Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-12-16
CHAMP EASILY
RATIFIED, SAYS
FRENCH BOXER
Georges Believes Dempsey's
Weakness Is in Lack of Judg-
ment When Hard Pressed.
ADMITS HE'S SLUGGER
Bv GEORGES CARPENTER.

know you"
This was how Jack Dempsey greeted
me when we met to sign articles to hghI
for the boxing championship of the world
Which was very different from what
had expected and was led to believe u
had pictured Dempsey as a big. roaring
fellow. with little personal charm, lntol-
Grant rather, not nice. stranger 10 soIt-
ness and what passes for common couF-
tesies.
l made the pleasant discovery that, out
side the ring ut least, he is just hui
man. well-ordered young man, softly
spoken, extremely pleasant In quiet, re-
served way, and altogether opposite to
what I had prepared myself for. At least
on fifty occasions. when alone, mad
seen him. as represented by the him.
in his fight with Willard, fierce, vicious
terrible merciless punching into help
Iessness the biggest, heaviest man l nave
ever seen.
That was the only Dempsey I knew
until I met and spoke to him on my last
visit to America.
nv opponents have been manv and Of
widely different stamp. BOmbardier
Wells. almost effeminate, Billy PapEe
and Frank Klaus, cruel. without magma
ton Just fighting men; jeanette, black
man, who In his nature is white Gunboat
Smith. conceited, reckless Of speech; Joe
Beckett, good. honest. strong: Leyinsky
with 4 jaw of iron and Immensely cour-
ageOus-but never a lighting man IKE
DEMPSEY: I believe there Is, as there
surIv is In all Of US; but he is not the
monster he has been represented TO be
Rather would / say that he has been mis-
understood: for he has a mind, soul
and an intense liking for life that is not
OF the ring.
no TALK
OF FIGHT.
When we came to attach our signatures
to the coutract-the most voluminOus that
has ever concerned two pugllists ut Is
made NE Of eighteen crowded fOliOs hich
I, personally. found the utmost difficulty
in dissecting and UNDERSTANDING Demp-
sey had no questions to ask Like my
self. he had sickened because Of the long
drawn-out negotiations, and the match
was definitely made in a fe~ minutes.
Then il was that lie gripped me heartily
by the hand and took me on one side
to chat about things far removed from
the hammering and butchering business
this fight is expected TO be. We did not
talk one word Of fight; We were just two
ordinary business men with many ideas
in common. I 90 not think, by the way.
that We shall meet in the ring before
the first week Of next July.
In appearance Dempsey. who IS eigh-
teen months younger than myself, looks
ike an unusually big and strong lad.
was surprised at his bOyishness. and he
has the ways OF boy. l should say
that he has no liking for fuss and cere-
mony. and he is not given TO Boosting
and Dragging.
about Dempsey. and 1 am certain that
he has been misrepresented by the ex-
aggerstiOn which, all too often. creeps
into the boxing columns OF his cOuntry's
newsp5 pers. Ne. Their DO 1 think he is a
party to the humping Of the big drum
which is thought necessary 20 impress
upon the world that he is the greatest
pugilist ever reared by his country.
This is what ] would call my pen pc
tuFe of him COmDlexion dark. face
strong and rugged. without being brutal;
general phys cal makeup, as nearly per-
feet rs possible. He carries himself cas-
Hy; there is much spring In his walk
His face, which. although not finely CHS
eled. is not ike that Of Beckett rs YOU
would perhaps imagine it to be from the
publ shed photographs Of him. II adj
VertlseS tenseuess and determination. vet
When ne allows a smile TO play about r.
It Is almost a sind. sympathetic face. Ger
Lainly II IS an arresting and engaging
face.
There is much about Dempsey that
would cause you TO pick him ont Of
crowd; he Is so obviously powerful and
serious and fit-he IS not Of the Broad
way SO far he is unspoiled. a healthy
natural man, who. by ready assimila
ton OF what he has seen and heard and
read, has more than average intelligence
He does not talk a great deal: when
II.
commOn-sense mind His belief in him
self Is supreme. but the success he has
Won in the hardest sport school a man
can pass through juStiies that belief
Any man who can win first place In tia
American school Of fighting must Sc CON
scious Of his greatness. and he must he
believer in himself But Dempsey Is
no advertiser of himself. and when I left
him he swOre thar We were pals.
Ii would never be dreamed that Demp-
frrhH
nerves But of this I am certain He
does not beat himself into fdgetiness a.
does BOmb6rdier Wells: neither is he
man who fumbles as does Beckett: but
ne hsS that reStleSSness of manner that
denotes the highly strung temperament
He is a young man In 4 hurry he must
rush and tear; that which he embarks
upon he must do quickly and It is this
weakness for MISUNDERSTANDING that has
heightened my confidence that when We
meet l shall take from him the worlds
title
GREW "RATTLED"
IN GOLF PLAY.
I would explain One Of the first things
be ventured upon after making the match
was proposition that we should have
a game Of golf. I pleaded that my game
was very Door He was impatient. no
would not listen. / had to play. So we
went to the links. If he made an In
different shot his calmness would leave
him: plainly did / see that If he had
difficulty In doing any one given thing
he would get rufled and ratified. and hs
] followed and studied him closely I
threw my mind back to the picture Of
his fight with Willard, which I had seen
so many times.
In that contest he had Willard help
less almost right away and when he saw
that he had not finished him completely
in the first round he was a raging fire
mad because he could not do that which
he realized was easy to dO-knock out
Willard, who had no sort Of defense and
whose chief virtue was his immense size
Dempsey beat me easily at golf
WAS nowhere. but although he must have
known that he was very much nv mas
ter he developed irritabilty and not a
little wlldneSs when lie made shots which
he considered were not worthy Of him
] formed she imT ression that if things
did not go his way his balance is un-
certain. and l must confess that the dis
cOyery gave me- much pleasure
| know precisely what ] shall be ND
against when get into the ring with
him. We shall still he the pals we were
on the links. hut with Dempsey. as with
myself it viii be a fight to the last gasp.
He Will come for me with the same g
gressiveness as he entered into the game
OF golf; be viii rush and tear; he will
feel that he is strong; be will try for
victory with a furious haste.
Dempsey, il ] understand him rightly
will gamble his all on his splendid power
As for myself-well, have a feeling that
7 viii triumph. as did against the
who will insist upon strength against
strength. for / am free to admit that in
a test Of sheer brute power the odds
would be on Dempsey. I shall seek to
make q happy combination Of boxing
and fighting, snd IL / succeed in doing
rEnn hin hea