BoxRec

I thought I`d recommend the book if any out there have not yet read it.

The book was bought for me at Xmas and I recently finished it, and must say it was a very, very good read.

At first I had my reservations about the title because James Corbett has never really held much interest for me, I was wrong, the book is very interesting.

It left me with a bizarre comparison about Gentleman Jim..Chris Eubank

Like Eubank he tried to break the mold of the stereo typical pug, the exterior gentlemanly attire may have disguised the person from the outside, but underneath he was every bit the tough fighting man with all the good, and bad ingredients required to get to the top.

If you have not read it already, you should make it the next title you get

I have a copy myself... excellent book, very well written, Corbett was one of the first exchamps to write his own biography I believe.... very underrated champion too... I think he would have had the beating of Marciano and Dempsey too perhaps, but is usually rated below both of these men...

I too had over looked Corbett, but he really was special.

He campaigned at the top after so few fights yet met most of the top guys around...he did meet jackson.

And more importantly he survived after his career was over in the ring...very few have done that.

tonyevs wrote:I too had over looked Corbett, but he really was special.

He campaigned at the top after so few fights yet met most of the top guys around...he did meet jackson.

And more importantly he survived after his career was over in the ring...very few have done that.

He's often looked at as a fancy-dan when really he was a very tough but also very skilled boxer... came very close to beating Jeffries in their first fight... I always respected how he fought Jackson too who was shamelessly ducked by Sullivan for years. Makes you realise too how good Fitzsimmons win over a peak Corbett was also...

I have this book on Corbett, but have yet to read it. I picked up a brand new copy in a bargin bookshop for £2 a few years ago.

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KOJOE90 wrote:I have this book on Corbett, but have yet to read it. I picked up a brand new copy in a bargin bookshop for £2 a few years ago.

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/18 ... ZZZZZZ.jpg

I read this book a few years ago. Very good and thourough research in it.
Patrick Myler is excellent at what he does.
Will be getting "Roar of the Crowd" too, Corbett was a very interesting and underrated fighter. The film "Gentleman Jim" starring Errol Flynn from 1942 is also a good biopic of him.

-KOKid-

silkov wrote:

tonyevs wrote:I too had over looked Corbett, but he really was special.

He campaigned at the top after so few fights yet met most of the top guys around...he did meet jackson.

And more importantly he survived after his career was over in the ring...very few have done that.

Makes you realise too how good Fitzsimmons win over a peak Corbett was also...

I have only ever seen about 20seconds of this fight, just about only the `solar plex punch`, but in Corbetts book he says he was all over Fitz and making it totally one sided and he was on the verge of stopping Fitz...but freckly Bob pulled out a lucky punch and ended it...has anybody here seen the fight to confirm if this was true.

I must say, a closer look at his fight record does stir alot more interest, few fights on there but many are well respected.

tonyevs wrote:

silkov wrote:

tonyevs wrote:I too had over looked Corbett, but he really was special.

He campaigned at the top after so few fights yet met most of the top guys around...he did meet jackson.

And more importantly he survived after his career was over in the ring...very few have done that.

Makes you realise too how good Fitzsimmons win over a peak Corbett was also...

I have only ever seen about 20seconds of this fight, just about only the `solar plex punch`, but in Corbetts book he says he was all over Fitz and making it totally one sided and he was on the verge of stopping Fitz...but freckly Bob pulled out a lucky punch and ended it...has anybody here seen the fight to confirm if this was true.

I must say, a closer look at his fight record does stir alot more interest, few fights on there but many are well respected.

I've read a fair bit about the fight and Corbett was generally outboxing Fitz but it was a close fight with Fitzsimmons always looking to land the big punch... Fitzsimmon always said that he knew he would catch up with Corbett sooner or later and that he only needed one good shot to end it.
Fitzsimmons was a tremendous puncher but also very fast, which was why he was able to eventually catch Corbett.

Yes, Jim Corbett's autobiography, ROAR OF THE CROWD,
is interesting, but one should know that it is not very
accurate, especially the pages devoted to the early
part of his career.

- Chuck Johnston

Chuck1052 wrote:Yes, Jim Corbett's autobiography, ROAR OF THE CROWD,
is interesting, but one should know that it is not very
accurate, especially the pages devoted to the early
part of his career.

- Chuck Johnston

That's the problem with autobiographies. The author has a selective memory, and in Corbett's case, he always held himself in probably too high regard. Patrick Myler's bio is probably gives a more fair and correct impression of Corbett.

The Ken Norton bio is also an example of selective memory. He even states that he won a fight he lost. Robinson's "Sugar Ray" is the same, you would think he most the most fair and down to earth person in the world after reading that. How come almost everybody in the industry regarded him as an asshole then?

I prefer bio's written by a neutral author who does not censor the facts and writes what really happened, not how one person experienced a situation or happening.

-KOKid-

Decagon wrote:Both guys were fighting with their hands by their waists. It was a disgrace of a fight. They'd hold their hands down, daring the other man to come inside, and then raise their guard to block the punches, and then retaliate. It was CRAPPY, CRAPPY boxing. A modern boxer would keep his hands up all time, come in behind the jab, and go to the body, not play that stupid game of chicken the two of them were doing. Winky Wright outboxes both of them silly.

Well that is plain wrong, I have several descriptions of the fight written by people who were actually there and while Corbett was using the jab and keeping his distance Fitzsimmons fought with his arms up at all times... it was described as a very scientific fight, with Fitz coming foward looking for an opening, but defending himself at all times... many boxers of that time had far more skill than the boxers of today, Corbett was one of the most skillful and cleverst boxers ever and while Fitzsimmons was more of a slugger he also had great boxing skill and speed which was why he was able to eventually catch out Corbett and land the lightning punches that ended it all. I suggest you try reading up on fights of this era before you cast judgement on the boxers performances...

Decagon wrote:Both guys were fighting with their hands by their waists. It was a disgrace of a fight. They'd hold their hands down, daring the other man to come inside, and then raise their guard to block the punches, and then retaliate. It was CRAPPY, CRAPPY boxing. A modern boxer would keep his hands up all time, come in behind the jab, and go to the body, not play that stupid game of chicken the two of them were doing. Winky Wright outboxes both of them silly.

I find it hard to understand why you have made a comment like this

Totally ignorant of everything this `Boxers of the past` forum intends to be.

This was the very start of what we know today as modern boxing, to compare that to now is impossible, the rules that have been brought in since have changed the style and method.

He obviously knows very little about the fight and about Fitzsimmons and Corbett themselves and so like some others chooses to denigrate them rather than admit his lack of knowledge. A little research and reading would show Decagon the error of his ways....

silkov wrote:He obviously knows very little about the fight and about Fitzsimmons and Corbett themselves and so like some others chooses to denigrate them rather than admit his lack of knowledge. A little research and reading would show Decagon the error of his ways....

I'll just sit on the sidelines for this one.

The Great John L wrote:

silkov wrote:He obviously knows very little about the fight and about Fitzsimmons and Corbett themselves and so like some others chooses to denigrate them rather than admit his lack of knowledge. A little research and reading would show Decagon the error of his ways....

I'll just sit on the sidelines for this one.

Very wise... hit and run and live to fight another day eh!... 8)

The Great John L wrote:

silkov wrote:He obviously knows very little about the fight and about Fitzsimmons and Corbett themselves and so like some others chooses to denigrate them rather than admit his lack of knowledge. A little research and reading would show Decagon the error of his ways....

I'll just sit on the sidelines for this one.

But you do agree

tonyevs wrote:

The Great John L wrote:

silkov wrote:He obviously knows very little about the fight and about Fitzsimmons and Corbett themselves and so like some others chooses to denigrate them rather than admit his lack of knowledge. A little research and reading would show Decagon the error of his ways....

I'll just sit on the sidelines for this one.

But you do agree

8)

The Great John L wrote:

tonyevs wrote:

The Great John L wrote: I'll just sit on the sidelines for this one.

But you do agree

8)

You should go into politics!... I hear theres a vacancy amongst the Liberals right now!... 8)

silkov wrote:You should go into politics!... I hear theres a vacancy amongst the Liberals right now!... 8)

The Great John L a liberal...??

>>>I hear theres a vacancy amongst the Liberals right now!<<<

I think you meant a vacancy with the conservatives...they're the ones being brought up on all of these various charges lately...most recently those in league with the crooked lobbyists!

>>>A modern boxer would keep his hands up all time, come in behind the jab, and go to the body<<<

Yep, I see so many of these modern boxers keeping their hands up and coming in behind a jab...especially the heavyweights of today! Like I suggested earlier...maybe you should just keep quiet about things you know little of and leave the early era to the people that actually know about it!