Never saw this one before .. before the Corbett fight .. a pretty amazing photo .. never attached a photo here so trying to attach the link of where I found it .. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1892-john-sullivan-boxing-superstar-3836342346
Thanks - great photo, the quality and detail is perfect. John L’s shape isn’t awful but then he’d already lived pretty hard. He was 212 lb for the Corbett match - I don’t know if he was actually weighed for the fight or if he just provided his weight.
Just read the back of the photo - John L’s weight hand written as 208 lbs. The date is only legible as 18 1892, could guess a month of Aug maybe? It doesn’t actually say it was taken before the Corbett fight but we would presume so - that fight being held 7 Sep 1892. Love him, hate him or however you rate him, the man is a legend - boxings Big Bang.
Cool find! I didn't expect him to look this trim considering that the press made it seem like he showed up to the Corbett fight looking like Randy Bobandy.
A excellent find, as others have commented he does not look too badly out of shape, of course the internal effects of his hard drinking living are not possible to see. Looking at those big old fists, I think if i spilled his beer in a bar, i would offer to buy him a replacement very quickly, self preservation at all costs my philosophy.
In his auto biography relesed about ht time of the Corbett fight there were included some bare photos of Sullivan taken from his physical and the different angles showed the degree his muscles had shrunk and the displacement of his weight ... the wear and tear and the aging on his face speak for itself ... he does not look flabby as much as bloated and showing the effects of a abused life ... no doubt the hard man and the proud man still remained to a degree .... it's also interesting to note that for a 5' 10" or so guy he had long arms .. 74" to 75" reach ...
These are the photos of which Hegrant spoke - - just scroll down for a bit - be duly warned though, it was a full moon photo shoot…. https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/john-l-sullivan-fights-america
And here I was, misguidedly concerned lest anyone be offended by images of John L in all his glory…feel free to behold while I be-looking away. Legend has it that John L would always strip down and pose thusly prior to every challenge to Lick Any SOB in the house - which goes a long way in explaining why there were no “takers”….
