The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-19
DEMPSEY NOT THE CHAMPION
 OF FIGHTERS
So Says mes-Farmer Wo- man Writer-"Has Same Prediliction For Sawdust As His Predecessor"

:" I'LL YOU said the sport w ing editor to me the other morning, then stopped and grinned Not knowing what was back of the grin and wishing 10 be agreeable I grinned back. When he finally fn- ished his remark I understood the reason of his apparently groundless | n1irth. This is what he finally said: will you write me special story giving your impressions of Jack Dempsey?''
 Rather took me aback, that re- quest. Never having attended a | prize fight, and not following the news l of the squared circle very closely, it | struck me as queer that he should | think I had any impressions a all. He
 assured me that he would give me all | the dope" and perhaps I could man age to get some sort of an idea what | kind of a chap Dempsey was | We argued the point at some 1 length as to my ability to comply 1 with his request and in an unguard- 1 ed moment I agreed. Roger said he 1 didn't want the story right away so
 it occurred to me that perhaps in the l meantime a happy thought might 1 strike me. Thinking no more about l 1t l had almost forgotten my rash
 
 ! day and remarked:
 1 You're going to have that special ] story for me tomorrow, aren't you ?'' | oh, yes,' l assured him, inwardly, | wondering how on earth it was going 1 to be done.
 There seems to be, according to 1 the dope" furnished me concerning l Dempsey, some points that are de- i cidedly in his favor. Also there is ] one that stands out overwhelmingly 1 against him. Perhaps it would be | better to deal with the favorable ones 1 first.
 To begin with his first act after he | had become heavyweight champion
 was to discharge every obligation | rnoney-wise that he had He did 1 not forget the man who gave him his | first start-paying him all that he l owed him with interest. After he | had gotten through paying his bills 1 he had disposed of every cent of the l championship purse. At that it Is
 not easy to part with S27,50O cash when you have it right in your hand Then, again, Dempsey has always l and a rover, but his ha bits helped
 him to build up a powerful physique i that enabled him to defeat over 1 Whelmingly a man who supposedly should have annthilated him. Will I lard had height, weight and reach il i his favor. Dempsey intends to stick to his good habits and because oi I them he stands an excellent chance ot 1 holding his honors for some time to | come.
 It seems likely from his previous 1 fighting record that boxing fans arc | to be provided with much material for l their delight I)en1DSev Is the | kind of chap who is unwilling to de- 1 fend his title. He is every inch a l boxer. Almost called him fighter, ? l but that would be far from right for
 a good and sufficient reason. He ] started boxing four years ago and scored eighteen knockouts, each with | in one rounds time.
 | The reason why Dempsey l cannot lay the slightest claim to the title "fghter.'' is the one point which weighs so heavily against 1 those others in his favor. It is backed up by every man who left
 this country to go overseas and | fight. Can we compare, not compare, either, for would we l dare apply the same cognomen to our boys who gave up their lives in the bloody struggles of the World War to a stacker who evaded service by going to work in a shipyard? Men who were | not in the physical trim of this man would have sufficed to do the work on this side of the water. It was men like Dempsey who were needed as fighters and he 1 threw aside his chance and the l respect of his fellows at the same | time True, the respect of other | men, probably, does not weigh l very heavily against the financial | opportunities afforded the win l ner of the heavyweight cham | pionship.
 | Today he Is a featured attraction
 with the SelIs-Floto circus. He must
 have the same prediliction for the
 saytlust ring as his predecessor l Three facts more about the cham ! pion: He is ried-has a moth CT. his only living relative, residing in Salt Lake City-and he was born
 in the West There is one thing not
 quite clear. Knowing that he ran
 away when a boy, did he leave his | mother to wage her way alone in the l world, while he was pursuing his ad- l yenturous career or was she provided for? But, perhaps, the public will not care to know. It will suffice then, to hail him king of the ring | and follow him as hero worShippers MISS M. s.