The New York herald., 1921-07-16
Former Champion Asked to
Prove He Now Is Best
Negro Fighter.
BY CHARLES f. MATHIsoN.

| 1t is mere figure of speech to say
that the countenance of Harry Wills the
eminent Queensberry scientist. wore a
dark frown at o'clock yesterday after
noon. Mr. Wills had just finished read
ing long statement from Mr.. Jack
johnson in which the latter announced
that he had been specially ordained to
wrest the pugilistic diadem from the
furrowed brow of Jack Dempsey and re-
turn 1t in triumph to the negro race.
When Mr.. Wills came to that part of
| the Johnsonian proclamation wherein
the voluble speaker announced that the
American public desired the summary
defeat of Dempsey and had pinned its
| faith on Johnson to accomplish the
downfall of the champion, the face Of
the leading challenger of Dempsey was
mottled with indignation.
II wondah." spluttered Wills. where
Mistah Johnsing gifts dat chatter about
de American public wanting him to flat
ten Dempsey. The American public
knows very well dat Jack Johnsing
couldn't flatten Fred Fulton, a man that
Dempsey flattened in one round and l
| flattened in three rounds. I'll jess make
one little proposition to Mr. Jack John
son. He amt going TO git no match
with Dempsey no more than l am.
Dempsey has done drawn the color line.
| so that he won't have anybody to fight
but a lot of white easy marks.
Now l don't say 1 kin lick Dempsey,
but am awful eager to fight him. LII
say to Dempsey what PeterSJackson said
to John L. Sullivan Jackson had chal-
| lenged Sullivan and Jawn l.. said to
Peter: L kin lick any man in the
world Peter looked at John and said
he: And 1 will fight any man In the
world
"That is low 1 stand with Dempsey,
and the same goes for Mr.. Jack john
sing. If he feels that he is entitled to
a match with Dempsey. let him first
show that he is the best man in the
negro race. In order to do that he
must beat me. / will fight him any
where on earth for fun or marbles.
"If Johnson can beat me then he
kin start in again bullyraggin' Demp-
sey, but until he meets me in the ring
and defeats me he better put the silencer
on that chatter"
Some day, some where, in some boxing
club. two fighters will finish a boxing
contest and neither will claim that he
might have won only that he broke
| his right hand in the 'steenth round
| Carpenter intimated he would have
made a better showing but for the
fracture of his right thumb in the
second round. / called attention to the
| fact that Carpenter hit as hard with
his right hand in the third and fourth
rounds as he did in the second. l will
also call attention to the fact that
Carpenter while bidding adieu to his
| friends at the pier last Friday. waved
his hat in farewell, and the hat was
held securely in his right hand. Per-
haps the fracture healed much more
| quickly than the doctors thought posi-
| Bile.
Bob Martin intimated that he would
| have finished the passe Moran in less
time but for the fact that he broke
his right hand" early in the contest.
In the seventh round. when Moran, ex-
| hausted and helpless from his own ef-
| forts. floundered about the ring. Mar
tin used his right hand very effectively
| in dropping Moran to the canvas for
the full count
! Many other instances of the same sort
have come TO light and the spectators
| have come to expect every defeated man
to claim some sort of injury to excuse
his downfall The only man who fur
nished proof that he had been severely
! hurt was Mike O'Dowd, who went to a
| hospital for an operation for hernia "A
few days after his bout with Johnny
Wilson.
Tickets for the eight round fight be-
tween Benny Leonard. worlds champion
| lightweight, and Lew Tender at the
National League baseball park. Phil
adelphia, August IL, will be placed on
sale next Monday.
A new lighting system will be installed
at the park so that the ring, which is to
be pitched between the home plate and
second base, will be in direct view of
every seat 1t is planned to place be-
tween 10000 and $4,000 chairs on the