New-York tribune., 1919-05-25
Jack Dempsey
Mon Chance i'm
Fulton Bout
Knocking Out of s'Plas-
terer'' Made Westerner
Logical Foe for Willard
By w. 0. Mcclellan

>'A%So SSNViOS dt I1dEIlSOn, N. d., the
Willard Dempsey fight was as good as
settled. Up to that time Fulton was
considered seriously as heavyweight,
championship possibility Dempsey
disposed of him with two blows, left
to the stomach and right to the jaw
This spectacular bout gives the fight
fans couple of quaint angles to pom
der over between now and July a. Full
ton was passed upon by many experts
as having a real chance with Willard
Following this line of reasoning-if
there is any reason to it-Dempsey
should have far better chance
But not a great many fight fans are
going to reason that way. Their con-
clusion is that Fulton always was a
big dub. and that experts on boxing
are terrible--the last of which is more
or less true. If Dempsey had not come
along and knocked out Fulton the
Rochester plasterer would have been
the one to be matched against Willard.
And because of his size and reach the
average fight fan would be conceding
him better chance against Willard
than is conceded to Dempsey
Some Ugly Tales
Some ugly tales have come out of
the on-Dempsey fight. Fulton has
told number of rambling yarns. The
real story seems to be that Dempsev
had an agreement with Fulton not to
make fight out Of it. When Fulton
entered the ring Dempsey informed
him that all agreements were off, con-
An%1 Er1l%1
fore Dempsey's left bent him double
and left him open for the right to the
jaw.
Dempsey had another Of these "gen-
tlemen's agreements" with Battling Le-
whisky. They were to have battled
few careful rounds, but again Dempsey
made it a fight on it's merits and
knocked out the Jewish gladiator. Bat
tling Levinsky's former manager and
Jack Kearns, the manager Of Dempsey,
had some harsh words aid swung a
few Intellectual punches at each other
over this matter lately.
Levinsky's manager claimed that
Dempsey's action in crossing" Levin
sky after making the agreement was
unethical. That was the managerial
point of view. Jack Kearns returned
the celebrated retort of the late Willus
Britt, who formerly managed Stanley |
Ketchel, "There amt no ethics in the
fight game"
In disposing of Fulton and Levinsky
despite agreements, Dempsey did the
boxing game considerable service.
Also he boosted himself into place
where he had to be matched with the
heavyweight champion. He has the
chance for the title-the chance. Be-
tween them Jack Dempsey and his
manager, Jack Kearas, seem to muster
considerable astuteness. They have
realized that honesty can be cashed.
1t has been a rare jewel in the mod
ern prizering, and brings a good price.
Counting on Jacks Speed
once more the chatterers are bring
ing up the dope to demonstrate that a
good little man always has a chance.
iney point to the Yact that Dempsey
mas the speed and a shift that is like
the shift of the late Stanley Ketchel.
Ihis shift, they believe, will worry
Willard and puzzle him, and Dempsey
VIII manage to get past the Willard
straight left to land vital punch.
winch reminds us Of one unfortunate
venture undertaken by Stanley Ketchel
Inis was the time he signed to fight
JACK johnson. There we certainly had
the good little man, the best Of the
comparatively little men, with as hard
a punch as ever was carried bv a mid
dleweight. But Ketchel was child in
the hands of the black, who nlaved |
with him and had him at his mercv oil |
through the bout. And remember that
willard bulks much bigger apaina+
dempsey than johnson did aoa;ns+
hetchel, and that Willard is the con-
queror of Johnson
Some will try to say that Ketche1
Knocked Johnson down and that he made
good showing against the black. Thev
90 not know the inside story of that
hght, either. There was an apreemant
ne1ore the fight that it was to be q
boxing match pure and simple and
that the black was not to extend him
SELF A''"-
but ketchel. egged on by his man.
aeer' Wiilus Britt, tried-as the saving
LEO cross johnson. In the twelfth
fouho ketchel, seeing an opening.
swung Tor Johnson's jaw. The black
through instinct which many negro
( ngn'ers seem to possess, sensed the
punch coming and ducked II cauoht
+. MN high on the cheek instead of on the
jaw. - VII ''e
3 me blow raised a slight lump and
'onnson did stage fall. When he
rose there was blaze of anger in his
: eyes over what he considered treacberv
on the part Of Ketchel. johnson
leacned out that snaky left of his and
caught Ketchel flush on the Jaw Tbs
$ middieweight crumpled into nit;fuI
nesp. johnson leaned over him anx-
Iousiy' fearing that he had hurt him
g fatally. He picked him up as thonah
ne were child and carried him ~ ~
corner. When he came to Ketcha1
cried like a child. 0"'i
~ was apparent to anybody at Tho
fingslde that johnson couId hsme ms
x. knocked out Ketchel any time during
the tight. And remember that Ketcha1
!. was a good little man with as fast
snit as Dempsey and credited with
having as hard punch az was ever
PACKED by man of his weight.
Perhaps Dempsey Ia the suner .ooa
itsie-man and perhaps willard no
longer IL tho good-bg,ma There will
De plenty Of debate along these lines
pesween now and July T.
Baker IL Man.uar