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Show mm titles MipGEIl Promising Stars Have Been Developed in Training Camps. When World's Champion Bonny Leonard Leon-ard and Y1.3 inan.ir, Billy Gibson, returned re-turned recently from the .Pacific coast, whore they had mailt? a. round of the training camrs in aid of war charities, i)ny made a most remarkable statement, writes B.lly Koeap in the Philadelphia Ledger. "ix month; after the war is over there will not be a ring champion of any cias who will be sure of his title," was their surprising statement. "You can make it as strong as you please," added Gibson. "We know." Their idea was born of a trying experience. experi-ence. Leonard, to boost war charities, had gone into the camps and boxod any enlisted man whom the officers would nominate. Frequently Benny would Rive away ten or fiiteen pounds; aam some of i he more ambitious would scale Jess than the champu-n. One little u-d-litadcJ fellow sailed into Lc .nard as though the latter was a mete preliminary .:ghtor. He nearly toppled top-pled the champijn in the first two rounds. In the next two experier.ee began to count and plav its part. Leonard won out, but he will never forget what a close call he had. It was that bout that led Billy Gibson and the champion to make the assertion. Had j the youngster known half as much about the scientific side 01 boxing as dot.-S Leonard, Lhore might have been a different differ-ent story to tell. Thousands of Boxers. When the two million jien return to civil life alter the rigors of war training train-ing there are going to be thousands who will continue their boxing. It will bo these men who will likely have something some-thing to say about ring titles. It is a far cry to the heavyweight throne for Jack bempsey, and the statement state-ment is bemg accentuated as each day passes. Young heavyweights have been developed at the army and navy camps bv the score. They have been kept under un-der cover. When they are unleashed Dompsey, Miske. Median and every other heavyweight aspirant, and even Champion Cham-pion Wiliard. will have to be in his best trim to maintain his ring standing. There is no more sincere student of boxing than Jack Slelly, who in the early 90s was the peer of all amateur feather-we:ghts. feather-we:ghts. In regards to Lempsey he writes as follows: Jack has not been handled wisely. Imagine a rolypoly fellow fel-low like Billy Meehan holding three decisions de-cisions over him, and his manager making mak-ing no effort to securo a return match with "Beefy Bill" in order to wipe out this blemish on Dempsey's record. Sure-lv, Sure-lv, the latter does not fear the fat boy of Kan Francisco, but why doesn't he go after him and wipe out those black marks? Then there's two unsatisfactory fights with Billy Miske. Dcmpsey should demand de-mand a twenty-round contest with Mlske in order to prove his superiority over i such a formidable opponent. It's quite, evident that Jaek cannot beat Billy decisively de-cisively in six or ten rounds, so it behooves be-hooves Dempsey to take Miske on for twenty sessions no tiling less will do, boy. Lacks Boxing Skill. Probahlv the greatest handicap Demp-sev Demp-sev is under is his Inck of scientific boxing. box-ing. He's a great hitter, very speedy, game, has fine endurance, and groat stamina, but he's not an accurate puncher punch-er and does not time his leads well. Ha misses too often, and before a real skillful skill-ful opponent Jack is very apt -to whip himself by his great exertions and useless blows in "the air. If his manager is wise he'll secure the services of some of tlie old ring artists to teach him the many fine points of tho game. No man was ever a Queensberry champion who was aot more or less clever in ringeraft. Kven old John L. Sullivan, who was frequently called a mere slugger, slug-ger, had a certain amount of skill and wise fistic tactics which made him a great world beater. They can say what they like about the old gladiator, but he was a man of more than ordinary intelligence in-telligence and used his brain as well a3 his immense physical power to win many a close battle. That he was a scientific: boxer and studied defense was borne out by the fact that when he was carried to his grave his face had no marks of his. many ring battles. |