Jeznic1 where u from coz I know ur talking out of ur ass there always a dick saying he's my grandad and then they look stupid when real people related see it
I am also related to bob. Me, my mum and grandmother have the same skinny bottom part of the legs, with flat calf muscles and broad upper body shoulders. We are from the UK and he is my great great grandfather.
Hollywood should make a biopic of Bob Fitzsimmons a bare knuckle fighter, world champion in 3 weight divisions, youngest of 12 kids, marriied 4 times, lost most of his money to con men and finally floored by pneumonia, what a life what a story.
These guys were physically very strong and fit with the way they lived back then. Their conditioning is a different conditioning to what we know now. Wicked fighters, it's good to see their fights on Youtube.
in all fairness there stamina was nowhere near that of todays boxers, they did however fight many many more rounds sometimes 40 plus but because there opponents were equal ability the fights were fair and could endure. the boxers who did have stricter training regimes and drank less ale were heads and sho;lders above the rest ie Corbet, John L and even as early as Mendoza.
This is by far the best version of this famous battle. If Corbett had survived the round he would have won because he was so far ahead on points. Errol Flynn was the perfect choice to portray Gentleman Jim.in the movie.
Maybe if "not-so-gentleman-after-all" Jim hadn't worn high-riding butt-floss shorts he'd have stood a better chance....Or at least looked way less queer....
A little note here about this fight. Acoording to the story between the 13th and 14th Bob Fitzsimmons's wife told him to hit the body and Fitz threw a punch to the solar plexus which was unheard of in that day knocked the wind out of him and couldn't beat the count. Also the first Heavyweight title fight ever filmed.
One of the best body punches in history. But those shorts! If modern fighters wore them like that they could attract a whole new audience to the sport.
Wyatt Earp was ringslide and collected over 200 guns at the gate!!
This was one of Bob fitzsimmons 1st glove fights, he was the best bare knuckle fighter there ever was!! One of if not the toughest fighter of all time too;)( they don't breed em like that anymore)
Jim Corbett the godfather of modern boxing. Made it about boxing than just punching. BUT DAMNIT WHATS UP WITH THOSE SHORTS! THOSE ARE WRONG ON SOOOO MANY LEVELS!!
vuxfeon if they did so much grappling why didnt they throw their opponents down or at least off balance them isntead of school style headlocks in this vid like u see muay thai guys do?
Boxers have great balance. You can't knock them down while grappling, and knocking them off balance would help, but thats even hard to do. When you get your opponent into a headlock, it cuts off the circulation to your head, and it will either make you lose consiousness or you will be very light headed, which is not fun when somebody is coming after you and trying to punch you in the head.
Corbett has to be wearing the gayest pair of shorts ever filmed in the ring. He looked like he got them out of his wife's corset draw. He might have lost that fight because of sheer self-consciousness. With your butt cheeks showing like that how in hell can you even concentrate?
yea the stance and even the chambering of the punch was the same. Body head straight up too. Heard boxing changed into it present style due to the rules and bigger gloves, that made blockin easier. If boxing was still bare knuckle noone would block or cover up like modern boxers do or hunch forward kuz the fist would just slip right in there guard thats why they fought with there bodys and head straight n leaned back to dodge blows.
@anhkhoinguyen - I know I use the thin karate gloves to box with because you need at least a thin layer of covering so that your fist doesnt also take a huge shock to the nerves in your hand so you can last a lot longer and lessen the arthritis chances!
I still think Fitz landed a lucky punch. Corbett was having his way with Fitzsimmons. I think it is significant that Fitzsimons never considered giving Corbett a rematch. Must have drawn
Not so much different, just specific. Fitzsimmons started his day with raw eggs mixed into his sherry, then followed a high endurance training regime that focused on long walks, runs and bike rides. Generally, fights were of a slower pace back then, but if they were good scraps, and you had 20 or more rounds to go, your stamina had to be tip-top
@JimPritchard yes. My dad's friend fought against the soviets, he trained in the desert sun hard with little food or water, always near the edge of death, had inredible stamina.
@1outlawz They mostly were lighter then modern heavyweights. Especialy Fitzsimmons, who supposely was a middleweight. Lesser weigh means less energieloss.
@1outlawz i dont think they had double end bags or heavy bags way back then. they ran in the mornings.. alot. 10 miles minimum. afternoons; shadow box, speed bag, jump rope, ab workouts and sparring. hitting the heavy bag builds muscle and too much muscle slows you down cause muscles are "oxygen hogs" that they use up alot of oxygen. thats why your arms swell up when you workout. all the oxygen in the muscles.
ali would win in a modern comp. he would lose to them in their day. Those old boys had just come from the bareknuckle era and most were stil training wrestling for all the clinching and parrying,its a totally different type of strength and fitness. they could shut down any modern boxer like randy couture does in MMA. of course they would get disaqualified for doing it , too much holding and hitting etc
does anyone know of and Charles Kid Mccoy videos, proper length ones, and more of his fighting style and what the arenas were like? Im currently writing a story for it
This celebrated fight - Carson City March 17 1897 - marked the start of a new era. 1st US fight staged in a purpose-built arena; 1st motion picture fight of its kind; 1st lightning footwork solar plexus punch. The comments below on boxing growing out of wrestling and moderns being unable to cope with such grappling are, I think, correct & significant. I hadn't viewed this film in ages. My warmest thanks to JimPritchard for sharing this gem. Well worth studying...
This was not the 1st motion picture fight. The first motion picture fight was recorded by Thomas Edison in 1894, with Yours truly, James Corbett. Corbett, was the first man to sign a contract for a movie. Corbett was basically a Pioneer in the movies.
Then you don't know what you are seeing. They are world class, but had just come from an era where there was a lot of grappling in boxing, hence all the lunging in and out to avoid it. If they fought today using their parrying and clinching ability none of our boxers could get a punch off. Of course they would probably be disqualified for doing it.
LMAO!! You moron, watch the footage and stop romancing them. By modern boxing standards, nothing they're doing is even close to correct. They would get destroyed with counter-punches from any distance fighting any top notch boxer of the modern era.
What vuxfeon said is true. Boxers in those days frequently crosstrained with professional wrestlers as part of their strength training (rather than gaining strength via weightlifting). The rules, with respect to clinching, wrestling and grappling, were a lot different back then, so you see a punching style that somewhat resembles the punching styles of mixed martial artists today, because oldtime boxers had many other aspects to pay attention to during training.
What vuxfeon said is true. Boxers in those days frequently crosstrained with professional wrestlers as part of their strength training (rather than gaining strength via weightlifting). The rules, with respect to clinching, wrestling and grappling, were a lot different back then, so you see a punching style that somewhat resembles the punching styles of mixed martial artists today, because oldtime boxers had many other aspects to pay attention to during training.
You are romancing boxing, not us. The fact is boxing has never changed. It is thousands of years old, the romans knew it just as good as our modern guys, even better they used to it fight to the death. All that changes is the tactics due to rules. In the days above the tactics allowed more clinching and parrying, so the old guys could wrestle better,and they could shut down a modern boxer, just like a UFC fighter can.That's all there is to it. I am a modern heavyweight myself, so why would I lie
You are romancing boxing, not us. The fact is boxing has never changed. It is thousands of years old, the romans knew it just as good as our modern guys, even better they used to it fight to the death. All that changes is the tactics due to rules. In the days above the tactics allowed more clinching and parrying, so the old guys could wrestle better,and they could shut down a modern boxer, just like a UFC fighter can.That's all there is to it. I am a modern heavyweight myself,are you?
I know that people have been commenting on what was said by Uncletheone, but lets be quite frank about this. We are talking about a style of fighting that was conducive to long and murderous round. Anyone remember Superfights radio shows from the late sixties? They used a computer to supposedly calculate who would win. Right now I am listening to a recording from a fight with James Braddock fighting John L. Sullivan. I wonder, anyone want to try putting stats now and seeing Ali vs Fitz?
Where can I get my hands on the recordings of those computerized fights? I have been looking for years, and have not been able to find them! Can you give me some info?
Only with modern rules.Remember fitz like all boxers back then could wrestle, since they had just come from era where it was still part of boxing.If they are allowed to clinch they would frustrate and tire out any modern heavyweight in two or three rounds. it is a completely different sort of genetics and fitness to do be able to do it.
Whoa now Corbett certainly had some speed on him. Looks abit clumsy on his feet at times though. I wonder if Sullivan had been an unpopular champion if Corbett would have been viewed in higher regard than he was or is today. Fitzsimmons is just too upright though. I cant see him lasting long against Frazier, Foreman or Tyson.
Body punches were nothing new even in Fitzsimmons time. A newspaper article about the fight stated Fitz's ko punch was "to the solar plexus" and the public ate it up like it was something new or magical. Left hook to the midsection is one of the oldest punches in the book.
yeah and how old u think this is.. course the body punch was invented when the first person trew a punch toards the body of a nother concious human .. so.. but he was in the sence the first fighter to have a leathal one punch ko to the body.. if not name one befor how had such a feard body punch previous
John L. Sullivan for one. Paddy Ryan stated Sullivan's body blow that ko'd him felt like a telegraph pole had hit him endwise. Peter Jackson's body attack was legendary and end many bouts with body shots. James Corbett himself wrote of
Peter Jackson as the best body puncher of all time in his book
I still feel Fiztsimmons was lucky. If they fight 10 times Corbett would have won 9. I think it's significant that Fitz avoided Corbett for the rest of his career.
what? are you stupid? mobile phones? they just had phones. Mobile phones started in the 80s. It ain't like every teenager in the country had a mobile phone back then. That sentence was the single most retarded sentence I have ever heard.
Oh deary deary me, Boxingmaniac, you're a very funny man without knowing it. Here's the plan. Re-read my original comment and the conversation it started, and see if you can work out if was being serious about this film being recorded on a mobile phone in 1897, (d'uh) and then when you've worked that out (give it a couple of hours for a brain your size, d'uh), see if you can work out which one of us is truly "retarded" for not getting the joke. Thanks for making me laugh though.
there was absolutely nothing in the original sentence that even hinted sarcasm. You are horrible at sarcasm. you need to hint something, because, we cannot hear you talk. you are kinda typing.
Poor old Boxingmaniac. Are you a little bit thick? You will find that a lot of jokes are written down, in things like books. Next time, should I put a smiley face next to my comment so that children and thickies can tell I'm kidding? Would that help? Jesus Christ, man.
It did not sound remotely sarcastic. I am sorry that I can not get a hint from something where hints are obviously not there. Maybe I should get some retarded friends so they can translate for me. Then again if I showed them this, they would go like, "He is more mentally challenged than I am. I like chocolate milk." Seriously, learn sarcasm. Retard.
Actually it's not sarcasm, it's irony, and the whole point of irony is that the joke is made sincerely, and it is up to the reader to get it or not. Read Oscar Wilde, or pretty much any comic writer. A hint would RUIN THE JOKE. Intelligent people do not need hints. They can work it out. Did you SERIOUSLY think that ANYBODY would think this was mobile phone footage? Actually, you're right, i'm just dumb and you're a genius. ... Can you work out if I'm being ironic there or do you need a hint?
Irony and Sarcasm are pretty close to the same thing. Even Irony has a tone hint. Like when you said "Actually, you're right, im just dumb and youre a genius," that had a tone to it. Your original comment did not. I thought that you made a very stupid mistake without knowing it, like when someone says, "they don't make old cars like this anymore". I thought that your statement was accidental and not purposeful. And I am not familiar with literature in the late 1800s. Did you know that Oscar
OK mate. We'll just accept you didn't get the joke and touch gloves. Actually, for the record, irony and sarcasm are quite different things, but the explanation would bore us both to sleep. I genuinely didn't know about Wilde's interest in pugilism though, so thanks for that. Anyway, keep up your interest in old time boxing. Any more bits of new info gratefully received. All the best, mate.
Excellent! Bob Fitzsimmons was a Blacksmith's son, originally from Cornwall, Britain. The house where he was born and spent his childhood, still stands, and many people visit every year. It is said that he knocked Corbett out with an undercut blow to the diaphragm.
Fitzsimmons was not a racist. In fact, when he KO'd Corbett here, he made a very nasty remark to Corbett, regarding Corbett's racism. Or something like that.
Jim Corbett was amazing. For more than 13 rounds Corbett's boxing was a delight, until he got the wind knocked out of him. Had the bell rung as he went down, he'd have probably recovered from the blow, and won the fight.
@MikeyMcCrashCap - Well I dont know, Im kin to Bob and can box and when you see someone who is getting tired and you see that in their eyes that it hurts then you just throw the kind of combos in the weaknesses you have found out about during the fight. Im ambidextrious and will switch stances occasionally before a power punch if they expect a left punch Ill take a left jab and hit with the right punch. Its Psychological warfare with fists!
Fitz was a Kiwi fighter. Arrived in Timaru as a young kid, toughened by the outdoor NZ lifestyle, grew strong at the blacksmith's forge, started with bareknuckle bouts as a young man. Great to see the film clip.
all im saying is over the years people exaggerate things and so on and there can never be proof that these things actually happened unless there is video or pictures of it.
People always are talking of Mike Tyson being the hardest puncher of all time. But Tyson is such a great KO Artist because he is overwhelming. He is nothing compared to George Foreman, Rocky Marciano, Max Baer, Joe Louis and Joe Choynski
ummm no, not a chance in hell Dempsey would beat a young Tyson...no way...Dempsey would be KO'd in the first round...Young Mike was too strong, too fast, and too ferocious for Dempsey
Are you fucking stupid? Dempsey has never been knocked out in his goddam life. He has lost one fight by KO, a fixed fight. Aside from that, he was 10 times as hard a puncher as Tyson was. Tyson would be breaking bones if he came after Dempsey like he does his usual opponent.
Tyson was put in with tomato cans...now put Archie Moore in with Dempsey...it would be a good fight...but Dempsey would never sign to fight a black man.
That would be a great fight. Had it been later on in the years and the same Dempsey, I think he would have fought Moore. Back then it was just the sign of the times. Dempsey would have won the fight against Moore IMO.
Dempsey did fight black fighters prior to his winning the title. It would be more correct to say that no promoter would
promote a white/black chmapionship fight during Dempsey's era. Dempsey did signto fight Harry Wills, but the politics of the day prevented the fight from taking place.
Nat Fleischer of the old Ring magazine said the fight was mandated but then the states refused to hold the fight within their own territories. fleischer thought wills earned the right to fight for the title but gave him very little chance to win. Note also that dempsey's favorite sparring partner, "Big" Bill Tate, another black fighter, fought Wills a number of times and had a few wins over him. Fleischer probably had it pegged right.
As good as a young Tyson was Dempsey really excelled against larger men who came at him rather than boxers who danced and moved. His only losses were against such fighters (except for the possibly fixed fight with Flynn). Tyson always has that punchers chance but I think the odds favor Dempsey.
You are correct I didn't know that, I guess the English sports collums and articles I read forget to mention the fact that Bob emigrated fron England at an early age. Anyway I still say we share him, that is unless you want the Americans to give Rocky Marcino, Rocky Graziano, Rocky Balboa, Jake la Motta, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin back to the Italians.
Oh and Bob was world champion at 3 different weights as I said but he was Middle, Heavy, then Lightheavy. Not 'Lightwieght' as I stated .
I watched this with the sound down but what spoit it was to keep turning it up to make sure I wasn't missing any narration, would have been better if the music wasn't added in the first place, the first song made it look like a Charlie Chaplin comedy. It should be noted that Fitzsimmons in his time won all three world titles, the Lightweight Middleweight and Heavyweight yet most of us Brits have never even heard of our Cornish hero.
Brilliant!! Wow, a heavyweight title fight from 1897! What a treat... it was really interesting to see Corbett's fighting style, i see where he got his nickname from. basically it's the same style that influenced boxers like Jack Johnson, Gene Tunney, even Ali - hands low, jabbing, in and out, and especially moving backwards defensively just like Ali did. Unfortunately Fitzsimmons eventually caught up with him. Thank you so much for sharing the video, it was a special treat to watch it!!
What a remarkable video, nice editing btw. Though this was for the heavyweight crown, both fighters were light (Corbett 175, Fitz 155) heavyweights even for that era. To underestimate/disrespect the old-timers shows a high degree of true boxing/fighting ignorance. The rules and fighting styles were so different in those days.
Holmes would have lost to these men had they all been in there prime. Fritzmons was the greatest middle and ligh-heavy ever and around the 10th best heavyweight ever ... I do think Corbett was better and Fritzmons was wrong to never give a rematch.
Sure they would ... they would beat Holmes. Based on what you are saying ... Einstein would not be able to use a computer ... do you understand the point :)
I respect your opinion , but very few fighters today could last 12 rounds and take the punishment the men took 100 years ago. If Lewis or Tyson fought Jefferies , they would be KO'd by the 8th round. Corbett would outbox them easily and Frtitzmons would either decision or knock them out. I am not too sure how boxing has evolved , its a joke right now. Back than , the best athletes did boxing whereas now , football , basketball , hockey etc. is where they go
Uncle, if you think that these guys were prehistoric boxers, maybe right, but they are toupher than iron. And boxing has not changed all that much, and the styles have not gotten better along the way. To prove my point you should look up Jack Dempsey, champion from 1919 to 1926. Never have I seen a syle better than that.
Compared to him Ali would go down in tears before the eighth round. Boxers starting from 1915 on down, could have beatin the crap out of the boxers you call legends that are fighting today.
Jeznic1 where u from coz I know ur talking out of ur ass there always a dick saying he's my grandad and then they look stupid when real people related see it
djvinslick1 1 week ago
I am also related to bob. Me, my mum and grandmother have the same skinny bottom part of the legs, with flat calf muscles and broad upper body shoulders. We are from the UK and he is my great great grandfather.
JezNic1 5 months ago
Hollywood should make a biopic of Bob Fitzsimmons a bare knuckle fighter, world champion in 3 weight divisions, youngest of 12 kids, marriied 4 times, lost most of his money to con men and finally floored by pneumonia, what a life what a story.
RIP BOB.
mrfista123 5 months ago
These guys were physically very strong and fit with the way they lived back then. Their conditioning is a different conditioning to what we know now. Wicked fighters, it's good to see their fights on Youtube.
arama0010 6 months ago
im related 2 bob
mattie4lucas 6 months ago
cant believe this is about 114 years old. Crazy
slamster 8 months ago
Hahaha, his bumbum was hanging out.
CACKFUCKINGCACK 9 months ago
the punch was call the sloar plexus punch 4 does who dont know
09bnunez 9 months ago
fascinating film. fitzsimmons was so quick, you barely see the punch that knocked corbett out.
michaudd61 10 months ago
i got a more complete verison of this fight & it's more clear too.
beeteep60 11 months ago
@beeteep60 Post it !!
1saxonwolf 10 months ago
@1saxonwolf
am not sure how to
beeteep60 10 months ago
in all fairness there stamina was nowhere near that of todays boxers, they did however fight many many more rounds sometimes 40 plus but because there opponents were equal ability the fights were fair and could endure. the boxers who did have stricter training regimes and drank less ale were heads and sho;lders above the rest ie Corbet, John L and even as early as Mendoza.
therealbeav 1 year ago
it looked like corbett was kicking his ass most of the video.
reg5381 1 year ago
Solar plexus?
mootle661 1 year ago
what kind of trunks is "Gentlemen Jim" wearing?
billthestinker 1 year ago
@billthestinker Thats what I was wondering. I think its wrong!
HalfCracker4life 1 year ago
This is by far the best version of this famous battle. If Corbett had survived the round he would have won because he was so far ahead on points. Errol Flynn was the perfect choice to portray Gentleman Jim.in the movie.
margot9230 1 year ago
this was well done.the slow motion,excellent
bishopaz 1 year ago
nise as jungle bim
levizer 1 year ago
nice slow motion he looked so winded
222ferrett222 1 year ago
nice ass uncle jim
kelloggcerealxoxo 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@kelloggcerealxoxo nise as jungle bim?
levizer 1 year ago
The picture is just as good as some of those cheap camera phones.
mickeydamon 1 year ago
Maybe if "not-so-gentleman-after-all" Jim hadn't worn high-riding butt-floss shorts he'd have stood a better chance....Or at least looked way less queer....
zyphoid666 2 years ago
Mobile phones took shit pictures in them days didn't they. Must have been an early Nokia.
shaherrazam 2 years ago 2
A little note here about this fight. Acoording to the story between the 13th and 14th Bob Fitzsimmons's wife told him to hit the body and Fitz threw a punch to the solar plexus which was unheard of in that day knocked the wind out of him and couldn't beat the count. Also the first Heavyweight title fight ever filmed.
waggeo99 3 years ago
looks like some1 is showing some cheek!lolz
8-)
60r4n 3 years ago
One of the best body punches in history. But those shorts! If modern fighters wore them like that they could attract a whole new audience to the sport.
tigerboy1966 3 years ago
ZOMG ANCESTOR!
gaarauzamaki 3 years ago
Heres a little triva for ya's!!
Wyatt Earp was ringslide and collected over 200 guns at the gate!!
This was one of Bob fitzsimmons 1st glove fights, he was the best bare knuckle fighter there ever was!! One of if not the toughest fighter of all time too;)( they don't breed em like that anymore)
Lizardo2510 3 years ago
Corbett is gay. He wears thongs.
maantiede 3 years ago
Jim Corbett the godfather of modern boxing. Made it about boxing than just punching. BUT DAMNIT WHATS UP WITH THOSE SHORTS! THOSE ARE WRONG ON SOOOO MANY LEVELS!!
Quicknsick 3 years ago
What the video doesn't show clearly is the men used to wear tights or longjohns under their groin protectors so sorry about destroying your fantasy
imupwidit 3 years ago
Haha I said it was wrong on so many levels how is it a fantasy numbnuts?
Quicknsick 3 years ago
vuxfeon if they did so much grappling why didnt they throw their opponents down or at least off balance them isntead of school style headlocks in this vid like u see muay thai guys do?
PolakoMafia 3 years ago
shutup fool you have no clue
imupwidit 3 years ago
Boxers have great balance. You can't knock them down while grappling, and knocking them off balance would help, but thats even hard to do. When you get your opponent into a headlock, it cuts off the circulation to your head, and it will either make you lose consiousness or you will be very light headed, which is not fun when somebody is coming after you and trying to punch you in the head.
BoxingManiac 2 years ago
Lucky punch from Fitz.....
swr112261 3 years ago
Corbett has to be wearing the gayest pair of shorts ever filmed in the ring. He looked like he got them out of his wife's corset draw. He might have lost that fight because of sheer self-consciousness. With your butt cheeks showing like that how in hell can you even concentrate?
madmax8903 3 years ago 2
Nice video. The stance used to be a lot more karate-ish back in the day.
Hotora86 3 years ago
yea the stance and even the chambering of the punch was the same. Body head straight up too. Heard boxing changed into it present style due to the rules and bigger gloves, that made blockin easier. If boxing was still bare knuckle noone would block or cover up like modern boxers do or hunch forward kuz the fist would just slip right in there guard thats why they fought with there bodys and head straight n leaned back to dodge blows.
anhkhoinguyen 2 years ago 2
@anhkhoinguyen - I know I use the thin karate gloves to box with because you need at least a thin layer of covering so that your fist doesnt also take a huge shock to the nerves in your hand so you can last a lot longer and lessen the arthritis chances!
Fitzsimmons1984 2 years ago
Happy 142nd birthday James Corbett!
tefisher1984 3 years ago
this is my great great great grandad
jadboyz1996 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
my names james corbett!!
JAMESMCORBETT 3 years ago
I still think Fitz landed a lucky punch. Corbett was having his way with Fitzsimmons. I think it is significant that Fitzsimons never considered giving Corbett a rematch. Must have drawn
the Irish color line.
andrewr62 3 years ago
Thats my great great grandpa =D
mcorbett1977 3 years ago
i was searching nice ass videos and i came accroos this. they weren't lying.
arther1045 3 years ago
how was their endurance so good? what training did they do that is so different to today?
1outlawz 3 years ago
Not so much different, just specific. Fitzsimmons started his day with raw eggs mixed into his sherry, then followed a high endurance training regime that focused on long walks, runs and bike rides. Generally, fights were of a slower pace back then, but if they were good scraps, and you had 20 or more rounds to go, your stamina had to be tip-top
JimPritchard 3 years ago 4
@JimPritchard i heird bob had a pet lion and use to wreslte with it for strength and he once had a gun pulled on him in a fight by the ref
ItsDatGirlJordz 1 year ago
@ItsDatGirlJordz ye ive heird story to to about the lion so must be tru
lee1990lee 1 year ago
@JimPritchard yes. My dad's friend fought against the soviets, he trained in the desert sun hard with little food or water, always near the edge of death, had inredible stamina.
carmodifire 10 months ago
@JimPritchard they also hit harder i think that why they were slower pace...
Sexiiimamita180 4 months ago
@1outlawz Also back then there was no T.V so You can pretty much get the point from there LOL
sixfouimpala 1 year ago
@1outlawz They mostly were lighter then modern heavyweights. Especialy Fitzsimmons, who supposely was a middleweight. Lesser weigh means less energieloss.
bcibibcibcpCB 1 year ago
@1outlawz i dont think they had double end bags or heavy bags way back then. they ran in the mornings.. alot. 10 miles minimum. afternoons; shadow box, speed bag, jump rope, ab workouts and sparring. hitting the heavy bag builds muscle and too much muscle slows you down cause muscles are "oxygen hogs" that they use up alot of oxygen. thats why your arms swell up when you workout. all the oxygen in the muscles.
joe123090 1 month ago
im related to fitz no joke
theAisforawesome 3 years ago
Ali would beat both those guys. I do give credit to Fitzsimmons for fighting Jack Johnson.
ihatelifejosemartine 3 years ago
ali would win in a modern comp. he would lose to them in their day. Those old boys had just come from the bareknuckle era and most were stil training wrestling for all the clinching and parrying,its a totally different type of strength and fitness. they could shut down any modern boxer like randy couture does in MMA. of course they would get disaqualified for doing it , too much holding and hitting etc
vuxfeon 3 years ago
Gentlemen...please....stop!
EDIZBAK 3 years ago
who won this match?
mop2mop 3 years ago
does anyone know of and Charles Kid Mccoy videos, proper length ones, and more of his fighting style and what the arenas were like? Im currently writing a story for it
Max416 3 years ago
This celebrated fight - Carson City March 17 1897 - marked the start of a new era. 1st US fight staged in a purpose-built arena; 1st motion picture fight of its kind; 1st lightning footwork solar plexus punch. The comments below on boxing growing out of wrestling and moderns being unable to cope with such grappling are, I think, correct & significant. I hadn't viewed this film in ages. My warmest thanks to JimPritchard for sharing this gem. Well worth studying...
killpolitics 3 years ago
This was not the 1st motion picture fight. The first motion picture fight was recorded by Thomas Edison in 1894, with Yours truly, James Corbett. Corbett, was the first man to sign a contract for a movie. Corbett was basically a Pioneer in the movies.
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
BoxingManiac
"This was not the 1st motion picture fight"
I didn't say it was. What I said was that it was the 1st motion picture fight of its kind.
killpolitics 3 years ago
k sorry, my bad
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
A great clash of early champions 14 rounds and it still was not ended can you immagine a 14 round match today geez
thunderbare 3 years ago
this was the infancy of boxing.if they fought today like that we would say 2 bums and no skill.not impressed at this
dmar5143 3 years ago
Then you don't know what you are seeing. They are world class, but had just come from an era where there was a lot of grappling in boxing, hence all the lunging in and out to avoid it. If they fought today using their parrying and clinching ability none of our boxers could get a punch off. Of course they would probably be disqualified for doing it.
vuxfeon 3 years ago
LMAO!! You moron, watch the footage and stop romancing them. By modern boxing standards, nothing they're doing is even close to correct. They would get destroyed with counter-punches from any distance fighting any top notch boxer of the modern era.
Mowglieboy69 3 years ago
What vuxfeon said is true. Boxers in those days frequently crosstrained with professional wrestlers as part of their strength training (rather than gaining strength via weightlifting). The rules, with respect to clinching, wrestling and grappling, were a lot different back then, so you see a punching style that somewhat resembles the punching styles of mixed martial artists today, because oldtime boxers had many other aspects to pay attention to during training.
zolagerminal 3 years ago
What vuxfeon said is true. Boxers in those days frequently crosstrained with professional wrestlers as part of their strength training (rather than gaining strength via weightlifting). The rules, with respect to clinching, wrestling and grappling, were a lot different back then, so you see a punching style that somewhat resembles the punching styles of mixed martial artists today, because oldtime boxers had many other aspects to pay attention to during training.
zolagerminal 3 years ago
amen. Another student of history.
vuxfeon 3 years ago
You are romancing boxing, not us. The fact is boxing has never changed. It is thousands of years old, the romans knew it just as good as our modern guys, even better they used to it fight to the death. All that changes is the tactics due to rules. In the days above the tactics allowed more clinching and parrying, so the old guys could wrestle better,and they could shut down a modern boxer, just like a UFC fighter can.That's all there is to it. I am a modern heavyweight myself, so why would I lie
vuxfeon 3 years ago
You are romancing boxing, not us. The fact is boxing has never changed. It is thousands of years old, the romans knew it just as good as our modern guys, even better they used to it fight to the death. All that changes is the tactics due to rules. In the days above the tactics allowed more clinching and parrying, so the old guys could wrestle better,and they could shut down a modern boxer, just like a UFC fighter can.That's all there is to it. I am a modern heavyweight myself,are you?
vuxfeon 3 years ago
nothing works better than a good hard blow to the wind!
222ferrett222 4 years ago
Great footageBTW, thank you.
mrgnuopensourceman 4 years ago
I know that people have been commenting on what was said by Uncletheone, but lets be quite frank about this. We are talking about a style of fighting that was conducive to long and murderous round. Anyone remember Superfights radio shows from the late sixties? They used a computer to supposedly calculate who would win. Right now I am listening to a recording from a fight with James Braddock fighting John L. Sullivan. I wonder, anyone want to try putting stats now and seeing Ali vs Fitz?
mrgnuopensourceman 4 years ago
Where can I get my hands on the recordings of those computerized fights? I have been looking for years, and have not been able to find them! Can you give me some info?
paladin313 4 years ago
ali would crush fitz. he has a 60 pound weight advantage, and could easily take fitz's best blows.
Saintxdamien 3 years ago
Only with modern rules.Remember fitz like all boxers back then could wrestle, since they had just come from era where it was still part of boxing.If they are allowed to clinch they would frustrate and tire out any modern heavyweight in two or three rounds. it is a completely different sort of genetics and fitness to do be able to do it.
vuxfeon 3 years ago
@vuxfeon
I quite agree with you about this. See my other comment.
killpolitics 3 years ago
Great footage, thanks for sharing. The 'sweet science' has come a long way since then.
malmokber 4 years ago
anyone knows the song in the beginning?
Hatuey19 4 years ago
Bob Fitzsimmons, good old Cornish boy! and some say he's related to footballer Wayne Rooney.
theboyrowe 4 years ago
To bad the film is so grainy would be nice if it could be digitaley rehanced.
soldierpiper 4 years ago
I enjoyed this. Thanks
tommy9150 4 years ago
Corbett was my grandfather's best friend's great uncle's barber's third cousin twice removed.
MRW142 4 years ago
cool...... we dont care
BoxingManiac 4 years ago
Whoa now Corbett certainly had some speed on him. Looks abit clumsy on his feet at times though. I wonder if Sullivan had been an unpopular champion if Corbett would have been viewed in higher regard than he was or is today. Fitzsimmons is just too upright though. I cant see him lasting long against Frazier, Foreman or Tyson.
Allritemat 4 years ago
the music is very gay..kind of a ghettoized, gay dance version of a 60s song by Bufalo springfield
cw6983 4 years ago
my great grandad!!! love you pop
fitzee25 4 years ago
It's amazing how many great grandsons and nephews we get on these sites.
Sometimes there are conflicting relatives who say: "I never heard of YOU."
Very funny.
BooBooLane 4 years ago
once there was somebody claiming to be hitlers grandson :)
blatant lie but still funny
freddage91 4 years ago
Someone once said that JC and Mary Mag have a direct line of little Jeezi with one of them being former MLB player, Jim Gantner.
BooBooLane 4 years ago
When we all know they're just sad little 12 year olds waiting to go through puberty
freddage91 4 years ago
Sounds as tho freddy can't just one minute more."
BooBooLane 4 years ago
"can't weight one minute more/
BooBooLane 4 years ago
it's wait not weight in that sense
and immature insults merely implying "no you are" are just bad, seriously.
freddage91 4 years ago
Nice post - well put togeother - thanks.
GenericGene 4 years ago
or yeah.. i didnt even know there was footage of fritzimmons.. the man who invented the body punch knockout
eggheadAKAspensley 4 years ago
Body punches were nothing new even in Fitzsimmons time. A newspaper article about the fight stated Fitz's ko punch was "to the solar plexus" and the public ate it up like it was something new or magical. Left hook to the midsection is one of the oldest punches in the book.
andrewr62 4 years ago
yeah and how old u think this is.. course the body punch was invented when the first person trew a punch toards the body of a nother concious human .. so.. but he was in the sence the first fighter to have a leathal one punch ko to the body.. if not name one befor how had such a feard body punch previous
eggheadAKAspensley 4 years ago
John L. Sullivan for one. Paddy Ryan stated Sullivan's body blow that ko'd him felt like a telegraph pole had hit him endwise. Peter Jackson's body attack was legendary and end many bouts with body shots. James Corbett himself wrote of
Peter Jackson as the best body puncher of all time in his book
"Roar of the Crowd."
andrewr62 4 years ago
nice, i have to get that book.
Hatuey19 3 years ago
I still feel Fiztsimmons was lucky. If they fight 10 times Corbett would have won 9. I think it's significant that Fitz avoided Corbett for the rest of his career.
andrewr62 4 years ago
awesome stuff
gtpeli2 4 years ago
Mobile phones took shit pictures in them days, didn't they.
JackBowzer 4 years ago
Yeah, they didn't get the full effect of Corbett's holding, holding and hitting style which Jack Johnson 'de-perfected' later.
BooBooLane 4 years ago
what? are you stupid? mobile phones? they just had phones. Mobile phones started in the 80s. It ain't like every teenager in the country had a mobile phone back then. That sentence was the single most retarded sentence I have ever heard.
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
Oh deary deary me, Boxingmaniac, you're a very funny man without knowing it. Here's the plan. Re-read my original comment and the conversation it started, and see if you can work out if was being serious about this film being recorded on a mobile phone in 1897, (d'uh) and then when you've worked that out (give it a couple of hours for a brain your size, d'uh), see if you can work out which one of us is truly "retarded" for not getting the joke. Thanks for making me laugh though.
JackBowzer 3 years ago
there was absolutely nothing in the original sentence that even hinted sarcasm. You are horrible at sarcasm. you need to hint something, because, we cannot hear you talk. you are kinda typing.
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
Poor old Boxingmaniac. Are you a little bit thick? You will find that a lot of jokes are written down, in things like books. Next time, should I put a smiley face next to my comment so that children and thickies can tell I'm kidding? Would that help? Jesus Christ, man.
JackBowzer 3 years ago
It did not sound remotely sarcastic. I am sorry that I can not get a hint from something where hints are obviously not there. Maybe I should get some retarded friends so they can translate for me. Then again if I showed them this, they would go like, "He is more mentally challenged than I am. I like chocolate milk." Seriously, learn sarcasm. Retard.
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
Actually it's not sarcasm, it's irony, and the whole point of irony is that the joke is made sincerely, and it is up to the reader to get it or not. Read Oscar Wilde, or pretty much any comic writer. A hint would RUIN THE JOKE. Intelligent people do not need hints. They can work it out. Did you SERIOUSLY think that ANYBODY would think this was mobile phone footage? Actually, you're right, i'm just dumb and you're a genius. ... Can you work out if I'm being ironic there or do you need a hint?
JackBowzer 3 years ago
Irony and Sarcasm are pretty close to the same thing. Even Irony has a tone hint. Like when you said "Actually, you're right, im just dumb and youre a genius," that had a tone to it. Your original comment did not. I thought that you made a very stupid mistake without knowing it, like when someone says, "they don't make old cars like this anymore". I thought that your statement was accidental and not purposeful. And I am not familiar with literature in the late 1800s. Did you know that Oscar
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
OK mate. We'll just accept you didn't get the joke and touch gloves. Actually, for the record, irony and sarcasm are quite different things, but the explanation would bore us both to sleep. I genuinely didn't know about Wilde's interest in pugilism though, so thanks for that. Anyway, keep up your interest in old time boxing. Any more bits of new info gratefully received. All the best, mate.
JackBowzer 3 years ago
Wilde was at the first fight between John L. Sullivan and Paddy Ryan in 1882? It was there when Sullivans famous legacy began.
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
@JackBowzer BoxingManiac may well be the dumbest person in the history of YouTube.
TheBatugan77 4 months ago
They really put their checks behind their punches
JJHusker 4 years ago
a true gentleman conceals his buttocks in public! shame on you, "gentleman" jim corbett!
oeppevnvpeb 4 years ago 4
hahahahahahhahah
Hatuey19 4 years ago
lighter for longer fights i guess
xxxMcreedixxx 4 years ago
Excellent! Bob Fitzsimmons was a Blacksmith's son, originally from Cornwall, Britain. The house where he was born and spent his childhood, still stands, and many people visit every year. It is said that he knocked Corbett out with an undercut blow to the diaphragm.
Thank you
chandao108 4 years ago
Damn i'm family and i've never seen any videos of Fitzys fights!
NervousWr3ck 4 years ago
was fitzsimmons racist just like james corbett and sullivan?
underbOssx 4 years ago
who cares
jec3073 4 years ago
Fitzsimmons was not a racist. In fact, when he KO'd Corbett here, he made a very nasty remark to Corbett, regarding Corbett's racism. Or something like that.
ihatelifejosemartine 3 years ago
He was my great great uncle he was not a racist I promise you!!!
AmericanMadeFellar 2 years ago 2
Jim Corbett was amazing. For more than 13 rounds Corbett's boxing was a delight, until he got the wind knocked out of him. Had the bell rung as he went down, he'd have probably recovered from the blow, and won the fight.
MikeyMcCrashCap 2 years ago
@MikeyMcCrashCap - Well I dont know, Im kin to Bob and can box and when you see someone who is getting tired and you see that in their eyes that it hurts then you just throw the kind of combos in the weaknesses you have found out about during the fight. Im ambidextrious and will switch stances occasionally before a power punch if they expect a left punch Ill take a left jab and hit with the right punch. Its Psychological warfare with fists!
Fitzsimmons1984 2 years ago
@MikeyMcCrashCap I agree. It always bothered me that Fitz never gave Corbett a return shot.
muskratrowdy 1 year ago
where the fu*** did u get this???? that was more than a hundred years ago!!!! great upload man...
jego38 4 years ago
yea man, its crazy, 1897! lmaooo. i've seen boxing fights of 1900's but not 1890's lol,even tho cameras were invented in 1880's.
underbOssx 4 years ago
Fitz was a Kiwi fighter. Arrived in Timaru as a young kid, toughened by the outdoor NZ lifestyle, grew strong at the blacksmith's forge, started with bareknuckle bouts as a young man. Great to see the film clip.
classicalens 4 years ago
You know who tought him how to be such an awesome puncher? Jem Ward. Awesome punches. He once BROKE a punching bag with a couple punches.
BoxingManiac 4 years ago
sorry, my mistake. It was Jem Mace that taught Fitzsimmons to be such an amazing puncher.
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
probably exaggerated
SteppinNZ 3 years ago
so is Mike Tyson, but whose counting?
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
in what way is he exaggerated?
all im saying is over the years people exaggerate things and so on and there can never be proof that these things actually happened unless there is video or pictures of it.
SteppinNZ 3 years ago
People always are talking of Mike Tyson being the hardest puncher of all time. But Tyson is such a great KO Artist because he is overwhelming. He is nothing compared to George Foreman, Rocky Marciano, Max Baer, Joe Louis and Joe Choynski
BoxingManiac 3 years ago 2
Mike Tyson and Jack Dempsey would have been a riot to see in the ring.
hazmat1000 3 years ago
Oh yeah. Somebody would have gotten hurt. I see Dempsey pulling off the win though. That man was just too damn tough.
BoxingManiac 3 years ago
ummm no, not a chance in hell Dempsey would beat a young Tyson...no way...Dempsey would be KO'd in the first round...Young Mike was too strong, too fast, and too ferocious for Dempsey
RockawayRiotSquad 2 years ago
Are you fucking stupid? Dempsey has never been knocked out in his goddam life. He has lost one fight by KO, a fixed fight. Aside from that, he was 10 times as hard a puncher as Tyson was. Tyson would be breaking bones if he came after Dempsey like he does his usual opponent.
BoxingManiac 2 years ago
Tyson was put in with tomato cans...now put Archie Moore in with Dempsey...it would be a good fight...but Dempsey would never sign to fight a black man.
deadendkid1968 2 years ago
That would be a great fight. Had it been later on in the years and the same Dempsey, I think he would have fought Moore. Back then it was just the sign of the times. Dempsey would have won the fight against Moore IMO.
BoxingManiac 2 years ago
Dempsey did fight black fighters prior to his winning the title. It would be more correct to say that no promoter would
promote a white/black chmapionship fight during Dempsey's era. Dempsey did signto fight Harry Wills, but the politics of the day prevented the fight from taking place.
andrewr62 2 years ago
Nat Fleischer of the old Ring magazine said the fight was mandated but then the states refused to hold the fight within their own territories. fleischer thought wills earned the right to fight for the title but gave him very little chance to win. Note also that dempsey's favorite sparring partner, "Big" Bill Tate, another black fighter, fought Wills a number of times and had a few wins over him. Fleischer probably had it pegged right.
smemr 1 year ago
As good as a young Tyson was Dempsey really excelled against larger men who came at him rather than boxers who danced and moved. His only losses were against such fighters (except for the possibly fixed fight with Flynn). Tyson always has that punchers chance but I think the odds favor Dempsey.
smemr 1 year ago
Hes wayne rooneys great grandfather
Carlt2k7 4 years ago
You are correct I didn't know that, I guess the English sports collums and articles I read forget to mention the fact that Bob emigrated fron England at an early age. Anyway I still say we share him, that is unless you want the Americans to give Rocky Marcino, Rocky Graziano, Rocky Balboa, Jake la Motta, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin back to the Italians.
Oh and Bob was world champion at 3 different weights as I said but he was Middle, Heavy, then Lightheavy. Not 'Lightwieght' as I stated .
stanssoapbox 4 years ago
He might have been born in England, but he leartn to fight in New Zeland and turned pro in Australia.
Sorry poms - He's an anti-podean trained and that's where he learnt his craft = He's ours!
doomeddisciple 4 years ago
James Corbett weighed 183 pounds in this fight. Bob Fitzsimmons, 167.
predaitor 4 years ago
I watched this with the sound down but what spoit it was to keep turning it up to make sure I wasn't missing any narration, would have been better if the music wasn't added in the first place, the first song made it look like a Charlie Chaplin comedy. It should be noted that Fitzsimmons in his time won all three world titles, the Lightweight Middleweight and Heavyweight yet most of us Brits have never even heard of our Cornish hero.
stanssoapbox 4 years ago
Brilliant!! Wow, a heavyweight title fight from 1897! What a treat... it was really interesting to see Corbett's fighting style, i see where he got his nickname from. basically it's the same style that influenced boxers like Jack Johnson, Gene Tunney, even Ali - hands low, jabbing, in and out, and especially moving backwards defensively just like Ali did. Unfortunately Fitzsimmons eventually caught up with him. Thank you so much for sharing the video, it was a special treat to watch it!!
tekena7 4 years ago
people taking the trouble to upload vidoes this decent should be rewarded. nicely done bud.
xxxxpremierexxxx 4 years ago
Like the Thongs there wearing,lol
MIKECROMFORD 5 years ago
LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO hahahha
underbOssx 4 years ago
Amen, great work!!!
budoinst 5 years ago
Thanks for posting. I've never seen this footage before; it's a joy to see the old timers fight.
gasolinechoi 5 years ago
Jim
This is brilliant. Thanks for uploading it.
Heard a lot about the Fitz punch and you can tell when Corbett is down on his knees just how much it hurt.
Have you ever seen footage of the T Sharkey v Jeffries title fight?
kittysback 5 years ago
Thank you very much for posting this historic video. I didn't like the background music, though. Didn't seem appropriate.
FleaBittenDog 5 years ago
WOW the famous Solar Plexus punch!
What a remarkable video, nice editing btw. Though this was for the heavyweight crown, both fighters were light (Corbett 175, Fitz 155) heavyweights even for that era. To underestimate/disrespect the old-timers shows a high degree of true boxing/fighting ignorance. The rules and fighting styles were so different in those days.
JMDestro 5 years ago
I agree....Earl, you're missing the point.
vinnymwj 5 years ago
Amen JM, I agree with you!! I think that just to be able to WATCH this video is a privilege, and a real treat to true boxing fans.
tekena7 4 years ago
A 54 year old Larry Holmes could have beaten either of them.
EarlCamembert 5 years ago
I think that may be pushing it.
cassius66 5 years ago
A 34 year old Holmes would have struggled against them.
MRW142 4 years ago
Holmes would have lost to these men had they all been in there prime. Fritzmons was the greatest middle and ligh-heavy ever and around the 10th best heavyweight ever ... I do think Corbett was better and Fritzmons was wrong to never give a rematch.
dorsi68 4 years ago
haha, look how prehistoric their styles are. they wouldn't last 3 rounds with holmes.
UncleTheOne 4 years ago
Sure they would ... they would beat Holmes. Based on what you are saying ... Einstein would not be able to use a computer ... do you understand the point :)
dorsi68 4 years ago
boxing has come a long way my friend. one interesting point, look how frantic and all over the place their footwork is.
then look at a lewis or a tyson and how they set themselves, how steady the look and use the power in their legs to transfer it to the punch.
obviously if they were born today they'd be different fighters, but that's not the point at hand here.
UncleTheOne 4 years ago
I respect your opinion , but very few fighters today could last 12 rounds and take the punishment the men took 100 years ago. If Lewis or Tyson fought Jefferies , they would be KO'd by the 8th round. Corbett would outbox them easily and Frtitzmons would either decision or knock them out. I am not too sure how boxing has evolved , its a joke right now. Back than , the best athletes did boxing whereas now , football , basketball , hockey etc. is where they go
dorsi68 4 years ago 2
Uncle, if you think that these guys were prehistoric boxers, maybe right, but they are toupher than iron. And boxing has not changed all that much, and the styles have not gotten better along the way. To prove my point you should look up Jack Dempsey, champion from 1919 to 1926. Never have I seen a syle better than that.
BoxingManiac 4 years ago
Compared to him Ali would go down in tears before the eighth round. Boxers starting from 1915 on down, could have beatin the crap out of the boxers you call legends that are fighting today.
BoxingManiac 4 years ago
and holmes's stamina wouldn't keep up with fitzsimmons's or corbett's. dumb ass
Hatuey19 3 years ago