Bob Fitzsimmons

From Free net encyclopedia

Robert James "Bob" Fitzsimmons (May 26, 1863 - October 22, 1917), a Cornish native, moved to New Zealand in his childhood. Representing New Zealand, he made boxing history as boxing's first three-division world champion ever. He also achieved fame for beating Gentleman Jim Corbett, the man who beat the great John L. Sullivan. Had he not jumped from Middleweight to Heavyweight before reigning at Light-Heavyweight, he might also have become the first Light-Heavyweight world champion to win the Heavyweight crown.

Image:BobFitzsimmons.JPG Fitzsimmons, born in Helston in Cornwall in the UK, emigrated to New Zealand at the age of nine along with his parents, brothers and sisters. His family settled in Timaru and Bob became a blacksmith in his brother Jarrett's blacksmith shop.

Between 1880 and 1881, Fitzsimmons reigned as the champion of the Jem Mace tournament in New Zealand. Some say he officially began his career as a professional boxer in New Zealand later in 1881. Records remain unclear whether he received payment for a bout in which he knocked out Herbert Slade in two rounds.

Fitzsimmons had six fights there, two of them bare-knuckle events. He won five and lost one, it remains unclear whether any of those bouts involved payment.

Boxing record-books show that Fitzsimmons officially began boxing professionally in 1883, in Australia. He beat Jim Crawford by a knockout in three there. Fitzsimmons had his first 28 definite professional fights in Australia, where he lost for the Australian Middleweight title in a bout rumored to have been fixed, and where he also won a fight by knockout while on the floor: when Edward Starlight Robins dropped Fitzsimmons to the canvas in round nine of their fight, he also broke his hand and could not continue, therefore, Fitzsimmons was declared winner by knockout.

By this stage Fitzsimmons had established his own style. He developed a certain movement and cageyness from the old prize-fighter Jem Mace, but never became a stylish boxer. Mace had, however, encouraged Bob to develop his punching technique and he revoloutionised this, drawing on the enormous power he had gained from black-smithing. Where other boxers of the time threw wide "round-house" punches, Fitzsimmons delivered short, accurate and usually conclusive punches. He soon built up a reputation as by far the hardest puncher in boxing.

Moving on to the United States, Fitzsimmons fought four more times in 1890, winning three and drawing one.

Then, on January 14 of 1891, in New Orleans, he received his first world title try, against Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey. Fitzsimmons knocked out Dempsey (from whom the latter Jack Dempsey would take his name) in the 13th round to become the world's Middleweight champion. Fitzsimmons lnocked Dempsey down at least 13 times, and by the finish left him in such a pitiable condition that he begged him to quit. Dempsey would not do so, so Fitzsimmons knocked him out and then carried him to his corner. On July 22, police broke off his fight with Jim Hall after he had knocked Hall down several times.

Fitzsimmons spent the next two years fighting non-title bouts and exhibitions until giving Hall a chance at the title in 1893. He retained the crown by a knockout in round four. He spent the rest of that year doing exhibitions, and on June 2, he had scheduled a two-way exhibition where he would demonstrate in public how to hit the boxing bag and then how to box against a real opponent. Reportedly, two freak accidents happened that day: Fitzsimmons hit the bag so hard that it broke, and then his opponent of that day allegedly slipped, getting hit in the head and the boxing exhibition cancelled.

After vacating the Middleweight crown, Fitzsimmons began campaigning among Heavyweights, who usually outweighhed him by large amounts. Wyatt Earp, the famous lawman, refereed one of his fights, against Tom Sharkey. Fitzsimmons battered Sharkey and had him on the verge of a knock-out, but when he hit him with a body and head punch combination Earp declared him the loser on a disqualification because he had hit Sharkey while Sharkey was down. Earp, according to a widespread belief, had involvement with gamblers who had bet on Sharkey.

Nevertheless, Fitzsimmons had the opportunity to challenge for the world's Heavyweight title in 1897. On March 17 of that year he became World Heavyweight champion, knocking out Jim Corbett in round 14. This constituted a remarkable achievement as Corbett weighed a stone (14 lb) more than Fitzsimmons and was a skilled boxer. He out-boxed Fitzsimmons for several rounds and badly damaged his face with his jab, but Fitzsimmons kept coming and Corbett began to tire. After not enjoying the 12th and 13th rounds Corbett reached out with a right to Fitzsimmons' head in the 14th, he immediately pivoted on his heel and hit Corbett as hard as he could in the middle of his stomach, between the rib-cage. Corbett collapsed in agony. Fitzsimmons' "Solar Plexus" punch became legendary, although it is doubtful he ever used the phrase.

He spent the rest of the year doing exhibitions, and in 1898, his only activity of note was a bout that was supposed to happen against former world champion John L. Sullivan. That fight never happened, however, because boxing was outlawed in New York at the time, and that would have been the fight's host city, but the police prevented it from happening.

In 1899, Fitzsimmons and James J. Jeffries were able to box in New York without the police intervening, probably at an under-ground club. Most people thought Jeffries had no chance, even though at 15 st (95 kg) he was massively the bigger man, but he lifted the world Heavyweight crown from Fitzsimmons with an 11 round knockout.

In June of 1901 he was involved in a wrestling match with Gus Ruhlin. He lost and went back to boxing. He then enjoyed legitimate (boxing) knock-outs of both Ruhlin and Sharkey.

In 1902, he and Jeffries had a rematch, once again with the world Heavyweight crown at stake. Attempting to become the first boxer ever to regain the world's Heavyweight crown, Fitzsimmons battered Jefferies who suffered horrible punishment. With his nose and cheek-bones broken, most would have sympathised with Jeffries had he quit, but he kept going until his enormous weight advantage told and Bob suffered a knockout in round eight.

September of 1903 was a tragic month for Fitzsimmons as his rival, Con Coughlin, died the day after suffering a one round knockout at the hands of Fitzsimmons. But less than two months later, Fitzsimmons made history by defeating world Light-Heavyweight champion George Gardner by a decision in 20 rounds to become the first member of the exclusive club of boxing world champions in three or more divisions.

Soon after, he went back to the Heavyweights, where he kept fighting until 1914, with mixed results. He boxed Jack Johnson, and his fight with Bob KO Sweeney is believed to be the first boxing fight in history to be captured on film.

It should be clarified that, despite the fact that Fitzsimmons was a world champion in the Middleweight, Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions, he is not considered by historians to be the first world Light Heavyweight champion to become world Heavyweight champion, because he won the Heavyweight title before winning the Light Heavyweight belt. Michael Spinks is considered to be the first Light Heavyweight world champion to win the Heavyweight belt as well. Roy Jones Jr. recently joined Fitzsimmons, Michael Moorer and Spinks in being the only men to have won world championships at both Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight.

His exact record is unknown, as boxing records were poorly kept during his era, but Fitzsimmons was quoted as saying he had more than 350 fights, which could have been an exaggeration from his part.

He died in Chicago of pneumonia in 1917 and was buried there in the Graceland Cemetery.

He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

In 2003, Fitzsimmons was named number eight of all time among boxing's best punchers by Ring Magazine.

[edit]