Fight To The Finish - The Battle of the Barge

<p>James J. Corbett and Joe Choynski were destined to spill each other’s blood.</p><p>In the beginning the boxing legends were simply two lads scratching and clawing to find their way in the world. They grew up a mile apart on San Francisco’s mean streets during the 1880s ran in rival neighborhood gangs and earned tough reputations as teenagers for their fistic prowess.</p><p>Corbett loved to play the role of the dandy working as a bank teller and always dressing to the height of fashion. His gentlemanly appearance often deceived the brawlers he boxed in the gritty Barbary Coast saloons. From the start he displayed a natural elusiveness and speed that would eventually revolutionize boxing and win him the World Heavyweight Championship.</p><p>Yet Corbett’s road to glory almost ended prematurely due to a feud with Choynski who proved his equal in the ring. Choynski developed a brawny physique in those early days as a candy puller and blacksmith before entering the ring with raw power and energy that electrified crowds. </p><p>Soon San Francisco wasn’t big enough for the two-up-and-coming pugilists. Locals clamored for an illegal “fight to the finish” to determine who was the city’s best boxer. A parade of colorful socialites gamblers newsmen and sporting hacks entered the scene as they tried to secure the match as they tried to outwit law enforcement. </p><p>Along the way tensions swirled around the hype from outside forces who saw the Irish Corbett or Jewish Choynski as representatives of their ethnic pride. Club bragging rights also played a part in the drama. For the boxers however the fight was simply a matter of pride. Losing was not an option.</p><p>What ensued would captivate boxing fans for generations to come. The Corbett-Choynski feud resulted in arguably the most savagely contested fight in the annals of boxing history — an epic twenty-seven round brawl under the blistering California sun on a barge anchored near the sleepy port town of Benecia.</p><p>This is their legend . . . </p>