He’s a bit of a folk hero type, I like the idea of Corbett much more than actual Corbett lol but I wonder how he did health wise and life wise? was he a bit punchy? @janitor @mcvey @scartissue @KasimirKid you guys are our resident historian types… maybe @McGrain or @Seamus ? It’s New Year’s Eve here so I’ll be drunk soon, appreciate the reading material while I’m puking my guts up, my guess is he would’ve been relatively fine he barely fought @apollack i haven’t got your Corbett book yet… I promise I will, you got anything for me?
Reading the very lengthy obit on him in the NYT, it seems he had been feeble of body for a couple years (according to Jeffries) but was active on the stage, in lectures, even doing radio. So, the frailty did not seem to extend to his mental capacities. Interesting asides from the various articles soon after his death... at 18, Jim was 6-1 and merely a welterweight at 145... there was speculation that perhaps a blow he received in the ring (Fitz?) might have caused his liver cancer...
The only thing I can remember reading about him late in life was that he had attended the championship bout between Jack Sharkey and Primo Carnera. When asked what he thought of the result he said something to the effect of, "Boxing will never recover from this." I believe he passed away shortly thereafter.
I've never read, heard, or seen anything that hinted at Corbett suffering from pugilistic dementia. His diction was clear in the movie clips I have seen taken late in his life. As I understand it, he died from liver cancer. Scar, I think you have misremembered something about Corbett's attendance at the Carnera-Sharkey title fight. Corbett died February 18, 1933, and the Sharkey-Carnera fight didn't take place until June 29, 1933. One of the last fights James J. attended, if not the last,was the Billy Petrolle-Bat Battalino fight at Madison Square Garden in March 1932. I quote from p. 605 of my book "The One Is Jack Hurley, Vol. 1: "One person who planned on attending the Petrolle-Battalino fight was former heavyweight champion James J. Corbett, considered by many to be the father of modern boxing. Three days before the bout, Gentleman Jim, then 66 years old and battling liver cancer and heart disease, made a surprise visit to the Garden ticket office to make sure he got a good seat for the fight. Corbett had just been discharged from the hospital and was reportedly still too weak to make it up the stairs to his apartment. "Doctors had advised against his attending the show, but Gentleman Jim told boxing writers that he would not miss it for anything in the world: "I couldn't bear to think about the old Fargo Express coming in without being at the station. Petrolle is my favorite fighter today. He knows what it's all about. He wastes no motion…. This Battalino boy is plenty tough and I'm not making any predictions, but I do know it is going to be some fight, one like we used to have in the old days. Let 'em try to keep me away." 40 "40 'Jim Corbett Fighting Desperately for Life,' New York American, March 18, 1932, sports section. Wood, Wilbur, 'Contrasting Billy and Bat,' New York Sun, March 22, 1932, sports section." ******* Afterward, Corbett furnished this impression of the fight (pp. 611-612): "Battalino fights from out of a shell. This method was successful when he went up against other fellows who tried to beat him with long swings. But it was a failure against the smart Petrolle. Before the first round was half over Petrolle had learned all he needed to learn about Battalino, and from that time on he made but little use of long punches. "Petrolle resorted almost exclusively to short jolts and uppercuts. He rarely missed, whereas a less intelligent fighter would have been throwing leather over Bat's head and leaving himself wide open for a counter punch from Bat. "I have rarely seen a more masterful exhibition than Petrolle displayed. He was cool and calm through every round. He knew every second of the way what should be done, and he did it. Unable to nail Bat flush on the chin with his wicked left or his savage right, he battered Battalino's face to wreckage, then he shifted to the body, came back to the face again--waiting and waiting for the golden opportunity to finish his rival. "Bat came out in the final round hoping that a cyclonic rush might enable him to break down Petrolle's resistance and that he might slip across a knockout punch. He came out unprotected and that was doom for him. This was the chance that Petrolle wanted. He reached Bat's jaw with a left, then a right and another left. "…I never saw a greater display of raw courage, nor more ability to take punishment than Battalino's…. My hat is off to both of them, because they both fought with every ounce of power within them and no men, who are warriors of the prize ring can do more."54 "54 Menke Frank G., 'Corbett Pays Grand Tribute to Duluth Boy,' Duluth Herald, March 25, 1932, sports section."
Kas, you're right. I recall reading that years ago in the book "The heavyweight champions" by James Durant (i believe his name was). Anyway, I know Sharkey was involved so it must've been the first or second Schmeling fights he uttered those words
Check out 1:06.50 or so and see an actual senior Corbett talking, lucid and lively .. This content is protected
I’d forgotten I’d seen this before, great little documentary. Thanks HG - I forgot about you, otherwise you’d have been tagged in my initial post.
