According to the book, " Boxing in San Francisco, " by F. Daniel Somrack Corbett and Sullivan sparred in 1891. The result of the session gave Corbett confidence he would beat Sullivan in 1892.
This fight was an exhibition held on June 24, 1891 in San Francisco. They apparently wore full dress suits rather than boxing gear, and while it was not a "serious" bout, it did indeed give Corbett confidence that he could beat Sullivan, and probably gave him some sense of how to do it, as well. Perhaps the best source on this exhibition, which culls information from primary sources of the period, is Adam Pollack's In the Ring with James J. Corbett. This exhibition is discussed on pages 211-212. Further information on this excellent source can be obtained here: www.winbykopublications.com/books.html
Interesting. I have never heard of this sparring session until this week. Were there any ring photos in this sparring session or the actual fight? Surely there must have been some. I heard a rumor from a historian that said there were a few photos of the event, and there were pieced together in a kelidescope like device.
There is no mention of it in Pollack's book, so I would say it is unlikely that there are photos, but I can't say that conclusively. This was very much NOT a "real" fight - the rounds were only about a minute long, and there were only three of them. Apparently, prior to the exhibition, the dominant opinion was that Corbett would easily outbox Sullivan. One source said "Among boxers Sullivan's fighting days are considered over. It is not believed he will ever again enter the ring for championships honors. . .. Jim is expected to outspar him handily." And, also, the fans who witnessed the exhibition were very unimpressed with the fight overall, apparently expecting more action and a more "real" boxing match. As I said, they wore suits, and also apparently, very large boxing gloves. In other words, it was an exhibition in every sense of the word. But, as you said - and as Pollack's book reports - it was significant in that it gave Corbett an opportunity to learn about Sullivan and gain confidence he could beat him.
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/l...eFilterType=yearRange&page=52&page=54&index=1 Here is a good article about the Sullivan Corbett fight, including the build up and the sparring session is also mentioned.
Surprised you didn't know this,they sparred in full evening dress ,[at Sullivan's insistance ,]and, at the end of it Corbett remarked to is brother ,"I can lick this fellow ,he is a sucker for a feint".
First off great newspaper post. INteresting read ... The Sullivan-Corbett spar session is a famous part of the whole legend but we all cannot follow everything ... The part of the story that is so often overlooked when it comes to Corbett's eventual victory is just how shot Sullivan was ... he was a very old 34 who had been abusing his body terribly, had been deathly ill and dably injured along the way as well as highly inactive. It is amazing he lasted over twenty three minute rounds against an absolutely prime Corbett in the first place, getting pounded rpound after round along the way .. in many ways it proves his worth in manners his victories did not .. his heart, chin , stamina and strength were first rate even as a shot fighter ... When thinking of the Sullivan - Corbett match up I try to keep in mind how much trouble Corbett would later have with Sharkey and imagine a fight with a prime Sullivan an 84 vintage would have been a completely different fight ...
they forget the same theory with peter jackson, ie almost losing to a poor version of a young sullivan in goddard. no one stood up to a young strong rushing sullivan, and it is serious conjecture to wonder who could have stood up to him and outboxed him over the long scheduled bouts of the day.
In his autobiography The Roar of the Crowd, Corbett tells of this strange sparring exhibition. If I remember correctly, he said that it was Sullivan who insisted on the full dress and all other arrangements. He did say that what he learned about Sullivan proved invaluable when they did meet for the title the following year.
Look, whatever the story the fact is that the Sullivan Corbett fought was more shot than the Jeffries that Johnson fought, the Dempsey that Tunney fought or the Louis that Charles fought ... the abuse he put his body through was astonishing ... plus his injuries, his illness and his inactivity ... John L. deserved a purple heart for surviving as long s he did ...
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Wasnt Jem Mace considered a great Lateral Mover? And Tug Wilson who ran for 4 rounds sounds like he did plenty of Lateral running. I would have thought that Sullivan fought plenty of lateral fighters though admittedly not in Corbett's class. Sharkey, i think is vastly underated by most, but I think it is a fairly long bow to draw to think he could beat John L Sullivan. In fact, prime John L Sullivan vs the Jeffries from Sharkey I or the 1 armed Jeffries who fought Sharkey would certainly make one hell of a fight. In fact, i think stylistically, you would have to start John L as a slight favourite.
