The Washington herald., 1915-12-09
.COffEYS JAW IS
MYSTERY OF ring
HE ALWAYS COMES BACK
Solid Punch on 1t in Early
Rounds of Bout Invariably
Makes Him Groggy.
BY FRANK G. MENKE.

| New York, Dec. Slim Cofrey and his
peculiar jaw constitute one of the great
est mysteries of the prize ring.
No man other than Frank Moran ever
scored a Knockout or technical
! Knockout over Coffey. yet Coffey has
rarely gone through a battle without
being in a seemingly pitiful condition at
one time or another: without seeming to
be on the point of defeat via the knock
out route.
Those who have followed Coffey
! throughout his career have discovered
these strange facts
ID A solid punch landed on Coffey's
jaw In the early rounds of the fight
invariably makes him groggy; nearly
always sends him to the rope for support;
makes shim an object of pity.
go A dozen punches of ,the same kind
and to the same place later on in the
fight never even distrub his balance.
What do You make OF It?
In the majority of Coffey's recent
battles he has taken wallops on his So
called glass jaw in the early rounds
and in practically every instance those
blows have dazed him to a point where
he seemed to be a sure loser. Yet In
every instance. but that Moran affair
he has come back" from that state Of
grogginess. fought with greater fury and
Knockout punches.
Coffey seems to have every requisite
that a champion needs-eScept the power
to stand up under that first swing to the
jaw. II he could overcome that peculiar
affliction he would be a world beater with
six months more of training.
The only smear on CoYey's record is
that Moran fight CofYey wasn't actually
knocked out by Moran. In the third
round. as in the second, he ran sfioul OF
one Of Moran's swings to the jaw. I'm
!ngly helpless. Despite the protests Of
Coney and Billy Gibson. his manager.
Bill Brown. the referee. waved Coffey to
his corner and. of course. Moran was ac-
claimed the victor.
Those spectators of that fight who
know Coffey. know the early round weak
ness Of his jaw and also his rocuperative
power. claim that Coffey should have
been allowed to continue-that he even
tually would have won the fight. Others
who saw the bout declare CofYey was in
such pitiful condition that II would
have been a crime TO permit the fight to
so on.
And there you area jury divided
against itself.
Coney Is Real Fighter.
| Coffey is one OF the most perfect speci-
mems of physical manhood in the ring
today. He Is something like feet and 3
inches tall. weighs around 200 and Is won-
lderfu!ly proportioned. No fighter edges"
him In gameness or aggressiveness-and
no fighter can punch harder.
There are some who claim Coffey has
nothing but left jab. Those are the
persons who never have really looked up
Coffey's ring record. Coffey is a left jab-
bcr-but he can swing q right with fight
ending effect. too. Coffey uses his left
hand five times to once for his right
but there is method In his peculiar style
That left jab is to chop down his foe to
ia Knockout point and the right is saved
for the finishing wallop.
How He Beat Gunboat Smith.
Gunboat Smith learned that recently
to his sorrow. Gunboat had heard that
Coffey was a one-handed fighter, and SO
he went into battle with Coffey fearing
only Coffey's left. For three rounds Cof-
fey used his left, leaving his right hang
ing almost useless. Smith became care
less about that right and In the fourth
round that right shot up like flash
Of lightning. caught Smith with its ter
rife power7And Smith went down and
out for the full count.
Coffey's early fault-and one which as
serts itself occasionally now-is his ex-
treme eagerness b mix things at the
start. The first bell sends him out rush.
ing his opponeA sends him out fighting
with the fierceness and speed that most
men show only in the final round of a
fight. And that's where Coffey places
himself at a big disadvantage-and that's
how his foes usually are able to slip
over that wobble-producing punch.
But Coffey's trainers are curing him
gradually of that fault: they are teaching
him the science of defense and he is
succeeding so well that he may reach the
championship throne some day-if his
Jaw can learn to stand the first few