The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-06-20
ADDITIONAL SPORT
Jack ~Dempsey's Own Story
Challenger Tells How He Is Preparing for Jess Willard on
July 4 in Toledo.
By JACK DEMPSEY.


A lot Of folks have asked me what I
consider my hardest fight. TruthfulIy.
It is a hard question for me TO answer.
| fight in all my battles about the same
&c dnto the ring 10 win and forget
everything else. ] can always tell how
won a fight or Il lost it'll can tell
how that happened, but when II comes
TO picking one fight owe another It
rather stumps me.
However, ] suppose . bout ! once had
with a chap named Johnny S~udenburg
In Goldfield, New, and a following bout
with the same man were about the
hardest things | ever tackled.
~Sudenburg never amounted to much
in the East. and consequently never
has received a great deal Of publicity,
but my, how hat fellow could fight
He never got much better than he was
at the time he met me, but he was
game and could punch.
| was in Reno and had been fighting
there and In Salt Lake City when Jack
Gu took an interest in me and told me
he would make real fighter out OF me.
II really didn't matter much to me
whether he did or not. ! simply took
him up and told him | would meet who-
ever he found that wanted TO fight.
Well, some Of the miners and fight
fans at Goldfield had seen me a time or
two, and they had Sudenburg down
there knocking out or outpotnting every
man they could bring into the camp.
They were about out OF setups for that
boy, so they sent for me. Gin took the
fight, for which they sent us two
round-trip tickets from Reno and Of
Tered me 500 for my services.
] was sick and didn't feel like train
ing or doing anything else. l had beer
getting my meals with some ifregulari-
ty at this time, due to the fact that
neither myself nor my manager had any
money to speak OF, so | was worrying
more about a beefsteak than a fight.
However, | did a little preliminary
t~raining--as much as | could stand, and
on day we jumped on a train and
started for Goldfield. When the train
stopped at Tonopah a man came
through the train shouting for Demp-
sey.
i was the promoter Of my fight at
Goldfield, n Gill and | had the time
OF our lives convincing him that I was
Dempsey, Q heavyweight scrapper. Ha
looked at Gin and then remarked that j
didn't know what was talking about.
Don't try to put anything over or
me, young fella," he said. You're moi
Dempsey This here is Dempsey" and
ne seized my manager by the coat
lapels; Gill protested so vehemently
that finally the promoter was con
WINGED, He told us he wanted US tc
leave the train at Tonopah and show
the sports there what l could do, be.
cause he expected a big part Of the
crowd at the fight to come from thai
city instead of Goldfleid.
We left the train and hurried over tc
a big dance hall, where the promoter
said he had A sparring partner WAITING
Tor us. | stepped into one OF the real
rooms and changed from my stree
clothes into a set OF tights that were
so ragged ! laugh now when / thinl
about them, They HAD a huge hole ii
one place that was considerably EN-,
barrassing to ms when | got out on In,
floor OF he dance hall and found "A 10
OF women mixed in with the men whC
were to watch me work.
In those days ] was quite a bashfu
youth. | hadn't been close enough 4
any women to make me real sure O
myself around any of them, SO los
my goat Immediately.
| tried TO shadow box and couldn't
then ! tried TO jump the . lookin,
as unconcerned as II ] had Just lost
million dollars. and ] couldn't do that
was miserable, and, finally, when
tripped over the rope and Imagined ey
cry woman in the place was giggling a
me. told the promoter to trot out hi
sparring partner.
II ! had felt badly before. II was a,
nothing compared with what ] was go.
Rng to feel. for when the sparrlng part,
rer was trotted out he proved TO be {
huge negro, apparently trained to thu
very best OF condition and grinning al
over himself, | was weak and sick ant
badly ratified besides.
However, Ishut my eyes, gritted m,
teeth, took a long breath and wadet
in.