The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-06-18
PAGE ELEVEN

from my rushes, sidestep or duck the
swings and then let me have an awful
one in the mouth
1t was in the third when Johnson
got the opening he wanted, one that
followed wild swing. He drove for
my body with everything he had, and
thought he caved in the whole side.
1t was perhaps the most terrific punch
ever felt-a crusher.
How | stayed on my feet, | don't
know. But | did some way, somehow
and stalled through that round. When
| got to my corner it was discovered
that Johnson's smash had broken
some of my ribs. | couldn't learn then
how many but afterward | found that
he had cayed in three with one
wollop.
las | sat in my corner. | thought
every second that l was going to col
lapse from pain. 1t seemed that
thousand bone points were tearing
around inside of me and my whole
body seemed to be afire. | couldn't
understand why my side didn't split
open-from the pain and let out tor
rent of blood.
The gong for the fourth banged
and out | went. Johnson knew he
had hurt me-and he began maneuver
ing around to land TO my body again.
Then, for the first real time in my
life, | really began the use Of de-
fensive tactics. Always before then
never cared whether l was hit. A
guard meant nothing in my life. l
willingly let the other fellow sock me
five times for the privilege of hitting
him just once.
THE cagey negro kept aiming his
attack for my body. knew if he ever
landed solidfy again he'd probably
drive the broken rib ends into some Of
my Internal organs. So / fought to
protect myself And | think | did
rather neat job of il for only once
after that did Johnson reach my body
and ! Tended off the greatest power
of that blow.
Along in the 7th I began to feel a
little stronger, even though the pain
was still terrific. So | went on the
aggressive again and through the clos
| ing rounds / smacked Johnson enough
to make me feel l had gotten revenge
for the busted ribs he handed me.
| IT came out of that fight lot wiser
| about ring warfare than l had ever
| been before. 1t had taught me more
| than l had learned in all the time be-
| fore. 1t convinced me that a defense
! was of, vital necessity-and it showed
me the amazing value of body punch
| in ring warfare.
! Recalling how Johnson's smash to
! my ribs had almost finished me, de-
cided to learn body-punching for my
! little self and use it thereafter Be
| fore then any punches l sent to the
body we're accidental more than in
| territorial But from that day on
practised body smashing-and it's that
attack. learned through my fight with
| the big New York negro-which en-
| abled me to put away 20 or more OF
| the toughest men in the ring game
John Lester gave me quite pound
| ing that night in New York but I'm
| grateful to him for it, For he taught
me-unconsciously, of course, but all
! the same thoroughly-that a man
who aims for ring greatness must have
a clever defense and, above all else,
| mighty body punch.
IF ! hadn't fought the negro that
night it's likely | never would have
become champion. For I was solely d
clinations TO change my style And
no man who is only head puncher
has ever risen to any special heights
in the prize ring
AS soon rs ] got my ribs patched
up, | packed my suit cases, hotfooted
it for the railroad station-and il was
the Golden West and home, sweet
home for me once more