The New York herald., 1921-05-03
Dempsey Talks on Merits
of Former Title Holders
Deeply Impressed by the
Achievements of COrbett,
Fitz and Jeff.
BY CHARLES f. MATHIsoN.

BY CHARLES f.. MATHISON.
| Jack Dempsey was careening and
gyrating about the tennis court on the
Welsh farm yesterday afternoon like
a Davis cup winner and seemed to be
| imbued with a desire to pu,yerize the
ball. His volleying was so forceful that
Freddie Welsh had TO chase the spheroid
Ike an outfielder in game with Babe
Ruth.
| Il like this game" said the champion.
but think the ball and the racauets
should be made larger and lea vier With
a bigger racquet could drive the ball
further and bet Welsh wouldn't re-
trieve 1t before the referee counted ten"
Dempsey, considering the amount of
flesh he carries. showed remarkable
speed and. with the training Of pugi-
list, his recovery after hari smash at
the ball was perfect. The game fur
nished additional evidence that the
champion is in good physical condition,
despite the fact that he has no, az yet
done any serious training.
The champion went through the light
work in a hurry yesterday his work in
the gymnasium being brief He prefers
spacious grounds in spirit o. keen
enjoyment.
Dempsey likes to talk about anything
except boxing. In fact, he never brings
up that topic himself and Will quickly
change the subject il any one else in
troduces the roped square. Eowever,
there is one branch Of the subject he
likes to discuss, and that is the achieve
ments OF his predecessors IN the cham
pionship.
He was asked IL he thought former
champions like Sullivan. Corbett, fitz-
simmons, Jeffries and Johnson we're sli-
perior to him, as has been claimed by
many experts. The champion lecame in
terested at once.
Those titeholders must have been
great fighters he said, but as | never
saw any of them In the ring / can only
Judge OF them by what men say who
saw them in action.
Comparison DiMcuIt.
1T is hard matter to compare fight
ers OF different periods because there is
no ground on which to make the COM
parison. I think / have done all that
have been asked to do, but I know that
many people think the men / have de-
feated do not class with the boxers that
the oldtime champions won from. Per-
haps that is SO. but it cannot be proven.
for the reason that the oldtimers are
now all out OF the game"
What sort Of fight do you think
you would have made against Sullivan II
he could face you now and be in his
best form?'
1T seems to me Sullivan and / would
have made good fight. According to
reports of his ring work, he was aggres-
efx- - Il In 10 haal hi ipo "a
Is my style, and think the battle be-
tween US would have been a hot one.
Probably the man VINO managed to get
his fist on the point Of his opponents
jaw would have won early In the con-
test"
oueried as to his chances against Cor
bett, the champion said:
II have been told that Corbett was
the cleverest boxer that ever put up his
hands In the heavyweight class. He
must have been marvel to stand off
the great Peter Jackson for sixty-one
rounds and to jab Sullivan for twenty
one rounds without getting hit once.
It's my opinion that man who could
do that and follow II up by outpointfng
Jeffries for twenty-five rounds must
have been very clever. I don't know as
| would have been able to hit him with
effect in the days when he was at his
best, and If I failed to reach him on
the jaw he probably would have out
pointed me-"
When the name OF Fitzsimrnons was
mentioned Dempsey became Interested.
There was n man who could hit some.
and rs he managed to reach Corbett In
a vital spot at Carson L must be that
he was a clever ringster. At the same
time. ! have read that FitZ was not
hard to reach and that he was in trouble
in nearly every fight he had. II that
was the case, then, ] would have had a
chance with him, as ! am quick enough
to hit almost any man, and can hit hard
enough to bring him down. ! would
like to have met a man like Fitzsirn
mons. FOR he was fighter and q man
who was not easily disposed Of"
Jen's Strong jaw.
The name OF Jeffries was then men
toned, and Dempsey said:
willard Is one OF the strongest men
and the hardest TO topple that I ever
met In the ring. but I am Informed that
Jeffries had the strongest jaw OF any
champion that ever held the title In the
heavyweight class. He must have been