The Washington herald., 1919-06-22
ll1unroe Tells of Dempsey Knock Out Knack
Dempsey Is Not a Terry McGopern,
But Has Champs Knockout Punch

LNOAL i NILIfL
the first title holder who was a big
ger man than Dempsey. he scaling
an exact e5 when he whipped Fitz
for the championship at Coney Island.
Jack johnson tipped the beam at 100
to 200 when IN his finest physical
trim.
Dempsey Knockout King.
Dempsey. in thirty five recorded
nights. has terminated twenty-eight
Of them by knockouts. His bouts
have averaged about two and
fraction rounds-a singularly phenom-
email record. Even Bob Fitzsimmons,
generally considered the greatest
heavyweight the ring ever produced
and the heaviest hitter, doesn't quite
class with today's Challenger as a
quick finisher. After winning the mid
dle-weight title the great Cornishman
| In eighteen ring conflicts with the
best heavies Of his period dealt knock
outs right and left. but on ayerag ging
them up i find that each fight lasted
hve and one-half reunds-about two
rounds longer than those OF Demp-
sey's. The Colorado terror NAV never
win the worlds title but that he is
the present king is beyond denial.
Jack Dempsey Is "a years old, is OF
American parentage and first saw the
light Of day in West Virginia. When
he was a mere STRIPPING his folks
moved to Grand Junction, Colo. After
he had pursued knowledge far enough
IN the Grand Junction public schools,
the youthful Jack forsook the light
~ Ern laAa EAr u
Colorado coal mine. Jack piled the
pick several years, building customs
of good muscle on his robust frame
by daily swinging of the pick and
driving the point into natures re-
sisting rock formations. But young
Jack has romantic nature and un-
1oosening coal soon grew irksone He
| finally prevailed upon his family to
move to Salt Lake City. There Jack
worked at odd jobs. carpentering,
railroading and other occupations
which always contributed to his ply
sical growth.
It's a curious fact to note In con-
nection with the previous occupations
of stars Of the ring that only one.
to my knowledge, has ever relin-
/, , quished a sedentary position/and taken
UP the rough life of the ring ana
made good. Usually people who punch
other folks faces for their bread and
butter have been identified with some
! Job that has endowed them with mus
| Gle and stamina to withstand the
buffeting of the ring.
James ]. Corbett was the excep-
; tion. He was a sallow faced. stoop-
shouldered bank-clerk when he first
got the notion, he would like to
shine as a fighter. Jim then gave
up the bank cage for the great out
1 of doors. where he built UP the
physique that enable him to van
quish John L. Sullivan the Boston
Strong Boy"
Sullivan himself was a TIMERS
| apprentice. Bob Fitzsimmons de-
veloped his matchless fighting ma
chinery as a blacksmith. Jim JET
fries acquired additional power to
his great natural strength by bat
tering the resisting iron in his
boilermaking trade. Jess Willard,
Lutte McCarty and the marvellous
Stanley Ketchel stored up energy
| in the active life of cowboys.
Peter Maher, one of the stiffest
punchers that ever donned the mitts,
built up his driving power tossing
beer barrels about. Tommy Burns
developed a great amount of stam-
ina as professional hockey player
in Canada; loading and unloading
river boats as stevedore on the
Galveston waterfront laid the foun-
dation of Jack Johnson's splendid
muscular makeup and fed the
strength to force the mighty JEFF
fries arms behind the Californian's
back while coming out of the
clinches. Outside of George Car
pentier, Bill Lang (and myself)
Dempsey is the first examiner Oh
today to win renown in pugilism.
Case of Kid Mccoy.
One OF the best illustrations of a
boxer lacking the physical Qualifl-
cations yet having everything els,
was the famous Kid Mccoy. Mccoy,
who lived on his wits, Cof which he
had plenty both in and out of the
ring), never did lick of hard worK
that toughens the body and puts
breadth of chest and sturdy muscio
on a man. Mccoy. perhaps the
trickiest and foxiest gladiator that
ever parted Queensberry ropes,
never weighed over 160 pounds in
his life.
After Fitzsimmons graduated into
the heavyweight class, Mccoy was
recognized by some as the middle
weight king but the calculating kid
had bigger aims.He wanted to fea-
ture the heavies. too. His boundless
ring craft and terrific cork screw
wallop rendered him a menace to
the best of them >but lack of a be,.
ter physique barred the way to IN,
lofty ambitions. He could never get
past tough Tom Sharkey and the
bigger Jim Corbett.
Jobs Fit Fighters!
Jack Dempsey. however. has has
the beHefit of previous deveIopmen n,
in earlier pursuits. No better look
ing man than the challenger ever
stripped for hostilities in "a modern
prize ring. Above the waist he y,
built like a Fitzsimmons with arms
even more powerful and shoulder,
almost as broad as Lanky Rob,s
His well formed head and sduar,
jaws repose on seventeen-inch
neck constructed, It would seem es-
pecially for absorbing blows with
out the shock of insensibility.
Jacks legs are those of a runner.
tapering down to ankles which
would do credit to a high scboo,
girl and accounting for his fast foot
work.
Success From Start.
From the start Jack Dempsey wa.
an astonishing success as a fighter
Fighting was all he knew or wanteo
to know. He never pined for clev-
ernesS This is n10nstratadt h., a.