at Carson City during one of Jim's waltzes.

"I always admired Jim Jeffries, regarded him as a true champion. It was too bad he was brought back from retirement to be slaughtered

"That fellow Stanley Ketchel was my idea of a great lighter.

He was clever, could punch and liked to fight.

"When it comes to the money the righters of today had it all over

the battlers of my time.

They are far smarter in this respect and they

not only get the money but keep it.

"When a fighter won an important battle in the old days much of the purse went for a big celebration. The present day fighter is waiting for the bank to open the next morning. You can't blame him for that, though.

"While none of the old-time fighters got big purses. lew of them

would be in want today if they had saved their money.

"Too many of the modern fighters are slappers instead of punchers.

They don't follow up their blows."

 

Sullivan’s tactics against Kilrain were purposeful, as he wanted to make it a long fight and not exert energy on trying to finish Jake until the latter was helpless. This was Sullivan’s plan against Mitchell in their rematch as well; both Mitchell and Kilrain ran around the ring in hope of gassing Sullivan out while he tried knocking them out. Sensing this, Sullivan focused on stalking and boxing technically with them rather than rushing them.

Also, Killen is believed to have actually ducked Sullivan, and Sullivan regularly toyed with Ashton in sparring and exhibition tours. IIRC Lannon was also one of Sullivan’s recurring sparring partners. I think Sullivan fighting Kilrain and Mitchell had to do with the fact that the main public criticism against him by the public by the late 1880s was that he only fought gloved and didn’t fight “real fights” like Kilrain did. There was even a whole propaganda campaign that Fox made that could basically be summed up as “the virgin Sullivan vs. the Chad Kilrain”. It’s a shame because fights against Goddard, Slavin and Killen could’ve answered many questions about Sullivan’s chin

 

What basis is there behind Corbett only winning one round handily until Jackson got injured? I’ve seen you make this claim in a different thread yet the large variety of sources I’ve seen on the fight suggest that it was even in the early stages with maybe a slight edge to Jackson. In what round did this injury happen in?