| Show THE SPORT LIGHT IS Dy OR D RIde RICE Copyright 1025 New York TrIbune Inc Trademark Registered V U S S Patent Of Of fice xo NO VP UI rT It Is now flow fairlY evident o that Gene Oene Tunney Is not going to step forward and peel the heavy heavyweight crown from the clammy brow of any physical wreck Gene will have havo I to earn cant what he gets for forthe forthe the champion happens to bo be a ahardy ahardy I hardy mug even at the advanced age age of 31 years There has been a tendency in inmany Inmany Inmany many quarters to underrate Dempsey's ring ability Ir Irate te readers continue to denounce any statement In this column that Dempsey was ever any good But Dempsey In his prime was about as good as any of them from John Lawrence Sullivan to Jack Johnson DEMPSEY Dempsey ran h head on on ad-on Into a flare flare of unpopularity front from rom the start of his career He tailed failed to report tor for army service serice although ho was then just 22 2 years old and andIn andin andin In perfect physical condition lIe He knocked out Fred Ired Fulton ulton on the tho day a number of American regiments suffered losses In the push between Tar en Tar cn and The report of this battle battiG failed to stir up any vast enthusiasm among American troopers In France They were vere continually asking why Dempsey wasn't knocking out some German for Cor 40 a month After that episode Dempsey ran Into more unpopularity by duck duck- duckIng ducking ducking ing the ring for years ears at ata ata a time timo taking up motion pictures and using a II revamped nose Almost every moie mo he ho made mado only added to his bis long list of He lie drew a spotty start and he made It worse But Dut this has hag little lIttie or nothing to eo do with the fact that he always hs been a maal smashing two handed two hitter who could do a lot Jot of fight fight- fightIng tight tight-ing I Ing Inside the ropes ABOUT PUNCHERS A number of letters have come comein comeIn I In saying that Dempsey's punching I II I Power ower Is or was greatly over over- overrated overrated overrated rated They point to the fact tact that he could not stop Tom Jom Gibbons in InIS 15 rounds and that he ho took 12 rounds to drop Dill Bill Drennan Brennan Jeffries didn't drop Tom Shar- Shar Sharkey Sharkey Shar key In 25 rounds It took him 23 rounds to knock out Jim Cor Cor- Corbett belt Cor-belt bett who had been away from the ring for tor years ears Harry Wills fought 27 rounds against little Bartley Madden and the crude Firpo without stopping either cither And at the tho finish Madden had Wills Vilis on tho the defensive back back- backIng backlog backing ing log away was a good puncher But he ha wasn't as quick a finisher as Dempsey Jack John Johnson on fought 20 rounds round with Marvin Hart and 20 rounds with ith Frank Moran minus a II knockout It took Johnson 17 rounds to knock out Jeffries who at the time was as bald fat tat and out of shape seven years away from the tho ring TIm TIlE ON-LY ON TWO TWO-HANDER O lL Jack Dempsey is the only two two- two handed handed puncher among amont the heavy heavy- heavyweights weights heavy wel weights since Bob Fitzsimmons He lacked Ruby Roberts Robert's ring craft and cunning and he lacked the tho Ruby ones one's boxing skill but buthe buthe buthe he had more speed and power at athis athis his best than Fit ever ver knew A right or a II left Is all the same to Dempsey wherever the tho opening shows He lie has been as heavy a 0 puncher with one hand handas handas handas as he was with the other Jim Corbett brought out the poInt that It If Jeffries had ever dropped Willard or Firpo neither man would have gotten up again But Dut Jeffries never nevet would have dropped either cither Willard or FIrpo seven times or one ono time In the first round Jeff was ft a methodical worker taking his time Dempsey has hns wasted little time In getting his hisman hisman hisman man at the earliest lest possible mo- mo moment moment mo moment ment the tho one exception being the Gibbons tight fight when hoVas ho he was Vas plain plain- plainly plainly plainly ly worried about the possibility of trouble from th the crowd AX AN SUMMING G VT UP tT I There i In Is ho excuse to otter for Dempsey's unpopularity H brought It on himself The two big mistakes he hO made wOre were duck ducking Ing log ing the khaki in 1917 and 1918 1018 an and t later In lit refusing to fight I No champion can ean remain popular popular popular lar who ho retires retiree for or three years and tries outI out ft I over made beak for the sliver silver screen But this has nothing to do with hIs hl ring ability His tin un- unpopularity un unpopularity popularity will never get Jet him an even break for tor or the future futuro hen ahen ring rankings are taken up Yet h he Is the tho most spectacular ring figure the game gamo ever haS haa known There has been no one else who ho combined quite as much speed dash aggressiveness and punch punch- punchIng punching punching ing power ower And there has baa been no one else who has had quite as much ring grace with the ex- ex exception ex exception of Jim Corbett And Cor Cor- Cor betts Cor-bett's bUs batte speed spell and grace prace were more effective ve In der defense than offence AS A CROWD enon ATTRACTION Dempsey has been a tremendous maker money maker because his appear appear- appearance appearance ance sacs In the ring meant dash and action fireworks and flame There have been few dull mo- mo mo moments ments In any fight ht he be ever fought Compare this record to IB most tights fights that are 90 SO per Der cent dull moment He lie always was Vas throwing a right or a left Idt at some opponent and It wasn't In play It has always been said that hI h hemet met only ups setups What men Tacit did Jack Johnson Johnsen beat aft utter r winning the title 7 Jim Flynn old and worn orn out Stanley Ketchell a mid mid- middleweight mid Tommy Burns Durns Frank Moran on points after 20 rounds These fall fail to outshine Willard W Brennan Carpentier Gib- Gib Gibbons Gib Gibbons bons and Firpo Neither list 1st la is Impressive But when a II heavyweight ham champion pion ar- ar arrIves arrives ar arrives rives there thero usually Is little left leftIn leftin leftIn In the way of elas class clasi Few champions have hwe knocked out any great rivals because there hav been almost no great rivals rival left lett These had to be cleaned out outon outon outon on the tho way ay up tin Boxing Is ii different from bas base b r ball football tennis lennis and golf olf games that carry many stars stats I There There Ican are few good boxers boxer who I can also aio hit and fight Rarely only one jone or two at a time In the heavyweight ht section |
