The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-11

"One of the things about the ring
 which always has mystltled me
 writes a reader, "is the regularity
 with which undersized warriors
 either decisively whip or knock
 out the giants. I always figured It
 that the man who had height,
 reach and weight in his favor had
 the big edge. But apparently thls
 is not so. Whats the answer!
 Little men whip big men because the real advantage in ring encounters is with the little fellow. This may seem a rather startling statement-but II Is true. The matching of a big man wit.i O mucb smaller one forces the DE fellow to fight from an unnatural ana unfamiliar position and so kiils OH much of the real effectiveness or the big man.
 Let us go back to the Joe Choynsk'- Joe Wolcott battle of nearly 2o years ago. which brought together white man who lowered nearly six feet ana who weighed nearly ITO against black man nearly Il inches shorter and 25 pounds lighter.
 Every advantage seemed to be Ill favor of the Californian-in the opin- ion of those who have analysed pusl- lism from it's every angle. Choynski had a greater reach. greater height' more strength apd more pulk 'na' Walcott He ranked perhaps as the most terrific hitter in the game, was blessed with marvellous endurance, was game to the core and could take ter rife punishment But Walcott maoe chopping block of the superb call fornian~ warrior battering him from one side of the ring to the other Whiie Choynski was unable to oellVer really powerful blow.
 How did it happen?
 Choynski, by fighting a man near'y foot shorter than himself. had to as sume a crouch entirely unnatural to him. a position that placed hlm at l terrible disadvantage. All through the years Choynski had hit from rather erect position. His muscles were so | trained that the real driving power 1 came when hitting from just that an gle. But when he faced Walcott he | had to lean far over--had to crouen l in a fashion that robbed him of his real striking power.
 1 Choynski couldn't jab with real ef- | fectiveness-because he had to Jan 1 downward. And every man who hai ever donned a boxing glove knows that real power cannot be put in down' ward swing. It's the straight punch or the overhead punch into which 1 fighter can put all the terrific l strength that Is his.
 And while Choynsls was handicap l ped by being forced to assume all l unfamiliar crouch and punch down l Walcott was benefited by being abls l cfr or the overhead swings. Walcott al ways great body puncher, was IT l his glory against Choynski, because Joe's heart was in direct line with his straight blows and Joe's jaw wal l just high enough to be reached with | the overland "haymakers."
 ! Bob Fitzsimmons always liked tf meet a man larger than himself be- | cause he knew that he had them at 2 | disadvantage Charlie Mitchell fough' | his greatest fight against men fo' | larger than himself John L. Sullivan was bake ed nthe heydey of his career by only two men-Mitchell and Tus ! Wilson And both were smaller thar
 John L. Pim Flynn, ithe old 'wa' l horse'' made his greatest showing against fighters larger than himself l walcott's greatest Victories were SCOT | ed over the men who lowered over hin, l Kid Mccoy always showed at his yer, hest against the giants of the prize | ring And the same was true concern ing Tommy Ryan. philadelphia Jack | O'Brien, the Jack Dempsey Of Ions ago. Stanley Ketchell and Jack Dillon whose phenomenal success against biz ! men earned for him the title of thu 1 Giant Killer"
 Dillon found trouble disposing O men of his own weight. But when pit ted against giants like Tom Cowler Andre Anderson, Al Morton. Charlie 1 Weinert and others. Dillon usual. hammered them for knockout. Th' I easiest victory that Kid Mccoy eve
 gained was oyer European warrio who was nearly nine inches taller. I 1 required just one punch for Bob Fitz
 simmons to end the fight with tn
 giant Ed Dunkhorst OBrien had lii
 tie trouble with Fitzsimmons and mad
 his greatest records in. knockou
 way against the big men of the ring
 Battling Levinsky showed nothing I knockout power against men of hi l own size. But just as soon as Levin l.sky was faced by a big fellow he ad l-ded to his knockout list.
 Jack Dempsey is another example. l The bigger they are the easier the i. seem for the Utah Mauier.' It re
 ouired only a few seconds for him | dispose of such giants as Fred F'uItor lCarl Morris and Arthur Pelkey. Bat tling Levenskv. Gunboat Smith, Pork Flynn. Terry Keller and others. spalle lin stature but still trifle taller tha tDempsey. required more visorou