JOHN L. SULLIVAN ON HIS BOXING CAREER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9028, 5 November 1892, Page 10 (Supplement)

JOHN L. SULLIVAN ON HIS BOXING CAREER.

The famous pugilist J. L. Sullivan lias published a book with the title of "The Gladiator of the Nineteenth Century." It was issued before the late contost with Corbett. Wo make the following extracts :— The first time I ever put a boxing glove on was at a variety entertainment at the Dudley-street Opera House, in Boston Highlands ; and when I went to the entertainment I did not expect to be called upon to do that. At that entertainment there was a strong young fellow named Scanned who stated to the audience that he was anxious to meet me or anyone in the audience. I had the reputation of being able to hold my own with any young man, and, after considerable talking one way and the other, they asked me to put on the gloves with Scanned. I did not want to do so, but finally consented. I was working at tinsmithing then and had no tights, nor had I made any arrangements for boxing, but simply took off my coat, rolled up my shirt sleeves, and put. on the gloves. When we put our hands up lie hit me a crack on the back of the head, and the first thing I did was to punch him as hard as I could, knocking him clean over the piano which was on the stage. This was the first actual experience of mine at boxing, and I will never forget this experience, nor do I think ho will. At the age of 19 X drifted into the occupation of a boxer. I went to meet all all comers, fighting all styles and all manner of builds of men until the present day. I never was taught to box ; I have learned from observation and watched other boxers, and outside of that my style of fighting is perfectly original with me. Someone has said that old Professor Bailey claimed the credit of teaching me, but ho was wrong in the assertion, as i never took a boxing lesson in my life, having a natural ambition for the business.

I was always a big fellow, weighing 200 pounds at the age of 17, and I had a reputation for more than my proportionate share of strength. I remember one time of a horse car getting off the track on Washing-ton-street, and from six to eight men tried to lift it. They did not succeed, and so 1 Astonished the crowd by lifting it on the track myself. I used to practice such feats as lifting full barrels of tlour and beer or kegs of nails above ray head, but 1 gave up these things, as I found that men who did feats of strength made themselves too stiff for any good boxing. I could lift dumb-bells with the best, but I do not use more than a two-pounder, as it is nimbieness and skill that the boxer needs.

ltr was oil account of these feats that I first got the name of the "strong boy." There was a light boxer named Fairbanks that I called " Billy Go Lightly," and ho replied by calling me John the Strong Boy." The first time I ever started to spar in public with any noted man of reputation was with Johnny Woods, bettor known as " (Jockey" Woods, in Cockerill Hall, Han-over-streefc, Boston, in 1878. He was a resident of Boston and was a big man, who once was matched to fight lieenan, " The Benicia Boy." I soon disposed of him. Sullivan then enumerates a number of his early victories over amateurs, and then talks about his first thoughts of the professional ring : The unbroken line of victories in boxing on which I entered at this time served to increase the feeling of interest which I had felt from boyhood in the champions of England and America and my ambit-ion to write my name among their records with my own hand. Two years before I entered the ring for life the famous "Yankee" Sullivan, who had encountered America's first champion, Tom Hyer, and had fairly outfought iNlorrissy, was murdered by the vigilance committee at San Francisco. Yet his deeds were still rated by many as those of one of the pluckiest fighters that ever stood in the ring. But the pugilist subject that was freshest in the public mind in my early boyhood was the battle between the champions of America and England, Heenan and Sayers. Although 1 was only 11 years old when it took place the remembrance of it was so well kept up by pictures, songs, and controversies about it in the years following that it was still a matter of common talk when I became old enough to understand such things.

Having put the question, " What arc thi sensation!? of a man on being knocked out? : Sullivan answers it as follows :—

I have never been knocked out, as the public well knows, bub I have put so many other men bo sleep alter this fashion that I have had a good chance to find out what their feelings were. The most effectual point to reach a man to knock him out is off the point of the chin. In explanation of this the doctors bell mo that this point is connected with the spinal column and that the effect for a time is .to paralyze tho brain though not effectually to weaken him. The sensation as ib has been described to me is about tho same that is felt by a man who has been under the influence of ether and is just coming out of it. A man's mind, they toll me. seems confused, sick and giddy. He has no feeling of pain, bub simply a sense of numbness or deadness which renders ix man noil compos mentis for a time.

To verify what 1 have said about there being no pain I can mention several instances where men have come to after having been knocked oat, and instead of complaining of pain have asked various questions, showing that they were simply insensible to all feelings or acquaintance with their surroundings. I have heard men ask very different questions. For instance, one fellow at Nashville, Tenn., that I had knocked oat came to in.about twenty minutes, and the first thing ho said was, " Did 1 win ?" and another man that I had knocked out said : " When do I go on?" not remembering anything about fighting.

1 think—in fact I am sure—thab the effect of a man being knocked out is nob as serious as people think, and leaves no mark or lasting damage. In one of the concluding chapters John says he never yet carried a gun, and claims that no one ever threatened to shoot him. He says his method of self-defence is such that he does nob need any weapons except those that nature gave him, and that they answer his purpose.