The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-08
TOM GIBBONS seen
ASl0GICAL F0EMAN
FOR JACK DEMPSEY
BY, FRANK G. MENKE


IL Tom Gibbons isn't the logical
foeman for Jack Dempsey, then the
word logical" should be tossed into
the salty seas.
The achievements of the st. Paul
Irishman through the past year. have
not merely eclipsed the Dempsey
showing in his pre-championship days,
but have been more wonderful than
that of any heavyweight of any era.
Twenty-one knockout victories in %
starts-that's the Gibbons record. Only
one man has gone the distance with
him-and that man was BARLEY Mad
den of the concrete jaw and the cast
| iron stomach.
| No living man ever fIoored Madden
and he has fought the greatest
heavyweights in the game. Gibbons,
even though he failed to stop Madden,
| gave him the worst beating he ever
suffered and had him hanging on the
ropes at the finish.
Gibbons is Hard Man.
| Some persons scott Gibbons as
Dempsey rival because he's little
too small and because he hasn't whip
ped any good man" In rebuttal, Glib
/ bons certainly isn't too small-and he
has whipped tougher gang of fight
ers, all things considered, than Demp-
sey sent down to defeat before he
triumphed over Willard.
/ Gibbons is practically six feet tall
tall enough for any man. He dis
places around $50 pounds-heavy
enough for any man. He is taller and
| heavier than was Carpentier-yet
many reckoned the Frenchman had
real chance against Dempsey. Glib
bons has knocked out more men in a
year than Carpenter has put to sleep
in eight or 10 years.
Pair is Well Matched
If Gibbons fought Dempsey, he
would have to yield to the champion
only matter of an inch or two in
height, perhaps 10 pounds in weight
and an inch or so in reach. When one
remembers that Dempsey spotted"
Willard nearly 20 pounds, six inches
in height and nearly that many inches
in reach, how come this talk that Glib
bons is too small for Dempsey"
It's true that Gibbons has listed
among his victims a few men who
have been little more than ring
punching bags. But how about Demp-
sey? In the days when he was NOV
: ing upward, he, too, was taking on the
{ sucker variety. The men Gibbons has
/ whipped certainly have been no softer
i than Al Norton, Jack Moran, Tom
, Riley, Kid Mccarthy, Bob McAllister,
, Perky Flynn, Charlie Miller, Homer
: Smith, Jack Hickey, Kid Henry, Kid
, Harris, Tony Drake, Eddy Smith and
others of the same kind, who were
f knocked out by Dempsey.
Gibbons is Unscarred
The remarkable thing about Glib.
bons is that in his last % fights, not
! one foeman ever has planted solid
f blow against him. He never has had
? black eye or bloodied nose in his
! ring career; never been knocked out
= or even foored. And he has fought
: some of the very toughest bozos in
: ring harness in that period of time.
i Gibbons is 33-which some folks
claim is an age which counts against
his chances. But does it, Until he
4 was 30, Gibbons never really found
r himself as knockout artist. He was
< content until then to amble along and
S won on points
e But at 80, he decided that he'd work
r no longer in the ring than necessary
that he'd end every show in the
+ quickest possible time
5 And p knockout victories in %
r starts has been the result of that vow.
|, Instead of 33 handicapping Gibbons,
/ 1t seems to be helpful to him, for Glib
0 bons at 33 is a greater fighter by a
e million miles than he ever was before.
Gibbons is entitled TO a crack at
the heavyweight championship of the
l. woodland he ought to get it early
: in the summer of 1922.
3 Copyright 1921 by King Features
e Syndicate, IDc.)