The evening world., 1919-12-27


dope when he knocked out Beckett,
the iron-jawed English heavyweight
champion, with a single punch that
brought 70 seconds of fighting TO an
abrupt conclusion.
The dope has been upset many
times this year.
Willard was thought by thousands
OF good judges-men like Tommy
Ryan, George Engel and Kid Mccoy,
to be invulnerable to any blow that
could be struck by a man sixty
pounds lighter. as Dempsey was when
the two met at Toledo. Yet Demp-
seq knocked him out as easily as he
knocked out Fulton and Morris, the
other giants in his class.
Carpenter was picked by scores
OF American boxers with our armies
in France as an easy victim for the
first good man he fought. Carpenter,
heroic figure in the ring years before,
was given a world OF sympathy be-
fore he fought Beckett American
middleweights in France thought II
would be easy to get a reputation
II Carpenter would only give them a
match. No other instance has ever
been known OF a mans leaving the
ring at the height OF his fightirg
powers, taking a four-year layoff,
and coming back with the old spirit,
speed and endurance. Moreover, as
many American soldiers reported, the
Frenchman was hurt in fall while
flying a few months ago and his left
arm and shoulder were supposed to
have been injured severely enough
TO put him out OF boxing among the
champions again.
He was said to be rather soft and
fat, rather slow, somewhat lacking in
boxing skill through not having been
in any real contests for four years,
and suffering from the nerve strain
Of much flying over the battle lines
He had been decorated several zines
for remarkable air exploits during
the fighting at Verdun, where he few
over German batteries at a height OF
eighty metres, indicated their posi-
tion for the French gunners and re-
turned with his plane almost shot t.
pieces.
A man who does these things, said
experienced airmen, WAS likely &c
have aged much in four years. And
then II was argued that Carpenter
after all this heroic fighting, coulC
hardly come back to the ring witt
the same enthusiasm he had in th'
old days After the life Of a bird
man on the battle lines mere boxing
would be tame sport. His first bou
against n second rate English mid
dleweight didn't promise much. i
wasn't the old Carpenter in action
And Carpenter upset all dope. HI
came back with n performance tina
Outelassed anything he did In hi
greatest days in the ring.
Just before the war Carpentie
knocked out Bombard.er Wells twice
the second time in less than a minut
OF fighting.
But Wells wasn't hard to knock out
Everybody was doing II. Palzer, Gun
boat Smith, Frank Moran. Gunne
Moir all fiattened the Bombardiel
Wells was tall fellow and a magnii
icent boxer, but entirely lacking
ability TO take punch. lie was
champion until he was hit.
With Beckett 1t was a differeI
proposition. Beckett was rugge,
strong. enduring. He was tough. Eng
hshmen likened him 10 rom Sharke,
IL was thought he'd wear Carpenti,
down and win when the Frenchma
had shot his bolt. And Carpenti,
knocked him cleanly out with OF
right hand punch on the jaw
Carpenter has what few EngliS
boxers ever the lightweight ella,
have ever shown. He has speed ar
an active brain. The English heavy
weights, with very few exception
are too dull and slow Of mind to I
good fighters. Some Of the create
Joke heaVyWeights I've ever seen wei
champions OF England. To a ma
they were slow. heavy, stolid. The
might plod along among other Emf
lish heavies. but put up against
quick thinking American they we
lost. / remember one Jack Scale
many years ago. Eugene CORR toe
me TO see him fight at the Adelpt
A fat, beefy fellow. Kid Mccoy wei
over there and knocked him out in
round, and two others on the san
evening ia the same ring. Scal'
boxed Jeffries In Paris. Jeffrii
handied him gently. hut In the secoI
Nund Scales said 70 Jen; 'iBhmei !