Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-24

champion.
Jack Dempsey told me SO.
| repeated Jacks remark to Christy
Mathewson and wise old Christy smiled
and said:
i over. He may be tired of all the atten-
Ition that comes to a champion, but when
he doesn't get it any more he'll miss it.
Tell Jack for me he'll miss it when
that time comes. The world will seem
different. Tell him that for me-"
| told Dempsey, and Jack was partly
convinced, but not entirely.
Sure" he said, there's fun in being
a champion for some people. But see
what it's got me-. Before [ was cham
pion | could box every week if | wanted
to. No boxing commissions picked on
my opponents and said they couldn't
90 with me because I was too good.
"Any fellow who fights his way up
is entitled to a chance to win the title.
Suppose they hadn't let Willard fight
me because he was champion and too
big and too good for everybody. / was
the outsider then. Lots Of EN- thought
I didn't have a chance. Some young
fellow is likely to come along. if they'll
let him, and clip me just the way !
clipped Willard. I'm not so good that
l can't be knocked out"
Statement a Contrast
Here Dempsey made q startling
statement. Startling because it was
such a contrast to the expressed ambi-
tons of our old friend Benny Leonard,
and of Johnny kilbane and a lot of
other ring champions who love the old
title and think that it should have been
turned over to them with the clause,
Until death do us part in the articles.
II don't want to retire with the
championship when I'm through said
Jack.
~ want to be socked out of it when
my time comes.
Il want some young fellow to come
along and knock me for a goal.
II don't want to be known as the
indicated retired champion of the
world.
I'm going to fight and defend my
title as long as / can, but when I'm
through let the next fellow have his
chance, and I'll wish him luck.
when I'm through | want to be all
through, and the sooner I'm settled
down quietly somewhere on an orange
ranch or something. and people forget
I ever was a champion, the better it
will suit me-"
contented to have somebody beat you
on pointS!'
Jack grinned.
Better to Be Kayoed
well that might do he conceded.
"but I've socked a lot of 'em and
there's no reason l shouldn't get it in
turn. A knockout doesn't hurt-just
cuts it short. I'd be satisfied to lose
the title on points, some time, if it was
decisive enough SO nobody would try
to resurrect me five or six years after
ward and make me fight again on the
I'm through-which won't be for a few
drag me back to make a show for my
self. Not for any amount of money"
LISTEN said Dempsey. Il didn't
always feel this way about it. I had
a wonderful tine working up to Will
lard and beating him. / wasn't SO sure
/ could beat him, and it was the most
exciting moment in my life when he
went down the first time. For a while
after that being champion was i'm
mense. I sure loved it. Then / began
falling in with a new kind of friends"
Mostly / hardly knew them, but they
introduced themselves to me and just
joined my party. I've begun to get
wise to them enough SO that ] can
pick out my real friends from the
bunch, but ] sure have some funny TX
periences with the rest of them"
Apartment Was "Snap"
You know / kept my hotel apart
ment when | went up to the woods
hunting a while ago. What do you
think happened? Why, when I came-
back got a bill for six men. The
hotel charges according to the number
of the people in the rooms. Six fell
lows who had just hung around and