New-York tribune., 1921-06-29
Expert Analysis Reveals
Relaxed Orbs Have Adj
vantage Over Strained
By James HOPPER

JoAASS tOPpCE
In my doping" to-day am going to
contine myself entirely to the bodies of
the fighters, leaving out of the dis
cTssion all those subtle elements which
have, been called, and aptly. the sim
ponderables." But in doing this ! am
going to bring into the consideration
parts OF the body which rarely have
had that honor. I'm going to compare
the fighters eyes,
One of the singular things about the
contest now near is the extraordinary
physlcai disparity between the ehal-
iehger and the champion, Carpenter,
at ms workouts, gives an impression Of
hgntness, OF frailty and of grace-alto-
gether at variance with the idea one
mas o. the characteristics of a pugilist
and OF the qualities one feels neces-
sary for the test and the ordeal he
must undergo on Saturday.
In thisY impression, which is so
strong, really, that no words quite do
II justice, there Is certain part which
is pure illusion.
True it is that, when you compare
their physical measurements, Carpen-
tier proves lighter, smaller. of an
other type than Dempsey. He is IL
inches shorter and 20 pounds, at least,
lighter His ~reach is / inch less; his
chest, normal, I inch less; his chest.
expanded, Is inches less: his wrist.
inches less; his biceps, almost inches
less.
Has Only One Advantage
IN one respect only does Georges
best the champion. Though weighing
at least twenty pounds less than Demu
sey, he has calves which, with 16%
inehes, beat the champions by liz
inches. But, then, Fitzsimmons, the
great, had only 14-inch calves, and
with these, as is known, shusied along
with perfect adequacy.
The measurements, then, do nrove
Carpenter to be in fact smaller,
hghter, of less volume But they do
not prove 1t at all to a point which
explains the almost overpowering sense
OF disparity which seizes you when
you see the two gladiators. When YOU
see. Carpentier-be it before or after
seeing Dempaey-you are really ap-
pailed.. You have feeling that the
acea OF sending this frail and beauti-
iui nooy against the champions crush
ing strength is fantastic and criminal
Iolly: You have a sense of sacrilege.
This is, to. some degree. an Illusion
1t comes, think, partly from his
sienderness at the waist: YOU can't
help imagining one of the Dempsey
mauiers striking that slight waist, and
you gasp as though struck yourself.
II IS due, also, to his lightness on his
Ieet; ne does not seem to walk-he
drifts about, wraith-like.>
And il is largely due to the perfect
symmetry of his body Tin which there
is no abnormal development), which
draws the eye to its entirety at once,
so that it seems more delicate and vul-
nerabie than it is and makes you think
Of Tanagra statuette come to life and
gives you the extravagant impression
that you could stand it up on your
palm and hold it out at arms length,
in display for adpiring eyes.
Wells Carpenters Words
To all this must be added the effect
produced by his face. l read the other
day, in a French paper, an interview
with Carpenter. The interviewer, a
French journalist, wrote as though en-
barrassed. Carpenter, evidently, had
expressed himself vigorously, and the
writer was yelling his words for him.
And the subject of Georges's outburst
wa,s exactly this of which we have been
writing.
Georges evidently does not like at
all what American newspaper men had
said of him. He called it, | am pretty
sure. unmitigated rot, He would like
to be hruiser of the bulging muscle
and the salient jaw, and he rather
thinks he is.
The fact remains that his features
are fine, that his eyes are large, full
orbed and luminous, and that, look
ing at him from the side, his iashes
are long and curve slightly upward
Add to this that slight WEAKNESS be-
meath the eyes, which is visible III
most athletes when trained down fine,
and which in him seems wistfutness,
and you have that effect which, ex-
travagant though it may seem, cannot
be denied or rationalized out of eX-
istence.
When we come to Dempsey we have
something else altogether. The cham
pion gives an impression of explosive
strength and massive sturdiness
little short of terrifying.
Built Sturdily Above Waist
This is partly due to the distribu-
tion of his weight. Weighing twenty
--or more-pounds above Carpenter,
and having less of that weight in his
legs, he has of course, ever SO much of
it for his shoulders, arms and waist.
But all the same, as in Carpenter,
much of the first impression of Demp-
sey comes from the face. The out
standing characteristic of the cham
pion's face is bony ridge which goes
straight across his forehead, just above
the eyes. Upon this are planted heavy
black hrows, and they extend, heavy
and black, low down into the inner
corner of each eye. The combination
gives an extraordinary expression of
gloomy concentration.
When he is at rest, rather pleas
ing boyish smile lights UP all this.
But when he is fghting-or even spar
ring-it does not. When he is fighting
that expression is rather intensified by