The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-24
Crowd Hocted and
 Booed Champ Jack;
 Deserted Cheers
By JAMES J. CoRBETr


 Nothing is more difficult to understand than the average fight fan. They hooted and booed Jack Dempsey | the other night when he climbed out of the ring in which he had just staged splendid fighting exhibition; hissed and booed him when cheers and thunder of applause were his deserved portion.
 Dempsey went into the ring touted as nan with terrific wallop-heralded as sure knockout. He was little late in uncovering his punch-but he did land it. He got his man in the usual Dempsey way. And he gave great fighting dis play through every one of the F rounds gave the crowd the greatest run for it's money that any fight crowd ever got. Dempsey worked necessarily from the first round to the last to win; fought honestly, cleanly, earnestly, sincerely. He forced the pace all the way. And when he emerged a winner after one of New Yorks most dramatic fights. the null titude gave him the "razz.
 JACK ENTERTAINED Dempsey wasn't himself that night He had overtrained-gone stale. The cham pion had made the error of drawing him. self too fine. He didn't actually dis cover it until the battle was under way. Realizing then that his punches lacked the usual snap, that his muscles were not responding immediately to the dic- tates of his brain and that he was in peculiar plight, Dempsey shifted en- tirely from his usual ring tactics
 The mighty gladiator determined then to chop Brennan down gradually until he could finish him with a few solid smashes to the body He knew that ,N.n iriu ha1 faly fr.1po him the full power necessary to send the man crashing to the canvas with one fearful blow. So he went out, fought one Of the brainiest fights that a heavyweight ever displayed, "broke" Brennan and then finished him with q solid right-hander to the heart and a left to the short ribs
 DISREGARDED BRENNAN
 No other heavyweight champion within my memory showed more aggressiveness than Dempsey did against Brennan. Ut- terly fearless of the power that Bren- mans punches might carry, Dempsey stepped in to draw Brennan's fire. took punches to the head and body for the privilege of working up one of the fa- nous drives to vital spot. It was Dempsey who fought all the way-and didn't cover, didn't back away. but was always on top of his foeman.
 There was not a moment of dullness in the entire fight. Whenever Brennan went to clinch, Dempsey shook him off He would not countenance stallng. He was in the ring to fight; the crowd had paid to see him fight-and he fought and forced his opponent to do likewise.
 GAVE CROWD FULL VALUE
 If ever d gave the crowd full value for it's money, Jack Dempsey gave it to that Madison Square crowd on De- cenlber +. For Il rounds and part of the twelfth, he used every ring artifice in his power to win the fight His dis play of aggressiveness was wonderful. And in the end, the crowd booed and hssed him.
 If Dempsey had stalled for most of those rounds; if he had sought to save himself from possible defeat by the gen. erous of defensive tactics, then. per haps, the crowd would have had license to hoot him. But Dempsey provided ac- tiop and thrills during every minute of the 3S of actual fighting and knocked out his man cleanly and fairly.
 Those who went to Madison Square Garden that night probably expected Dempsey to knock out Brennan with q single punch. If he had, the chances are they would have yelled afterward that Brennan was just a set-up for the champion. Dempsey didn't knock out Brennan in the first round--it took him 12 rounds to do it. He accomplished 1t in the most workmanlilze fashion possi- ble, never stopped for a moment in try ing to achieve his aim-and finally suc- ceeded.
 Isn't it rather difficult then to under stand a fight crowd which will hiss and hoot at such a champion?
 Copyright, 1920, by King Features
 Syndicate, Incl