Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-07-23
ENGLAND YEARN|NC FOR
RING SUPREMACY AGAIN
Since Reign of Jem Mace. American
s Heavyweights Have Dominated
Pugilistic World.
For More Than 100 Years All Great
y Fighters Were From British Isles.
Man Who Can Whip Dempsey Now
Being Sought.
ny JAMES ). CoRBETT.

NEW YORK. July 22-England is
gge year. again for supremacy in the
Once. long years ago, the British
Isles produced the only real pugilists
For England was the cradle of fight
came to an end the United States
\ jumped to the front, and in all the
ranks,
But England is determined that there
by Americans: Its sportsmen now are
SECURING the British Isles for the most
who will be able to dethrome the
mighty he pa asfk PIsm EaSs had its real
: beginning IN England far back in 1916
in the time OF James t'igg. From
the greatest Fighters were products
Of the British Isles. And i'll all that
time the bare knuckle method Of war
real red bloodcd. sporisnen OF Eng
of battling and then came the Mar
quis of Queensbury with his new rules
Tor the fStic game.
Decay Followed Rules.
Strange as it may seem, Englands
decay as a puElistic nation followed
the Introduction Of those Quensbury
rules Not since they naXe been in
would seem that when Britons no
'msnlics and indulge in rough and
tumble, gouging, wrestling and throw
ing riniG tactics, they lost their Tight
Jem Mace was the last of the great
British fighters and Mace passed from
two generations, since then England
has not produced as many lighters as
1t did in single year prior 10 that
In fact, Charlie Mitchell was the
only really wonderful warrior shat
England has known since the Queens,
Mitchell. because OF his lack of pound
age and inches. fell short OF cham
real wonder. For his height and
weight he was one OF the miracle men
Of the ring. Given three or four more
Mitchell probably would have been
able at his best to take the measure
of any living man. The very fact that
nine rounds OF bare-knuckle fEhtng.
the most wearing, tearing type OF
battling, is a tip-off as 10 the great
Wells IInd .1:lnss" Jaw.
But since Mitchel's time England
hasn't produced heavyweight Of any
consequence. Only one man, Bombar-
dier Wells, was touted as a possible
conqueror OF an American champion.
Mdii Re- de tenid was gTea if arc
; variety. one jolt TO his chin and he
was through. He battered many
as If he might he a world-bcatcr. But
the first time they reached his jaw he
was through. lie couldn't take n SIN
gle punch there. even though he could
take hundred 10 any other part OF
the body.
England is now going into ecstacies
of delight over Joe Beckett. a heavy
weight that the wnr-training camps
pro produced Beekit, is an unknown a.;
Beckitt really hasn't been put TO any
ACID test in England. But sportsmcn
there insist that he Will be good
enough in sin months or a year from
now TO give Dempsey the battle of his
Will Groom Some One.
Nothing better could happen for the
boxing game than an international
International clash among heavies for
ors, something that hasn't happened
for more than quarter OF a century.
But If Beckett. like many other
promising sing oati!ersF'.fails by the way
Beckitt hivvers when forced into a
real fight with some real Europca n
fighter, the boxing lovers OF the Br!,-
ism Isles VIII not he altogether dis
heartened They are going 10 groom
some man, and at the earliest SSH
weight champion OF the world
america shouldn't have a monopoly
on ali the great heavywei gifts" is the
way that one British sportsman ex-
pressed H. England has natural nght-
ers JUST as great as the United states
But the sport. as far as heavywc!ghts
are concerned. has been more or less
dead in England for a long time We
are determined now to revive it, and
10 develop in the shortest poss hi .
time man that we think able Of
whipping Dempsey and bringing back
TO England the crown that 4; owned
LOT nearly two centuries" Copyright,