Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-08-09
SOLDIERS SAY
BOB MARTIN is
BEST FIGHTER
Young Giant, Fresh From His
Army Victories, is Out After
the Scalp of Dempsey.
Who is the real heavyweight

WHO IS Tue real A6dfy weight
champion of the world?
Put this question to several thou
sand doughboys, now stationed at
Camp Dix. and they will immedl-
ately say Sergeant Robert L. Mar
tin, Fourth Sanitary Train, A. E.
F., is the man.
Sergeant Martin of Terra Alto,
West Virginia, who started last
Sunday on the q. s. S. Minnesota
with a casual company, is the A. e.
F, heavyweight champion. big
Bob" as he is called by his dough
boy pals, conquered some twenty
European heavyweight fighters in
the inteT-allied tournament held at
Pershing Stadium in Paris, recent
ly.
Martin is a veritable giant and is
but twenty-one years of age. He
tips the scales at 100 pounds, and
stands 6 feet inches in his stock
ings. He enlisted in the first regi-
ment, West Virginia National Guard
in his home town on June l, 1915.
When the United States entered
the war, Martin was sent overseas
with the first contingent from Camp
Shelby, Mississippi. Despit the fact
that he was in France for more
than a year, the closest Martin
came to the front line trenches was
thirty-five kilometers. When the
armfstice was signed he just got
within hearing distance Of the
Boche shells.
Martins first boxing abroad was
with Journee, French heavyweight
and sparring partner of Georges
Carpenter, the French champion.
He knocked out Journee in three
rounds. In the semi-finals of the A.
z. F. tourney he met Stuber Of
England, another tough heavy
weight, who lasted but thirty sec
onds with this young sensation.
One of Martins greatest achieve
ments was applying the K o. to
Captain CoughiIl, the heavyweight
champion of Australia in the final
bout of the Inter-AIlied fights in
/ fifty seconds. This happened on the
same day that Dempsey defeated
willard for the worlds heavyweight
title. The Australian weighed more
than 22O pounds and stood feet 6
inches in height.
In disposing of his rivals in such
a short space of time, Martin
proved himself to be of the same
rushing and speedy type as Jack
Dempsey.
General John J. Pershing who was
present when his young doughboy
put away the husky Frenchman in
less time than it takes to tell it,
spoke as follows when he gave
Martin the championship medal:
Martin, 1 have seen you hght
three times, but you surprised me
in your last fight by knocking the
Frenchman out so quickly. l
thought it would go more than one
round though 1 knew you would
win. You are young and if you take
care of yourself you'll make good.
I feel proud of you and my best
wishes go with you in your future
Martin gets his honorable dis
charge today and he will immedi-
ateIv go into training and take on
all the heavyweights and eventual
" issue a challenge to Jack Demp-
sey.
When asked if he thought he had
a chance with Dempsey, he indig-
nantly replied: 81 have a chance
with anybody in the world. They
can't come too big for me- The big
ger they come the harder they fall.
l realize that Dempsey is a good
man but I will be ready for him
within a year"
In company with Martin is Ted
Jamerson, the light-heavyweight
champion of the A. f. F. and his
sparring partner. Jamerson compet-
ed in the Inter-Allied tournament
in his division but met defeat in the
semi-finals at the hands of French
fighter.