An Epic 61 Round Draw

In this post, which was previously a podcast, we will discuss the epic sixty-one round draw between James J. Corbett and Peter Jackson in 1891. This bout prepared Corbett for his successful challenge of John L. Sullivan in 1892.

Main Content – On March 21, 1891, the most serious contender for the inactive John L. Sullivan’s world championship broke the color line to fight the best boxer in the game at the time, the black Australian fighter Peter Jackson.  Sullivan like other champions before him refused to put the title on the line against black fighters like Peter Jackson even though they fought black fighters on their way to the title.

Corbett would also refuse to fight Jackson again after he successfully wrestled the title from Sullivan in 1892.  Corbett and Jackson fought a gloved contest of 3 minute rounds.  Unlike today, many bouts did not have a round limit.  The men fought to a finish unless they agreed on a draw.

The fight itself at the San Francisco Athletic Club, Corbett’s home base, was considered one of the most scientific bouts in history.  It also would be one of the most boring.

Jackson and Corbett picked their opponents apart by jabbing and a body attack followed by clinching.  The referee spent much of the fight separating the two men from the clinch.

Both men boxed the first sixteen round without much damage before Jackson connected with two jabs to Corbett’s nose and drawing first blood in the seventeenth round.

Jackson began to press the fight, while Corbett back pedaled and struck Jackson’s body, when the opportunity arose.  Jackson focused on Corbett’s nose but struck less often than Corbett.

By the thirty-second round, both men were exhausted.  The punching output began to decrease.  The men averaged two landed blows per round.

In the forty-first round, both men tried to finish the fight but neither of the game fighters was ready to quit.  Both men staggered back to their stools.  Neither landed a blow in the forty-second round.

The fight should have been ended here because the men only were able to do any significant work during a brief period in the forty-eighth round.  Jackson bowed to Corbett at the end of the round, when Corbett staggered back to his stool.

Both men posed for the rest of the fight and only landed a couple feeble blows.  Referee Hiram Cook warned the men they would have to fight if they wanted to win the match purse.  Neither man could do anything though.

At the end of the sixty-first round, Referee Cook declared the match a draw as neither man could continue.  The crowd gave three lusty cheers for both contestants.  Originally, Cook called the bout a no contest and said since they did not finish they could not collect a cent.  However, the San Francisco Athletic Club paid the men for the Herculean effort.

After this battle, Corbett correctly surmised he was ready to fight Sullivan.  You get better as a combat sports athlete by training and fighting other athletes at or better yet above your level.  After withstanding 51 rounds with Peter Jackson, Corbett felt he could easily beat the out-of-shape 34-year-old long time champion.

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