And yet the beginning of each round found the veteran fairly fresh and always game. The minute’s rest and the attentions of thoroughly competent seconds revived him wonderfully, so that Corbett began to feel just a little uncertain. What punishment the man could take! Ah, but “youth would be served,” and Corbett’s nimbleness of foot kept him out of danger. The eleventh round started by Sullivan brilliantly attacking with the left on the head followed by a hard right on the body. For a moment the onlookers believed that Sullivan had turned the tide in his own favour. Corbett was hurt: if only the old chap could keep it up.... But the young one fell into a clinch--a thing he never seemed reluctant to do in order to avoid punishment, and as they broke away he sent a right to his opponent’s chin which drove his head back. The next three rounds were slow. Corbett felt confident again, finally confident. He was perfectly sure of his man by this time. Sullivan was trying to ease the pace a little, for he was clearly done, and Corbett would take things comfortably for a while to reserve his own strength, keeping the big man well exercised, though, so that he should not recover his wind. In the sixteenth round Corbett sent a left hook to the body which visibly shook Sullivan, who was unable to land one blow that mattered. True that in this round Sullivan pulled himself together and aimed a blow which would certainly have stretched Corbett senseless if it had landed on his jaw; but then Corbett entirely avoided it, and sent home three spanking blows on the face without a return. And yet, after being virtually a beaten man for several rounds, John Sullivan was the better man in the seventeenth. He began by knocking Corbett down, not severely it is true, for he caught him when he was for once standing in a bad position with his feet almost level. And Corbett found that he could hit hard still. Indeed he was a giant of strength, and if his legs had been as strong as the rest of him he should have won. He rushed Corbett to the ropes and forced him back against them and hit him left and right. Corbett was profoundly thankful for the call of time. He was very cautious when they came up again. He remembered all his boxing, which is exactly what a weary man is often incapable of. He knew that Sullivan felt that he might have a chance yet by rushing him off his feet; and when the rush came he was ready. Instead of stepping aside this time he timed his adversary nicely, and sent out a right which took Sullivan on the jaw. It was a damaging blow, but the veteran went on fighting. In the next round he put his own right on Corbett’s jaw and spun him round, but failed to fluster him or seriously shake him. For the rest of that round Corbett kept a respectful distance and sparred. Then at the beginning of the twentieth Corbett realised that his turn had come. He began at once by rushing in his turn, got Sullivan up against the ropes, clinched to hold him