Show NO CE A The is In FRANCISCO The FRANCISCO gray PAN AN S Tom Sharkey s hair hall at an age of ot s 58 but ut the barrel chest still Ibe most famous of all the I 9 sailors still looks tougher than a bat p Sharkey fought fought fought- them all J Jeffries ra twice ICe Corbett Fitz the summons simmons the top oti of the list 1 Your toughest toughest fight I suggested must have been that 25 round battle 1 v battle at Coney Island It was In one oner Rice way y Sharkey Sharley said I had an anen another way ay but in m en tougher Higher to toI scrap I know thIS vas the hardest fight I ever lost against a fellow known s as sIe t was Ie Pete Pete-a Pete a tough guy The eleree was even tougher He lie was lorse forse Johnson Around the mIddle middlet set and f the he first round I got ailed Mexican caD Pete on the he chIn full fall left hand The back of ofIs ofis ofis ith tb a Is head bead bit hit the floor and Mexican ete ele was colder than a mackerel D a ice But Horse Johnson leaned own an and ana lifted Mexican can Pete s a fight hand Here s the winner said saidI I was as ready to k 11 ll him I rushed t the referee and said You re el ei elJer eiter eiler ter Jer crazy or crooked That was a alean alean alean lean knockout I say Mexican Pete won orse Johnson said And as he hedd helid old dd It ft he pulled out a forty five and andack rock hick It in n the pit of my stomach dlan t even think twice for we weere weere weere ere fighting in a tough lough town where had backed Mexican Pete fou ou re right I said Mexican te ete wins Those were tough days in the game Sharkey recalled We m ram and sleet and snow rid nd id no champion ever aspired toe toe to e a gent We fought with a bunch t r guns around the ring looking for They were w v ere hard dal daj da very s-very s and ard days das da s lie he Jeffries s Fight I still thInk flunk I beat the greatest of ol all time Sharkey aid when I fought Jim Jun Jeffries at oney Island I know Jeff cracked Uee of my rIbs But what are Uee cracked ribs For that fight we pounds and Jeffries e I had to spot bl big un ua 39 pounds But the point I m making making aking is that I was the aggressor cough 25 rounds Remember that ne Paul Armstrong wrote about me Round after round Sharkey cameo camei came o like the surf Jeff stood and waited I had to too too o all the rush all ng-all ng all the leading hey gave me no credit for that lId nd it was still close I still believe e fellow who forces the fighting could get more credit than he gets day Suppose I had stood and acted alted for Jei J Jeffries fries There There would e ate e been no fight he Iron III Man an anAnd And yet I 1 think he is the greatest or at lea least t one oue of the greatest greatest- greatest that ever lived Jell Jeff Jeffas Jeffas as b g strong and fast He lie was cad game an and a murderous punch r with that left hand He De was hard hardi i hurt bunt I 1 don t believe there ever as another who could take takee e beating that J could take takes s some said about him Iou Ion 1 on mIght s well be punching a hydrant He wasn wasp t even close to the real when he fought Jack John Johnall Johnon all on He was the hollow shell they ailed him later A middle aged ellow How who had been out of training tramIng or five or six years I know Jack never bea beat t the fellow I aught at Coney not Island Island not by 10 riles roe ipe and Take TakeI I asked Old Tom the sabr what t took to make a good or great Many things he said and hat hats s why there are so few good becart First of If all aU there must be earl and the speed-the fighting heart lus Ius fast st hands bands ids and fast footwork titer Uter that there must mast be the ability e ble M take e It A good fighter ter must be to punch and punch and also able to take I takeI Punch These are two of the Ins things-the things old give and eke ake There s a another thing Sharkey tided ded The good fighter must have rood legs I ye ve always been a great lever liever In road work Most of these odem fighters don t even know t real road work is I mean 10 12 m lea les a day And through any or daYS Oren Orea many weeks Or en ea many months I d say Gene S GeneS ey was the last t of t the crop who ew what hard bard conditIon meant Tunney beady for SIX years to be ady for Dempsey and he really ked ark access und ss-und Softness The boys today y don on t want to be about this road work stuff Ley tey 1 d rather ride If you haven t gOOd Jogs you haven t got a ante ance e I don t beatse know who 11 U beat se oe Lou s a Ye ve willYe but the one who does wIll willye trained a lot harder and wIll ye better belter legs Too much success bound Und to make you soft in t me I meI know that nobody traIns today Way Jeffries a Ia Inay cd t tk for tor or Corbett and I a fight I or ork k shadow m mean road boxing skipp ng the Parrin partner workouts I |