The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-24
DEMPSEY COMPARED
WITH PREDECESSORS
Five Noted Champions Would
Have Made It Interest
ing for Jack.
BEST IN HITTING POWER
Also Has Margin on Former
Title Holders in Speed
Ring Gossip.
BEST IN HITTING POWER
By CROSS COUNTER.


rest of the heavyweight crop OF the pres
ent time, leaving no man OF consequences
to oppose him, finds himself In the guam
dairy of being compelled to await the
development in the future OF a worthy
opponent. In substance the champion
has done all that reasonably can be
asked of him. He has defeated all of
his logical opponents except one. Willie
Meehan, and took the crown away from
the worlds title holder by knockout
Only one heavyweight champion did bet
ter Jeffries beat all the best men OF
his time twice for good measure.
Peter Jackson fought every good man
that could be induced to meet him, but
Sullivan, Corbett and Fltz, during the
time they held the titles, avoided the
West Indian.
Sullivan's record is weak compared
10 Dempsey's. the Bostonian sidestep-
ping Jackson, Slavin, Goddard and F'itz.
Corbett. who, previous to becoming
champion, had fought jackson to a
sixty-one round draw, refused to make
match with the black after winning
the title from Sullivan.
Fitzsimmons did not apparently fear
any one, but he did not meet jackson
when the latter requested It.
Tommy Burns did not encourage for
nidable opponents and johnson was too
busy lodging officers of the law to do
much lighting in the ring. Willard was
a circus man not a boxer. Therefore
1t appears that Dempsey has done all
he can be asked to do until such time
as a heavyweight appears who seems
able to cope with the champion.
FauItnnderx Busy.
Despite his excellent record there Is
disposition to decry the championship
status of the head Of the heavyweight
division 1t is said that Sullivan, Jack
son. Corbett, Fitz and Jeff were his
superiors and that johnson was a bet
ter man than the victor in the battle of
Maumee Bay.
The fact that three OF the famous
champions mentioned have passed on.
and that the others are entirely out of
competition, makes It difficult to draw
comparison. 1t also is impossible to
arrive at conclusion as to the rela-
tive merits of Dempsey and his prede-
cessors in the championship because OF
the varying calibre Of the contenders
II 1t were possible to put the cham
pions Of the past into the ring with tho
present champion, each to be in the
best physical condition OF his career. IL
Is quite evident that at least Ave Of
them would make 1t very interesting for
the youngster who beat Willard.
Jackson, In the opinion. Of the writer
would give Dempsey the hardest tussle
OF all. jackson in his prime was a most
skillful boxer and an effective hitter.
and while he never was stopped but
once. Bill Farnan putting the negro to
sleep In three rounds, yet several men
Of medium class stayed many rounds
with the black Joe McAuliffe unscien-
tihc but strong. lasted twenty-four
rounds. and George Godfrey. good boxer
but light hitter. went nineteen. Jackson
was not man OF extraordinary
strength, nor was his speed remarka BILE
Dempsey, with his panther like move
ments, would have reached Jackson
early in the bout. As no man except
Willie Meehan has weathered the Demp-
sey punch since he started out for the
title, there is good reason to believe
Jackson would have succumbed in the
trst Few rounds.