Ashland weekly tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1919-1924, 1921-05-18
z RED LETTER
DAY IN SPORTING
HISTORY Of FRANCE
By WEBB MILLER

By WEBB MILLER
UNITED Press Staff Correspondent
PARIS. July 2, 1921, when
Georges Carpenter climbs through
the ropes to face Jack Dempsey will
be the most important date in tre
sporting history OF France,
For the first time Frenchman has
attained the status of an interna-
tional figure in the boxing world and
France as nation is backing its
"idol and fervently hoping for his
success.
The nationwide interest is inten-
sified by the fact that France as a
whole is decidedly backward in a
sporting way-especially in boxing,
which is an Anglo-Saxon game. And
this is the first time man repre-
senting France has been able to meet
an Anglo-Saxon as an equal. Coupled
with this is Carpenters extraordi-
narily popularity. If Carpenter
knocks out Dempsey he will take his
place as the greatest of France S
sporting heroes.
Now that the date is definitely
fixed the cafe dopesters" are be-
ginning to figure on Carpenters
chances. The lurid word pictures
OF Dempsey as the "ferocioua tiger
man" have served to dampen some-
what the optimism of the dopesters.
The most optimistic of them man
age to convince themselves that
Georges has a "fifty-fifty" chance
at least, taking Dempsey's record
and weight into consideration.
Their main reliance seems to CEN
ter on the lucky first punch" and
Carpenters previously demonstrat-
ed ability to deliver this punch. They
are convinced that the fight will not
last many rounds and that II Will
be hammer-and-tongs affair from
the. first gong. The dopesters COM
fort themselves with the idea that
Carpenter is faster than Dempsey
and may be able to utilize this speed
in the first few rounds to land the
"lucky punch"
According to this cafe chatter,
Carpenters whole plan of campaign
is based on this idea. He will start
trying to land the knockout from the
instant the gong rings. The general
idea is that Dempsey will try to do
exactly the same thing.
The sporting element is planning
upon an unprecedented migration to
New York to see the mix-up. Ac-
cording to present indications France
swll send more adherents to chee~
Georges than have ever Travelled
such distance on similar errand.
Meanwhile Georges has rot been
content to rest upon his laurels as
Europe's premier boxer. He has
been busy gathering in the pounds,
kronen, pesetas, guilders and francs
that go with the laurels. In the
past two months Carpenter with his
sparring partner has toured Eng
land, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and
Algeria, slamming his hardy spar
ring partner with one hand and rak-
ing in the coin with the other. His
friends claim that he has amazed
more than any other European
fighter ever dreamed Of getting -
enough so that Georges isn't worry
ing whether the Germans pay or
not.
Likewise with characteristic Gallo
foresight Georges is sailing away the
accrued income in his aluminium
business and coal mines in Lens.
The net result is that Georges won't
have to worry about the wolf at the
door if he should happen to wake up
July with Dempsey standing over
him.
Unlike most fighters with lis pres
tige, Carpenter isn't trying to cut
much OF a figure in the well-known
night life of Paris Only OCCASION
ally is he seen in the all night
points in the Rue Caumartin and
even then he keeps training hours
and dallies little with the sparkling
wines. Y
At present, Carpenter is figuring
on retiring after the little affair of
July 2--win or lose--and devotlng
himself to his business interests.
MEDEORn MAN CUARCEn