The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1920-01-10
HOW DO BOXERS GET
THEIR START

DAT nelson, MIA Mccoy, RAJ moore,
Benny Leonard and the rest of the
gang, knows about their prominent
battles. But it is seldom that the
fans hear about the opening chapters
of scrapper's life.
OF course is it fairly we'll known
hat jim Jeffries was boiler-maker
when he took up the game and that
lin Corbett was a bank clerk. The
facts regarding Pal Moore, former
cob, who gave Jimmy Wilde the two
greatest battles of his career, just
came into my possession.
1t seems that Pal was once an en-
| oloye in the stockroom of Memphis
! Try goods store. In those days a
curt reporter by name of Matt Al
en-, bug on boxing, took fancy to
Pal, especially SO when he discovered
hat Moore knew a little about scrap
ping in minor way.
Allen handled mean pair of gloves
himself, often boxing with such fell
ows as Mandot up in the Y. NJ. C. \.
He started taking Pal Moore to the
'Y' two or three times week, and
hey spent hours in the gym practic-
ing new blows and such like.
Then Moore would go over to Bill
HACKS Southern A. C. as he learn
I'd more of the game, and would take
IN anybody there, altho he weighed
My los pounds. Several of his ear
Ter opponents were big colored chaps,
nd Pal was practically knocked cold
lime after time.
Brucee, the negro trainer, who is
till at the Southern A. c., tells how
Pal used to fight them all.
Many of the stunts that Pal uses
n the ring today, capers which amaze
he fans and cause worry to op-
ponents, were picked up by him box
ing the colored boys down in Mem
phis.
Several of those lads had unique
blows and fancy steps, such as bounc-
ing off the ropes, throwing rocks.
the airplane, and so forth. Moore
gives credit to Broadway Jones, Pick
handle Shin, Six O'clock, Kid Sweet,
Egg Head Ratky and others for
teaching him tricks which have later
come in handy.
- Six 'o'Glock''swas a. tall, slim col
ored boy who looked as if his feet
pointed to and his head to II.
Throwing stones, as Moore calls
t, is when he suddendly reaches one
hand to the floor and comes up with
dazing wallop to the chin. The
'airplane" is when he starts tapping
lis wings like rooster. Both of these
.ricks are calculated to battle an un-
suspecting rival.
Tom Biggar, Michigan boxing COM
missioner, was talking with a friend
n the lobby of Chicago hotel re
emily when Johnny Schiff, light
Weight scraper, strolled up and Joined
he little party
Schiff is the lad who has boxed all
yer the world, staging several exhi-
)itions in Spain with Jack johnson
More recently he was recruiting
ergeant for a Canadian regiment in
7ar times and then enlisted in the
Inited States ambulance service, 90
ng to Italy, where he was decorated
With the Italian war cross for brave
~ by the king himself
A bellhop called Biggar aside and
5chiff continued talking with the
stranger The latter seemed to take
lot of interest in boxing and ques-
toned Johnny closely.
He had the impression, looking at
Schiff, that the latter was a prelimi-
nary scrapper, for he said "You boys
n the preliminaries must have pref
ty hard work to earn $25 or $50.
haven't you?"
Schiff wanted nobody to think he
was prelim. chap. So he informed
the stranger that he often got as
high as $500 and $500, which rather
amazed the listener.
Biggar returned shortly and intro
duced Schiff to the man. 1t was no
less parsonage than Gov. Albert E.
Sleeper of Michigan.
When he caught the name JOHNNY
came closer to needing smelling salts
that he had for years in the roped
arena.
Before the big July battle at To-
ledo large percentage of the fans
would say more than half-hoped
that Jack Dempsey would floor Jess
Willard and win the title.
Now, less than a year later, fully
as many, it seems, are just as an
xious to have Georges Carpenter
wrest the championship from Demp-
sey.
Coming down to brass tacks, it
wouldn't hurt the game a bit for the
frenchman to capture the laurels.-
For if there's anything that a sport
lover likes it is a novelty in any
sport, and it certainly would be