Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-12-12
DEFINING REGARDS
BOXING AS JOKE

HOW He became SCRAPpER.
Learned Ring Game In Bouts During
Lunch Hour at the Foundry-Expects
to Be Hailed as Champion Some Day.
Tolls Of His First Fight.
Most boxers look upon their profes.
sion as u very serious occupation, but
Jack Denning. the New York weller.
weight, who recently fought q draw
with Mike Gibbons in Gotham. is a
glaring exception to the rule. Jack
thinks fighting is a huge joke, especial,
ly when compared to his former mode.
Of earning a living.
Pounding iron in a foundry is no
joke; humping an opponent with a
pair of boxing gloves is so amusingly
funny that it's really a big joke. To
me there's nothing furnishes the same
amount of fun and entertainment that
the boxing game does," said Denning
as he ordered an extra platter Of eggs
at a hotel in New York recently.
Perhaps Denning's idea that even
fighting is only a joke may have some
thing to do with the fact that his
friends all call him Laughing jack"
he is fond of boxing principally be-
cause of the amusement it furnishes
him. The business end has not receiv-
ed Jacks attention until within the
last twelve months and then only be-
cause he has a big family on his
hands.
Denning has been fighting only three
years, but today he is considered to
be one of the most promising welters
In the country. He il a very clever
boxer, who can hit as hard as any of
the men In that class today. 1t
wouldn't be surprising If he goes to
the top and wins the title.
But for Denning's story Of how he
drifted into the fighting business. It's
interesting because it shows how COM
paratively easy a man succeeds who
keeps on plugging:
when I was a kid Of twelve my IA
Their died. 1t was up to me to hustle,
and took the first thing that came my
way. 1t happened to be a job in an
iron foundry pounding iron all day.
At first the work was terribly hard,
but when I began to realize that it was
making me strong I stuck with it.
Foundry work is no joke, particularly
to a kid. and l was looking around for
something to amuse myself with dur
Ing the short noon hour. In one of the
neighboring back yards several of the
men gathered and put on the gloves.
Soon l was at it with the larger fell
said Dennfng.
Learns During Lunch Hour.
"Some way l seemed to box we'll
without much effort. In a short while
the men in the foundry brought in
clever fellows who knew the game to
box me during the lunch hour. 1 learn
ed many little tricks of the craft.
Zone day in 1908 l was asked over to
the new West Side Athletic club in
New York to box. In those days the
club was considered the toughest
school Of fighting in the world. If a
fellow got away with all the men in
his class he'd be stacked up against
heavier men. The process would be
until some one received q
good trimming.
II made a hit at the club. Every
heavyweight they put up against me l
to the national championships held
that year in Boston. There l won the
amateur lightweight title.
-Four months later l decided I'd try
the professional game.
AT last | got on a bout at a stag
The manager warned me there'd be no
purse unless there vas a quick knock
out. and at the bell I tore after the big
fellow who was my opponent. I be-
lieve it was in the third round that l
put owe the knockout.
"There was a terrible banging at the
locked doors. and a second later half q
dozen oops broke into the place. They
hustled that stag party into the patrol
wagon. the fighters going first. We
arrested, and 1t was my first at
tempt at fighting for money. I laughed
and laughed. 1t was terribly funny.
"As we bobbed under the light at
the corner the fellow I'd knocked out
was sprawled On the floor of the wag-
OH. Even that was funny. In a couple
of minutes he came to and asked, oh,
where am II Somebody told him he
was riding in a wagon. i've been
knocked out hundreds of times, but /
never came to JOY riding BEFORE he re-
piled. He was an amusing fellow. be-
lieve me-
"Well, l went along fighting and
working In the foundry until a year
ago. Since then l have been very sue
cessful.
II expect to be the welterweight
champion some day, At present I have
to fight middleweights, but gradually I
hope to see the welterweight situation
cleared up, With me ut the top Of the
class and holding the title"
Syracuse To Row Annapolis.