James J Corbett aka
Gentleman jim was a profesional boxer who fought during the
late 19 century, many consider him to be the
father of modern boxing and the one who turn boxing from a sweet science to an artform, he got his chance at the heavyweight title when he beat the great
american bareknuckle fighter called John L Sullivan, it was sullivan's first fight with gloves, which cost him his only loss, after that sullivan retired.
Corbett went up to
loose the title to bob fitzsimmons in 1897, he fought peter jackson in 1893 to a 60 round NO CONTEST (Fights back then that went the distance were declared a "NO CONTEST").Corbett went up to fight the heavyweight champion james jeffries but was quickly knocked out, so was in their 2nd fight, after the 2nd fight corbett retired from the boxing ring, he turned into james jeffries's trainer during the 1910 fight of the decade of jack johnson (who was the heavyweight champion)
v.s james jeffries, many whites were looking for a "WHITE HOPE" to bring the title back to the white
race, apparently jeffries being away for 6 years cost him the only loss in his career.
After the jeffries fight, corbett retired completely from the ring and played in many movies and acting in theaters, he passed away in NEW YORK at the age of
66 of cancer.
