Show S S J 4 M I r 11 F In f BY av JAC JAct S ITT aTTO aTTO 0 4 otERO OP OF SOO OO FIG FIGHTS FIGHTS- ODDS QUEER BETTING ON HIP CHAMPIONS BOUT lUST JUST before the start of the contest that took the worlds world's J JUST welterweight championship away from me and ant the bout that tha practically ended my care career r in the ring something happened that I had not experienc experienced d in a career of twenty years Never before in more more than ring ring- contests ont had suspicion been directed on my roy work It t had been the source of ot pride and great satisfaction to rne e. e on the other hand to hear friends say that I was always on the lovel loveland loveland loveland and that I always gave cavo them my S best V I EXPECTING END AT AAY Y TIME Turn n H For two years I had hod been beon aware aware of ot the fact tact that the end o of my career was approaching and while I 1 looked to the end with regret I felt that I should be proud In Ii leavIng leaving leav leav- ing log a fine record behind when I was waa finished S severe Quito Quite e bf blow naturally uJ Just l r before then t e lit Id that was start a of my last contest with Mickey ickey Walker to tear hear the tho announcement made to fans tans at the ringside In Madison Square Garden ALL ALt BETS ARE OFF ON THIS CO CONTEST TEST BETS nETS AXlE AILE S CALLED OFF OFT I looked across the tho ring to Walkers Walker's Walkers Walker's Walkers Walker's Walk Walk- I ers er's corner and ho seemed just aa an surprised as I felt I 1 turned around to Dan Morgan my manager In m mY corner r and he told me to go ahead and do my best and that everything would be O. O 1 K Before going Into the ring I had hadan hadan ln tg an Idea that something o was I In tha tho air but I passed It off oft as I had I things of more importance to occupy my mind While I was getting Into my ring togs Tex Rickard came Into the tho dressing room Rickard and I have always been good friends and when I was boxing for him in Madison Square Garden he usually came around to the dressing room to have a II few words before the bout How do you OU feel Jack he i asked me rather casually and I told him I felt pretty good Youre the champion Are you going out to win winY he ho came bacK bacic quickly I thought It was an unusual Question question ques Ques- tion and would have considered It a Joke had his expression not been so co serious After a little hesitation hesitation tion I answered that I certainly was going to try to get the de do- do S Arent you In good shape he continued DID 1 ETL S En Y GOODIm GOOD S SIm Im in In as good shape as I can can get In In told l-told him I added that I 1 didn't feel teel as pod g-pod a as I 1 did before the Leonard fight in fn j Juno Junc but that I had been training Indoors and that I 1 had not been able to sleep well I also reminded him that I was getting old and that I couldn't work myself Into condition like lute youngsters can Dan Morgan then came into the dressing room and Rickard told him hm there was some funny betting going on and that the boxing commission was on him ton this afternoon and up until Ule ta They were betting 8 to i a S on Britton lIntton lInt Brit ton this afternoon and up until the time the tho d doors ors were open Now ow they're offering 2 to 1 and 3 to 1 that Walker wins and some of or them have money that Britton will bo ho knocked out Rickard said Theres There nothing nothing- wrong with that betting Its It's wise money going going- down on Walker Anyone who saw them when they weighed in this afternoon would know that BrUton Britton Brit Brie ton shouldn't be the favorite Morgan Mor I r- r gan replied DEMING BETTING O ON THI Tha s partially true but but j I S cant can't l understand tho reason for or th the sud owl I I den change in the tha betting Rick Rick- nr and ard said Well Weil theres there's nothing wrong with S our end Morgan said better better better bet bet- ter see who your Judges are aro and t talk alk to the referee Rickard then went out He re returned returned returned re- re turned later an and said that he couldn't find out a thing but that he would be satisfied if It I would assure assure him that I was going out to todo todo toS do my best beet S I told him that 1 I was going to S give the bout best efforts and he went out again S After he had gone Morgan said S to me Old man you were right rightS right'S S when you said you were going toI to S 'S try your best to win and youre you're I going to have havea a time Did you see that Walker boy when he weighed In S WALKER ALICER V IX IN TIlE THE S BEST DEST OF oi SHAPE I 1 I told him that that I had had seen teen him S had noticed l In what perfect shape he seemed to be and had been Im Impressed 5 pressed that he was down to pounds a weight aweigh t at which which which-he he was wax I particularly good as I 1 had learned L I previously S Listen you ou got to use old old g gen generalship n- n S and everything else now That kid Is right and holl hell keep coming into you You should have called off ocr the fight I Just told L Maxey Blumenthal not to bet on or L you ou He had Iad ad ten thousand to lay S I I told him I didn't think you were u right Morgan said Dan has peculiar Ideas about cheering up a II fighter I felt a II lot the same way he did about It but hut It didn't do any good to be told about it H. It didn't disturb me however however however how how- ever as I thought that Dan w was s Just lust a little more moro than usually pes pes- He didn't want mo me to take the take tho Walker bout In the first place Two years ears ago last August In a II twelve- twelve round no decision bout In Jersey City Walker gave me a fine past past- Ing The boys bos in the press box were nice to me as they tl always have been and they called It a draw I put him on the floor once and that sort of or evened it for me I realized at that time th that t Walker was the best of ot alt all the tenders contenders for the title What hat impressed me mostly was hi his cool head a and aid d his S OPENS EYE EARLY E. I IN TIGHT FIGHT S Early In the fight I ned ope-ned opened ono one of ot his eyes In the eleventh round he ho e had me in a 1 bad way I jab Jabbed ed the cut open again and said to him In inn In a clinch Youve clinch Youve got a II bad eye now do you want to be disfigured for life S Mickey is rather proud of ot ht hrs his good looks and I thought that cra crack k would get ft a rise out of ot him but he ne didn't say a word later I said eaid again again It If you dont don't keep that right hand back and let fet me be nice to you Ill I'll have to knock you out 1 He lie spread a wide Irish grin and S answered S Gee G e youre you're a wise old oId guy aint you ou S Morgan told m me when I went back to ray nay corner that Id I'd better save S my wind that socks and not words were going to get me out S I W. WAS S TOUGHEST nor HOY After fter th the fight I told Dan th that t S SS S Walker was the tough toughest st bo boy r 3 had bad ev ever r met an and l that he wan wanted ed t ta to st stay S away from him Dun Den was surprised t then e when asked la last t Oc- Oc 1 j ji i S S tober what fighter we wanted him bin t to get for mo mu for a show In the thu I Garden and I told him Walker Dan thought I was cuckoo am and I told me so so but I Insisted and tho thu 3 match was made I figured that hat I had been slipping sUpping for two years I had been on the tho floor six times Umes ii In 1 that period against second raters a and I couldn't be sure when I was wat II going down to stay slay I figured that tha t it might better happen in a U tU bout than in one for 2000 ou out t some place in the country S All Alt this was was was' running through m my I mind when We ve walked through a packed house bouse to tho the ring M My ly y mind was abs absorbed I was thinkIng thinking think think- ing of or a lot of things and figuring g that perhaps It would h have ve bee been a better to ask for a postponement t when the insomnia hit me I crawled up ups into the corner an and d looked around as usual without seeIng seeIng see see- Ing anyone Some fighters may b be beable beable e able to count the house with wit fit the 0 light In fn their eyes but I never neve r could see beyond the first few fe t rows I ha had forgotten all about RickI Rickard's Rick Rick- ards ard's talk of ot a few minutes pre pro previous previous I- I when Joe Humphries the lie be announcer announcer announcer an an- came into the cent center r o of or orthe Sf the ring made the usual announcements announcements announce announce- Ithe I- I ments meats called me the grand ol old a aman man etc and then blared out ALL BETS ARE OFF ON THIS Till S CO CONTEST TEST My face was flushed when I walked to tho the center of or the rin ring Ig g for th the instructions from Referee 0 Patsy Haley I dont don't oven o remember remember Iber I- I ber what he said eald I was trying to 0 catch catch- the conversation from th the e ringside spectators and the sport spot t writers Just watch yours yourself lt now Your Youre 0 too smart for that kid Morgan Morga n was saying when the bell rang fo for r the thA first round I S The bout is Is' Is isa a a. story In itself an and a t I will continue It in n the second secondI d I I. I chapter 0 45 |