Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-28
TOMMY AND JACK
VERY DIFFERENT
BIG MEN UNLIKE AS TO THEIR
MANNERISMS
Burns Not Such a Talker as o'BrIen,
Who Makes It His Object to
Gain All Possible
Publicity

Here is how press agent views Tom
my Burns and Jack O'Brien:
The difference in the temperaments
of the two fighters who will dis9ort
themselves for the benefit Of the cans
and, incidentally, for mere trihe of
$4,000 May 8, is remarkable. In fact,
it would be difficult to find two men
Of more opposite mannerisms. Tommy
Burns is very quiet, says little and
smiles but seldom. He takes life and
himself very seriously and his work
more seriously yet. He greets a friend
with handshake and a "Hello how
are you?" But there he stops unless
there is something important TO talk
about.
Jack O'Brien, on the other hand, ap-
parently gauges life as on large jolly.
He can look serious if he has to, but
he is usually smiling and when he
greets friend accompanies his hand
shake with some timely Josh" Jack
is, in fact, a man with a double per-
sonality. The real man is hidden be-
meath a surface layer of pose.
He understands the necessity for n
man in his position to gain all the
publicity possible and for that reason
he conducts himself very much as an
actor who fancies himself always on
the stage.
O'Brien Poser
Even when training Jack cannot for
get his pose. He will stop in the mid
die of some exercise to explain to the
onloollers why he performs that par
ticular stunt. He will tell what mus
cles he is exercising and what benefit
he expects to reap from the work he
is doing. When he jumps down from
the training ring where he has been
working his features relax in exactly
the same way as do those of an actor
who leaves the stage after n hard piece
of character acting.
Tommy Burns has a character that
is perhaps no deeper than OBrien's,
but it has a quiet underlying force that
enables him to concentrate all his in
ate energy and purpose upon one thing.
He is determined to defeat Jack
O'Brien. He carries that determina-
ton round with him. He is probably
too phlegmatic for this to affect his
sleep, but if he dreams at all he must
dream of punch that sends the Phila-
delphian to the floor for the count.
This solemn, almost sullen, determi-
nation is evidenced in all his work.
One can see when he thrashes the
punching bag with such tremendous
wallops tnat he has persuaded himself
that he is hitting his future opponent
and he is figuring all the time where
he can best hit him next,
Let Jack does not lack that same
quiet force of character. He covers it
with q veneer of "insouciance," but it
is merely veneer. Underneath is force
that is driving him always to harder
work and more daring challenges. He
has an almost overweening faith in
himself. One cannot call it a case of
common or garden swelled head.
1t is far beyond that. He absolutely
believes that he is the champion boxer
in the world of his weight. He feels
deep down within himself that he knows
more than any other man alive about
the art of boxing Lucky blows may
strike him and for the time being he
may be dazed, but in the long run he
will win out and prove his superiority.
Lives to Defeat Burns
These are Jacks sentiments, not only
his sentiments, but his very faith. If
Burns should defeat him it is hard to
say what the result on his life would
be. He is level headed enough to know
that such a defeat should be the last
one for him and that he should ring
down the curtain on his career in the
ring Yet it is possible that he would
persuade himself that he could still
retrieve his name.
On the other hand, should he defeat
Burns, the victory will add an impetus
to his ambition and self-confidence that
may carry him much further. With
all his mannerisms and pose Jack
O'Brien is a business man, and when
he sees that he can no longer make
money in the ring he will quietly retire
and attend to the business interests
wherein his large earnings are already
bringing him a good income.
Everything you want you will find in
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