The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-06-22
DEMPSEY STILL GOOD,
PARTNERS CkLlBRE
SHOWS CONFIDENCE
By FRANK q. aIENKn

BY FRANK &. MENKE
A man is known by the company |
he keeps-and a fistic champ by the |
calibre of his sparring partners.
Any time the leader of a pug divis- I
ion uses the toughest, toughest citi- |
zen he can find for his training days, |
it's an indication that he's still good |
still able to give and take But the |
minute that bloke takes the bohunks |.
unto himself for battling purposes it's
the surest tipoff that he's no longer |
what he used to be.
a fighter usually knows whether
he's good or bad; whether he's still |
among those present or near has |
been. If his conclusion is the former, |
he has no fear Of being shown up by |
his camp partners. But II it's the
latter he surely will balk at having |
tough lulus in his retinue.
While in Toledo training for the |
Jack Dempsey doings, Jess Willard
religiously avoided having good man
work against him. He knew that one
or two walkouts against hard guy
would prove quickly to the world that
he no longer was there or even there
abouts. Likewise he knew if he were
shown up by a partner. news of 1t
would get to Dempsey and that Demp-
sey's confidence would be increased.
Fought Dubs.
So he chung to Jack Hemple, little
more than a middleweight who was a
terrible excuse for a champions spar
ring partner. Walter Menahan, years
and yet more years from his third
rate greatness of long ago; Jack Helm
an, fat, out of condition and with a
glass jaw and a puttylike stomach.
Willard showed well against that
trio because, bad as he was, his part
ners were hundred times worse.
And because he was hitting and not
getting hit by these ring mannikins,
some experts" were fooled into be-
lieving he was in shape.
The same thing was true of Jack
Johnson.
While the negro was at the peak of
his career training for Jim Jeffries in
1910 he sought the toughest sparring
partners he could find. He wanted
EN- rough-the rougher the better.
For he was in such condition then
that the fiercest kind of workmen
could do nothing-more than to ex-
tend him and to help him to achieve
the pink of condition.
But in Havana-how different!
johnson Slipped
Johnson had Harry Wills in his
camp. But he never worked with him
at least in public. He knew the
reason why. He did work with
Steamboat Bill" Scott, a middle
weight, and other dubs he could toss
and cuff around with his eyes closed
But Jack refused to expose his real
form by making an appearance against
single man who could have forced
him along and exposed that he was
but shadow of his former self.
Carpenter used fourth-rate French
heavy, his own bottle-bodied cook,
and an American middlcweight as his
sparring partners. None ever gave
him a decent workout. He chung to
them, however, because he probably
realized that if he took on some rug
ged, two listed battlers they would
show him up.
It's just as we'll for Tex Richard who
ran that show that the French but
tercup surrounded himself with such
dubs that he, in comparison, looked
so good. If he had picked out some Of
our second or third rate pugs, or some
of the tough youngsters, he might
have been shown up so sad-like that
\ it would have served as wet blanket
for the fight
So All Along
It's been so all along the fistic lanes.
Sullivan had good men in his camp
when he was good. When he started
to slip he used mediocre men. Jim
Corbett used the best men obtainable
up to 1897. Then he thought SO little
OF Bob Fftzsimmons that he didn't
think it really necessary to get great
men to work with him. He wasn't
trained perfectly when he went into
the ring-and he lost.
Fitz thought Jeffries a set-up. He
trained for him-largely on beer. The
workouts he INDUCED in were with
dubs who did little other than play
jester roles for pugilisms king. Yes
oh, yes, FitZ was beaten.
While Jeff ruled he always was
careful TO get the greatest sparring
partners available. After he had
whipped every one he retired. He
was influenced to do a comeback ir
1910. He knew, even as he started tC
train, that he wasn't the Jefferies o.
old. So he carefully avoided select
ing good men to work with.
He surrounded himself with vet
erans-or dubs. They couldn't give
him. bad as he was, good stiff work
cut. But they did serve the purpose
of making a public believe that be
cause jeff worked we'll against then
that he was in good condition
While Dempsey continues to fill hi
camp with good men, some fast, somt
clever, some good at taking and Others
good in the matter of seeking, it cal
be assumed that he is still great
that he is still superlatively confiden
and still eager to be in the pink
no matter what the cost
But the day that the champ grab
old ones, extremely young ones, has
beens, and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES tn
day to lay the bankroll on the othe
fellow
Copyright 1921 BY King Features
Syndicate. Incl