On
September 7th 1892 a
heavyweight championship bout was held
that changed the course of boxing
forever. The fight
marked the end of one era in boxing and
the beginning of a new one. The
fight between John L. Sullivan and Jim
Corbett was the first official
heavyweight championship bout to be
fought under the newly instated Marquis
of Queensberry rules. According to The
Police Gazette, “the introduction of the
Marquis of Queensberry rules ‘improved
the status of professional boxing by
regulating the participants behavior and
dampening the potential barbarism of the
ring. At the same time, the boxing clubs
that formed the foundation of the sport
standardized the various weight classes.
Boxing was making a transition to be a
legitimate, money making form of sport.”
Since boxing hadn’t
become a legal sport at the time of this
event, there were still bare-knuckle
bouts recorded throughout the world
during the Queensberry era. However, in
America and the U.K. the Queensberry
rules had become the way championship
fights were fought, wearing gloves.
After the Queensberry era started at
this event, the sport of boxing would
never be the same.
This bout was the
crowning of the new heavyweight champion
of the world, “Gentlemen Jim” Corbett.
It also marked the end of the
“Bare-knuckle” era and the beginning of
“The Queensberry” era, the era that
stated heavyweight fighters must wear
gloves in a championship bout. This was
also the last heavyweight championship
bout John L. Sullivan would ever fight.
John L. Sullivan was
a larger than life legend of his time.
He won the heavyweight championship of
the world in 1882 and successfully
defended it for 10 years. Sullivan was
the last of the bare knuckle brawlers
who fought without gloves in marathon
matches that sometimes lasted for as
many as 75 rounds. Even though John L.
fought at a time when boxing was illegal
in most states in the U.S. his matches
attracted thousands of fans.
Jim
Corbett represented the new age of
boxing. Corbett learned to box at the
Olympic Club in San Francisco and
was taught by an instructor instead of
learning to fight in the street like so
many before and after him. Corbett was a
professional man; he worked as a bank
clerk before turning pro as a boxer.
Corbett fought his first professional
fight in 1886 and fought all the matches
wearing gloves. Because he was a very
well groomed man, dressed smartly and
used excellent grammar when he spoke he
became known as “Gentlemen Jim.”
A crowd
of over 10,000 men and a few women
filled the arena in New Orleans.
Sullivan outweighed Corbett by 34
pounds. The betting on the bout was
heavy. Over two thousand
miles away and connected by telegraph,
beacon lights on top of the Pulitzer
building in New York City alerted fans
on the street as to which contestant was
winning; red for Sullivan and white for
Corbett. Sometime later Corbett
published a book describing how the
events of the fight unfolded that night.
This is how it reads:
“Now, I
knew that the most dangerous thing I
could do was to let Sullivan work me
into a corner when I was a little dazed
or tired, so I made up my mind that I
would let him do this while I was still
fresh. Then I could find out what he
intended doing when he got me there.
In a fight, you know, when a man
has you where he wants you, he is going
to deliver the best goods he has.”
Corbett went on in
his book describing how he knocked out
“The Boston Strong Boy” with relative
ease wearing 5oz gloves in 21 rounds,
one hour and twenty minutes.
The
headline in the Police Gazette read,
“The title passed from America’s most
popular gladiator to the lithe, handsome
youth, the ‘California Dandy’ whose
fistic prowess flowered to full bloom on
the sun-kissed slopes of California.
Coincident with the crashing of the
premier pugilistic idol from his
pedestal, that the bout definitely set
the seal of public approval
of the use of gloves in
heavyweight championship contests as
opposed to the bare-knuckles and rough
mauling of the London prize
ring.”
Other headlines
throughout the country including The New
York Times and The San Francisco
Chronicle wrote, “Sullivan appeared
overweight and slowed down by age and
fast living. His old traditional
slugging methods were doomed to defeat
when matched with the much younger,
faster Corbett.” The press continued,
“The young, active, and brainy Corbett
stepped jauntily around the massive hulk
of what had once been a great fighting
man.”
Under the Police
Gazette headlines that read, “Science
Replaces Force” it was written, “James J
Corbett lifted boxing out of the barroom
slough, the evil influences of its
habitués, and started it towards the
moral revolution.”
James J
Corbett was given credit by the press
throughout the U.S. for this revolution
in boxing history. He had become
popularized not only as the man who
revolutionized the new style of boxing
but for winning the support of a better
class of patrons for the sport. He
created the link between the “beer
swilling gamblers” and high society that
included the Hollywood elite and
politicians that all turned out to see
Corbett and his well taught, educated
style of boxing.
The
actual set of rules was titled “Marquis
of Queensberry” rules. The event
completely dominated headlines across
the country. It was written in the
Police Gazette, “The game was destined
henceforth to rise to recognized
respectability as a means of
entertainment for all classes of both
sexes, ultimately to attain the
commercial ratings which culminated in
the establishment of the 20-million
dollar gate.”
Richard
K. Fox, editor and publisher of the
Police Gazette made some bitter enemies
with “Old school” boxers and fans alike.
Fox popularized the custom of presenting
championship boxing belts to division
winning boxers. Sullivan and his fans
not only looked at this as supporting
many of John L’s foes but saw the whole
idea as a catastrophe. The
heavyweight championship bout between
John L. Sullivan and James J Corbett
that introduced the world to the Marquis
of Queensberry rules was to Sullivan and
his fans as “Waterloo was to the
French.”
Marquis of
Queensberry Rules
1. To be a
fair stand-up boxing match in a 24-foot
ring, or as near that size as
practicable.
2. No wrestling or hugging allowed.
3. The rounds to be of three minutes'
duration, and one minute's time between
rounds.
4. If either man falls through weakness
or otherwise, he must get up unassisted,
10 seconds to be allowed him to do so,
the other man meanwhile to return to his
corner, and when the fallen man is on
his legs the round is to be resumed and
continued until the three minutes have
expired. If one man fails to come to the
scratch in the 10 seconds allowed, it
shall be in the power of the referee to
give his award in favour of the other
man.
5. A man hanging on the ropes in a
helpless state, with his toes off the
ground, shall be considered down.
6. No seconds or any other person to be
allowed in the ring during the rounds.
7. Should the contest be stopped by any
unavoidable interference, the referee to
name the time and place as soon as
possible for finishing the contest; so
that the match must be won and lost,
unless the backers of both men agree to
draw the stakes.
8. The gloves to be fair-sized boxing
gloves of the best quality and new.
9. Should a glove burst, or come off, it
must be replaced to the referee's
satisfaction.
10. A man on one knee is considered down
and if struck is entitled to the stakes.
11. No shoes or boots with springs
allowed.
12. The contest in all other respects to
be governed by revised rules of the
London Prize Ring.
