Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-10-19
LIVE SPORTING GOSSIP
dempsey HARDEST HITTING CHAMPION
EVER; COULD X. 0. ANY FORMER Title
HOLDER, IS OPINION Of jim C0RDETT

round he rushed Fitz with a left, fol-
lowed 1t with a right, which COM
pletely knocked the champ cold.
Jeff then held the title for a period
of seven years without a defeat. He,
too, took on all corners and put the K.
during the seven years. He fought
Fitz a return match in San Francisco
in 1902, putting the former champ
away in eight hard-fought rounds.
Having no one left to fight Jeff
refereed bout between Marvin Hart
and Jack Root in Reno, New, on July
3, 1906. and offered the belt to the
winner. Hart won the fight in IL
rounds and although previously de-
feated by Jeff he was given the heavy
weight belt In this way the coveted
title was practically given away and a
champion retired, the only one to do
SO undefeated.
The next fighter of note that ap-
pears on the boxing horizon Is Tommy
Burns of Canada. TINS tighter was
but five feet seven inches in height
and weighed but 1856 pounds. He fought
his way to the top, defeating larger
men than himself and finally was
matched with Hart, the champ, at Los
Angeles, on February 20, 1906. Burns
won the decision in ~ rounds and
then claimed the title of the heavy
weight division.
After Burns had held the heavy
weight crown but one year he was
forced to fight Jack johnson, the COL
ored aspirant for the title. Jack had
won from all the heavies between him
and the champ and followed Burns to
Australia for match. Finally the
fight came off and after, Burns was
knocked down twice In the fourteenth
round Referee Mcintosh stopped the
affair and proclaimed johnson the new
champ.
Jack returned to America and irnme-
diately issued a challenge to Jeffries,
the retired champ. The fight fans of
the country kept after JeIf to again
enter the ring and so, in 1908. he final
ly agreed. ON July 4, 1910, the great
battle, that was attended by fight fans
from all over the world, was staged
under the broiling sun in the Nevada
city. Jeffries entered the ring and 1t
was apparent that he was not the jeff
Of old. He seemed to lack the pep
hehad when holder of the title and
fighter in the fourteenth round, leav-
ing the crown in the hands Of Jack
Johnson.
Every fighter among the heavies
| then became a white hope this mum
| Der including Carl Morris, the Okla
homa giant, Al PalZer, Luther Nc
carthy, Art Pelkey, Gunboat Smith and
Frank Moran. None Of them proved
worthy of taking on the colored champ
however. From 1910 until 1915 John
son fought but one bout and this with
Jim Flynn of Pueblo. The Colorado
fighter fouled the champ and the col
ored boxer retained the title. Then
Jess Willard, the Kansas giant, hove
into sight. The Kansas was given the
opportunity of meeting johnson in 1915
in Havana, Cuba, and won with a
knockout in the twenty fourth round
After fighting but one bout and that
no. decision affair in New York, Will
| lard was matched with Jack Dempsey
the Salt Lake City fighter. The match
took place at Toledo, Ohio. on July
of this year and for the fight Willard
was guaranteed 100000. Dempsey, az
| is now a matter of boxing history
knocked the champ out in one round
although credited with a three-rounC
X. o. Dempsey has proven to be one
of the most popular of our champs ant
is termed by all experts Of the boxing
game as the hardest hitting heavy
! weight that ever held the title.