Difference between revisions of "James J. Corbett" - New World Encyclopedia
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Corbett was an educated man who practiced the [[science]] of [[boxing]]. He broke the mold of the stereotypical brawling prizefighter. He was college educated and in addition to boxing, pursued a [[career]] in [[acting]], performing at a variety of [[theaters]]. | Corbett was an educated man who practiced the [[science]] of [[boxing]]. He broke the mold of the stereotypical brawling prizefighter. He was college educated and in addition to boxing, pursued a [[career]] in [[acting]], performing at a variety of [[theaters]]. | ||
| − | In his only title defense in 1894, Corbett knocked out [[Charley Mitchell] in three rounds, but lost the heavyeight crown in 1897 to [[Bob Fitzsimmons]], in 14 rounds. In 1900, Corbett was knocked out by heavyweight champion, [[James J. Jeffries]], his former sparring partner, in the 23 rounds. In a 1903 rematch, Jeffries kayoed Corbett in the tenth round. A fight with [[Peter Courtney]] on September 7, 1894, by means of a Kinetograph, was only the second boxing match to be recorded. | + | In his only title defense in 1894, Corbett knocked out [[Charley Mitchell] in three rounds, but lost the heavyeight crown in 1897 to [[Bob Fitzsimmons]], in 14 rounds. In 1900, Corbett was knocked out by heavyweight champion, [[James J. Jeffries]], his former sparring partner, in the 23 rounds. In a 1903 rematch, Jeffries kayoed Corbett in the tenth round. A fight with [[Peter Courtney]] on September 7, 1894, by means of a [[Kinetograph]], was only the second boxing match to be recorded. |
==Early life, career== | ==Early life, career== | ||
Revision as of 15:51, 26 August 2007
| James J. Corbett | |
 | |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | James John Corbett |
| Nickname | Gentleman Jim |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Nationality |  American
|
| Birth date | September 1 1866 |
| Birth place | San Francisco, California |
| Death date | February 18 1933 |
| Death place | Bayside, New York |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 22 |
| Wins | 12 |
| Wins by KO | 5 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 4 |
| No contests | 2 |
James John Corbett (September 1, 1866 - February 18, 1933) was a heavyweight boxing champion. He was best known as "Gentleman Jim," the man who defeated the great John L Sullivan. A new breed of boxer was born when Corbett won the heavyweight title from Sullivan, the last of the bare-knuckle fighters, in 1892.
Corbett was an educated man who practiced the science of boxing. He broke the mold of the stereotypical brawling prizefighter. He was college educated and in addition to boxing, pursued a career in acting, performing at a variety of theaters.
In his only title defense in 1894, Corbett knocked out [[Charley Mitchell] in three rounds, but lost the heavyeight crown in 1897 to Bob Fitzsimmons, in 14 rounds. In 1900, Corbett was knocked out by heavyweight champion, James J. Jeffries, his former sparring partner, in the 23 rounds. In a 1903 rematch, Jeffries kayoed Corbett in the tenth round. A fight with Peter Courtney on September 7, 1894, by means of a Kinetograph, was only the second boxing match to be recorded.
Early life, career
Corbett was born on September 1, 1866 in San Francisco. He was raised in a middle-class home, attended college and even worked as a bank clerk. He learned his boxing not on the streets, but in sparring clubs. He learned how to box under the guidance of Walter Watson at San Francisco's Olympic Club.
Corbert's first pro fight came when he was 18 and he knocked out Frank Smith. His career took off, however, with a series of bouts against fellow hall-of-famer Joe Choynski. They met three times in a three-month span in 1889. The first bout was a no contest after four rounds. Corbett won the second with a 27th-round knockout and the third with a four-round decision. The first fight was interupted by police, but the middle bout, contested six days later, was an epic contest fought on a barge in San Francisco Bay. The seams from Choynski's gloves cut Corbett in round three. And later in the fight Corbett broke his left hand. Yet, he managed to summon enough power to knock out Choynski with a left hook.
On May 21, 1891, Corbett fought respected heavyweight Peter "Black Prince" Jackson, because the reigning champion, John L. Sullivan, wouldn't fight Jackson because he was black. Corbett and Jackson, a fellow hall-of-famer, fought to a draw after 61 rounds. A month after that bout, Corbett boxed a four-round exhibition with John L. Sullivan, giving him a preview of things to come.
Corbett was married to Olive Lake Morris from 1886 to 1895.
New age of boxing
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 a legitimate, money-making form of sport.
Jim Corbett represented the new age of boxing. He had learned his craft not on the street but from a coach. He had attended college and worked as a bank clerk before turning to the sport. From the time his career began in 1886, he fought all of his matches wearing gloves and under Queensberry rules. He stood at six-foot, one inch with a reach of 73 inches. He was an early left-handed champion.
Corbett wore his hair in a full-grown pompadour, dressed smartly, and used excellent grammar when he spoke. Because of his handsome appearance and classy ring style, he earned such nicknames as Handsome Jim, Pompador Jim, and finally, Gentleman Jim. Corbett performed on the stage during his reign as heavyweight champion and continued his acting career well into his retirement.
John L. Sullivan fight
The much-anticipated, Sullivan-Corbett fight took place before 10,000 on September 7, 1892 in New Orleans. This was the first heavyweight championship bout in which the participants wore gloves, marking the end of an era in which John L. Sullivan became a legend in his own time. He had won the Heavyweight Championship title in 1882 and had successfully defended it for 10 years. He was the last of the bare-knuckle champions who pounded each other without gloves for hours in marathon matches that lasted for as many as 75 rounds. Sullivan rose to the pinnacle of his profession at a time when many states and local jurisdictions outlawed boxing matches, giving the sport a status that lay somewhere between marginal respectability and outright criminal behavior. Nonetheless, Sullivan's championship matches attracted thousands.
In the championship bout, Corbett, with Prof. Mike Donovan in his corner, boxed brilliantly. He countered sharply and managed to sidestep Sullivan's bullish charges. In the twenty-first round, Sullivan was exhausted and Corbett pounded the champion into submission, knocking him out with a right hand.
Title bouts
In his only title defense, January 25, 1894, Corbett knocked out Charley Mitchell of Great Britain in three rounds. On September 7, 1894 he took part in the production of one of the first recorded boxing events, a fight with Peter Courtney. This was filmed at the Black Maria studio at West Orange, New Jersey, in the United States and was produced by William K.L. Dickson. It was only the second boxing match to be recorded.
Jim Corbett lost his championship to the Cornish boxer Bob Fitzsimmons, who kayoed him in the fourteenth round on March 17, 1897 in Carson City, Nevada.
In 1900, Corbert challenged heavyweight king James J. Jeffries — who was his former sparring partner — and was knocked out in the twenty-third round. They fought a rematch in 1903 and this time Jeffries scored a tenth-round kayo. In between the two Jeffries fights, Corbett knocked out middleweight champion Charles "Kid" McCoy in the fifth round.
Retirement
Following his retirement from boxing, Corbett returned to acting, appearing on stage and in film. He authored his autobiography under the title The Roar of the Crowd that was serialized by The Saturday Evening Post in six weekly installments during October/November of 1924. The following year, G.P. Putnam's Sons, published it in book form, marketing it as the True Tale of the Rise and Fall of a Champion. In 1942, the story was made into a Hollywood motion picture titled, Gentleman Jim, starring Errol Flynn as Corbett.
Corbett also coached boxing at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
Corbett's brother, Joe Corbett, was a Major League Baseball pitcher.
On his passing in 1933, in Bayside, New York, Corbett was interred in the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Legacy
He has been called the "Father of Modern Boxing" because of his scientific approach and innovations in technique. Some think that he changed prizefighting from a brawl to an art form. The Sullivan-Corbett fight of 1892 marks a watershed for professional boxing as the sport moved out of the shadows of criminality into the realm of acceptable public entertainment.
- Record: Won-18 (KO 5); Lost-4 (KO 3), Draw 3 (28 bouts)
- On its creation, he was elected posthumously to the International Boxing Hall of Fame
- Corbett's fight with Peter Courtney (September 7, 1894) was only the second boxing match in history to be recorded
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Corbett, James J. True Tale of the Rise and Fall of a Champion Ayer Company Publ., 1976. ISBN 978-0405093265
- Corbett, James J. How to Box and Win, Shrewesbury Publishers, 1920. ASIN B000NN5MKM
- Edwards, William. Gladiators of the Ring, The Athletics Publishing Company, 1895. B00088OTFE
- Fields, Armond. J.J. Corbett: A Biography of the Heavy Ring Champion and Popular Theater Headliner, McFarland and Company, 2001. ISBN 978-0786409099
- Fleischer, Nat. "Gentleman Jim": The Sory of James J. Corbett, C.J. O'Brien, Inc., 1942. ASIN B0007ERYV2
- Fox, R.K. Life and Battles of James J. Corbett: The Sole Conqueror of John L. Sullivan, American Sports Publishing Company, 1892. ASIN B00088DZBM
External links
| Preceded by: John L. Sullivan |
Heavyweight boxing champion 1892–1897 |
Succeeded by: Bob Fitzsimmons |
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