Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-09-07
CAREER OF JOE BECKETT
HAS ALSO BEEN UNUSUAL
flashcd Into Prominence in rs
Mctcorfc Way as Jack Dempsey
ut Conclusion Of War.
SAID TO HAVE GREAT wALLop
AFTER Winning Championship OF
british Army Beckett Decided 10
become Professional Pugilist and
TOOK Lessons Under Masters.
ny JAMES j. Conn,.,,~,

SEM lCKN, Sept. 6.-This Joe Beck
der OF iistic wonders. has lad ;, c,rcnr
Almost as meteoric az Jack Dctnnsev
~, ana :, heGRet,. so his boosters acclaim.
utah Mauler." British fight fans pramt
that Dempsey has a r1nch of s nore
histnr, ~ pPT ,Hn man any man in the
SYST that It's no stoutcr than ina, "rI
me cnty-thrcc- year old English
giant. e'''"
There's a story circulating ,roprd
that Beckett. in his earlier DAYS. scrvnJ
! $50, "a sort or sparring partner for sam
lang Ian siord When the Boston Tar BABY
MAS touring Europe. And. it's added.
mat Beckett absorbed many nf Iarr'
iords tricks in defense as well as at
tack. II that's true. then i, foilo,Ss
that Beckett must be quite a hitter for
old sam is master in the delivery Of
ooaX crusheTs and jaw ,crurnplers.
h,Hk t'iou ~, beckctt did some lighting
i pacK IN VIZ; he was practically an un-
known outside of army camps until
n ;.i1 the war ended. He was just !.
kid. In leisure moments back Of Tho
nghting lines he met all tho best
hearies-and he scored decisive VIC
tS,r11 - In a SHORT time he became
cessfully defended title during the war.
studied Under Hest Boxers.
~. AlteL the signing OF The arnist.ce Ito
Dark upon a professional puEllis,'s ca
rcer. before doing so. he took Lessons
rom the hes, teachers in England, ana
al
clcverness 80
The big test for Beckett came in ~,
racing OF Frank Goddard. referred to
IN london as Eng lands Jim IcGries''
T"ddarH is OF powerful physique" and
was generally regarded us iinpcrvious
10 knockout punches. And. at the
same time. II WAS assumed tina: no man
could stand up for long before tIe
smashing wal!ops that had made Cod
dard famous.
But along came Rocket. 10 conouc-
J.. iook MN Just Two rounds to do It,
vice Goddard landed his mighty fists
against the Jaw OF Beckett. hu, tho
NounSstcr paid no more attention 10
7 them than he would 10 the punches OF
pan heavyweight. Ana ali the while
ne Wdr boring in. pounding away at
Goddard and gradually chopping tha
f"rcu!eS 10 battered bulk o. a
human. In the second Goddard went
GOV mo more TO rise until long after
'hc tataI ten had been chanted.
And then II was that England cried
I Will the might Of its sporting lungs;
Here is the greatest o. lighters Tho
man that can whip any othe. man in
the world" 80
The one thing that is conclusive
proof OF Becketts rameness il he
fact that he whipped Goddard after
suffering Il knockout defeat at tie
hands OF England's Jim JcNrieR" less
than year ago. Beckett went on
with Goddard then in a sort o. prcliml-
nary encounter. during which both men
suffered knockdowns, Beckett had tho
best OF IL until Goddard slipped over :,
swinging right and Beckett went down
and out
In their recent hrht Beckett, showed
no fear Of Goddard and Went out 10
mix it right from tho start, He quickly
showed that in the few months that
had elapsed he had so Improved that
he was Goddard's superior at every
angle.