Evening star., 1921-07-04

Fitted against an opponent su-
perior in every respect physically,
hut not in courage. science nor SKIN.
he at no time cringed nor crawled.
but stood UP and swapped socks un-
till with his spirit unshaken but his
bruised and battered body unable to
respond to the demands made by his
heart and brain. he succumbed. fac
ing the source of the terrible punish :
ment' inflicted upon him to the last
and. when he finally went down to
stay. falling-forward. not back.
Corbett Has Right Idea:
An observation by James j. Cor
bett himself a former holder of the
title at stake, and made at the ring,
side lust as Referee Ertle finished
tolling the fatal count OF ten. sums
up the battle in pfthy style. Cor
bett said:
Carpenter was not beaten by 4
better man. but by a bigger one"
And that the truth of the ancient
ring a.dage that good big man can
beat q good little man was exempli-
fed in this fight will be corroborated
by those who witnessed the gallant
struggle put up against great ODDS
across the sea-
For his size Carpenter demonstrate
ed he was in every respect as great
a battler as Dempsey. for although
the official weights showed him to
be handicapped by exactly sixteen
advantage in height and reach. he
really was outscaled by nearly double
that number of pounds in fighting
weight. for much more than the av-
erage allotment Of q boxers pound
age he carries below the waist.
stripping above tho belt line no bigger
than the average middlewight.
Then, too, the four years he spent
in the uniform of his country in tho
grim. nerve-wracking business of war
were a costly interruption to his ring
activities. and the attainment Of a
maximum of boxing perfection, yet
with all these handicaps he stood toe
to toe. unflinchingly before Dempsey.
the man-killer. and gave the most
brutaly effective puncher the prize
ring ever produced the most cyclonic
contest of his career.
Comes Close to Victory.
Furthermore he came within a very
narrow margin of accomplishing the
seemingly impossible, a Knockout Of
the champion. in the second round
Dempsey asserts that at no time did
any Of the numerous walIops he re-
ceived bother him in the slightest, but
many thousands of witnesses at
Boyleis thirty acres can attest that
the cleanly landing fusillade of blows
Georges sent to the jaw in this round
stralgntened Dempsey up with jerk,
on his heels trembling like ship
stopped suddenly in collision.
win Dempsey palpably wabbline.
one more such punch might have sent
MIN tottering to the canvas and meant
the departure OF the heavyweight
Again that right. with the flashing
speed OF snake-fangs. shot out. But
IN his anxiety to follow up his ad-
vantage Georges missed the mark.
Carried off balance he fell into a
clinch to save himself. His moment
mad come-and gone. Dempsey re-
covered quickly and started the mer-
ciless pounding at close range which
eventually battered his plucky op-
ponent to the floor
Dempsey demonstrated conclusively
that he is rightfully entitled to the
honors ne defended. that he is a cham
pion worthy of the term. He won
cleanly and fairly. but must forego
the measure OF adulation usually ac-
cruing to the heavyweight champion
OF the world. AS ring foeman
Dempsey assays 100 per cent; almost
too efficient. II possible. in the thor
ouGh. practical. grim and business
like manner in which he goes about
the work in hand. But he is not a pop.
ular idol. hailed on all sides with wide
acclaim.
Clean-cut and honest though it was.
his was rather hollow victory.
judged by the pitifully meager ap-
plause of the crowd which saw him
achieve it. His winning probab bly was
less popular than that which ever de-
cided the heavyweight title between
two white men.
That the sympathies Of the crowd
should have been with his adversary,
an alien come over here for the ex-
press purpose of taking a great cham
pionship to foreign country, must
have been bitter to Dempsey Also 1t
is not easy to understand. No good
reason ever has been found as basis
for the feeling of antipathy to the
champion. He did not don a uniform
when his country was at war. but that
likewise is true of millions Of men
who had others besides themselves
to consider. as did Dempsey. who was
tine principal support Of his parents
and several brothers and sisters
There is no real justification for
Americans not feeling proud of Jack
Dempsey, the world champion. and II
is to be sincerely trusted that the un-
deserved stigma of which he is the
victim will not endure.