Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1887 — Essentials of a Good Fighter. [ARTICLE]

Essentials of a Good Fighter.

In answer to the question, “What are the essentials of a thoroughly good fighter ?” Sullivan said : “Pluck, skill, endurance, and a good head on his shoulders, I tell you, sir, a man fights with his head almost as much as he does with his fists. He must know where to send his blows so they may do the most good. He must economize his strength and not score a hit just for the sake of scoring it.” “What portion of your antagonist’s body do you aim at when you are in the ring?” “I endeavor,” said Sullivan, “to hit mv man above the heart, or under the chin, or behind the ear. A man wears out pretty soon if one can keep hammering away in the region of the heart; a blow under the chin or behind the ear will knock out a man quicker than a hundred blows on the cheek or any other portion of the face. Now, the Marine has a scar on his left cheek which he received in his fight with Dempsey, and which he will carry to his grave. He told me that Dempsey kept hammering away at that spot. If Dempsey were a long-headed fighter he would not have wasted his time and strength in getting in there. That fact alone proves to me that he is deficient in generalship.” “You can tell pretty well when your man is giving in?” “Certainly I can,” said the pugilist. “I watch his eyes, and I know at once when the punishment is beginning to tell on him. And, when I talk to a man before I stand up before him at all, I can make up my mind whether he is a fighter or not. There is more intelligence required in this business than outs ders give us credit for.”— Sacramento {Cal.) Bee.