Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-02-20
{ From } | Inside the
 PrizeRillg INTERESTING LETTERS OF AN
 Ex-WoRLD'S CHAMPION
 HEAVYWEIGHT By BOB FITzsIMMoNs
MY FIGHT WITH
 JACK DEMPSEY.
tcopJright. by Joseph . Bowlss.,

Occasionally when some man who want,
 to jab me in the feelings gets around
 to the proper point. he hands me ,
 jolt about the brutality I used in m, | fight with Jack Dempsey in 1891
 Now, I want to say right here that 1 was never deliberately brutal in al
 my life, and in the 365 times I've
 stepped into the ring, never yet hurt
 a man more than I could help. Any
 one who says punished Jack Demp-
 sey deliberately or more than was
 necessary, is wrong, and I'd want to
 use a stronger word, if 1t was man i to man.
 Of all the fights ever had think
 that one with Dempsey hurt me worse
 than any other. don't mean he ] actually damaged me, but felt worse over it. You see, was steered
 wrong about Jack It was a mis- i take all through, and if I hadn't been
 put in on the wrong play, Jack
 wouldn't have lasted two rounds I
 could have dropped him to the mat for the count at any time I felt like 1t, and it's one of the sore points I've got against Jimmy Carroll, that the fight went to 13 rounds.
 I'd always heard that Jack was game man, and that he'd fight all the time there was an ounce of fight In him. and as long as he could see any thing in front of him, and now !. know that my first opinion was all to the good When was training Carroll came to me-we were equal partners, you know, and whacked up everything on that basis-and told me that there was disposition to make out that the fight was not going to be a long one, and that he had found out that Dempsey had yellow streak in him as broad as pine plank. He said:
 You just tease him along. Fitz. Sting him good in the face and on the nose, and he'll quit you cold. If you go after him oil the reel, he'll throw up his hands and leave you nat, and the fight won't last two rounds. The gang will get sore, and there's liable to be some trouble about the purse, and we can't afford to take any chances with that $12,000."
 I'd always found Jimmy on the square, and after he had told me .he same story several times, believed 1t, because I didn't think he'd try to steer me crooked. I eased down on the training, and made up my mind to fol- low his advice. Jimmy went off on a spree and for the last few days of the training he never came near me at all, and that's no way to treat d lighter, for when mans getting down towards the finishing end of his work, he wants to have everything right with | him, and worry is the worst thing you can put on him.
 We'll. as I say, Jimmy kept away rom me, and only heard of him once n awhile. As soon as we climbed nto the ring he drew the share of the |, purse that he could lay his hands on, because he believed there was, some hing wrong or would be something wrong with me, and. as he said, he iidn't want to take any chances.
 Well. Jack and faced each other, md tapped him couple of times. ooked him in the eyes, and there wasn't a sign of yellow there. He vas as straight and square that way IS any man could be. I staggered Jim couple of times in the first, and ut him down, but he came back like major, and there wasn't a sign of uit in him.
 I teased him again in the second, nd cut him up little, but he was here hitting at me every chance he ot, and then took out little fast T after him. He was with me, and Ihile he hadn't chance on earth, he 7as a sticker, and I commenced to , hink Jimmy CarrolIs dope had gone , , his head. and he had hooked up I 1rong somehow. After that I knew i could put Jack to sleep any time I -lt like 1t. but I logged along with |